New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-05-01
MORE ABOUT THE SPIRITS
"spIriiunI NIanifestatiOns" In New
Hampshire.
MEREplrH sklpeE y. Il Aprll 4

Oeen eXclteO mere, uUfluB lew Hcchs PasSi "
the appearance, in this village, Of those wonder
ful phenomena which are now attracting 90 much
attention in various parts Of the coantry, and are
more commonly designated by the title Of Mys
terious RappiDgs' The medium is young
lady Of about nineteen years Of age, for several
years a resident among the Shakers at Enfield
N. a., but now member Of tha family of Mr..
Hiram Clifford, who is residing temporarily in this
place. Some years since, while at Enfield she
was accustomed TO falling into state OF somnan-
bulic ecstacy, or trance, when las she alleged
and as the Shakers believed.) she had visions OF
heaven, and was made the instrument OF d.
vine communications.
The interviews which are held daily, with what
purport to be spirits, in higher spheres OF exist
ence, have been quite numerously attended, not
only by those acting from the impulse Of aimless
curiosity, but also by the serious, dispassionase
and Intellectually cultivated portion Of our con-
munity. In many instances the demonstrations
are truly astonishing-the names OF persons OF
whom while living Ia this world, the " medium
could have had no personal knowledge, las the
visitors are satisfied by i'reiragabie proof being
spelled out, letter by letter Sometimes this IS
done with great prOmptness and exactItude
while at other times there is a degree Of hesitan-
cy in the replies, and now al then seeming H.
dcation that the invisible respondent has mlssp
pretended letter and paused 10 deliberate
This 10 the case sometimes az the commencement
Of a collOquy when after few satisfactory to
keDs of recognition have been given thus slowly
and apparently almost with reluctance, the com
munication proceeds with readiness and without
interruption. Occasionally, the answers are IN.
correct or ambiguous, especially with regard to
dofaa in ffp-
Qse1itiy evince o surprising degree Of exec.ness
in knowledge. Sometimes, when a large com
pany has been assembled, the "rapplngs have
been quite feeble and confused, as If proceeding
from more than one individual agency, and the re.
plies TO particular questions proposed at s1ch
times have often been somewhat lucOherent aud
Unsatisfactory. These Aforementioned results,
should IN justice observe, occur more generally
during damp or rainy weather, and when Z con
sequence OF the large number Of persons present,
breathing ia the room, the atmOs phereha become
rather oppressive. On few such occasions, a.
ter several of the company have departed, and the
door has been left jar for few moments the
sounds have become louder and more dlStinct,
and the communications quite regular AMI intelli
gible.
Frequently there are spelled out the names Of
persons entirely unknown 70 any member of the
circle Of listeners Among many Others the fol-
lowing was one morning spelled o1t to me:
Isaac w attermsn, Buna Vista" This is pre-
cisely the spelling In answer to questions, |
was told by traps, that the person who bore
this name was formerly a resident Ia HallOvell,
Maine, and was shot at the battle of Buena Vista,
at the age OF ~ years
Names Of persons with whom | was well &C
quainted during their soourn in this world have
been repeatedly communicated to me, accom-
panied sometimes by brief sentences, expressive
of continued regard and being in their pathological
structure remarkably Characteristic Oftheir Osten-
sible authors as l knew them in this world.
Usually such names have been announced by the
method elsewhere adOpted-rapping At the let
tiers of the alphabet, As successfully repeated,)
when entirely unexpected on my part, as | was
not thinking of them at the time, but was seek
ipg communication with others. Often indeed,
those with whom have felt the most sOlicitous
10 converse have not manifested themselves d.
recty until after they hare been utToducef By
Others, who first came and spelled out their ooR
names and then signlted the names OF the ON
ers whom had prominently In my mind
Among the various communications which nave
been addressed through the alphabet, to different
perrons, | will mention lew which were Pc
culiarly impressive in their elect upon the mlnos
of those tho received them. Two young ladies',
accompanied by the husband of one OF them,
came to this village one afternoon, from their re-
sidence about eight miles distant, and without
any previous notice having been given to the
"medium" or the family who accompany her, ITO
whom they were entire strangers they attended
one of the regular sittiDgs as they are termed
The name of their father having been spelled out,
they ere deeply Affected; when they were ad'
dressed in the following words; Weep not,
dear friends | am with you; kROw your tT0u-
H," They have recently been worried by the
presentation Of an unexpected demand upon the
little estate left them by their tather-a note con-
siderably defaced, and with the signature parity
torn off alleged to have been stolen, and after
wards found in a stable since bis death. To a
gentleman whose wife, young and smiable wo'
man died little more than year since, what
purported TO be her spirit very promptly spelled
out her whole name, Mary Elizabeth -, and
added this sentence; Sweet and refreshing are
the zepbyrs that bear my spirit to thee" One
evening the following was spelled out to hev J
p. Atkinson, Of this place "Rebecca Laskey-
Heaven is beautiful, and sweet are its euicy-
ments Mr. A. informs me that the name thus
communicated was the name OF young lady
with whom his family were Intimately acqualnt
ed and TO whom they were devotedly attached,
while be resided in Marbehead, Mass The
word "Marblehesd was spelled out as the
name of the town in which she resided while in
this world, and the time which has intervened
since her departure was accurately specified.
What purports to be the spirit Of dear little boy
| lost, some two years and hai sluce, mas
several times come, and tapping gently, VITO a
faint and muiiled sound, with the aid OF those
purporting to be toe spirits of other relatives of
mine who have accompanied him, land who have
seemed to volunteer as his instructors, for the
time being) has spelled out to me brief messages
Of cheering import and perfectly child like aud
+ characteristic.
Tables have been moved by an invisible agen-
cy, az several eye witnesses are ready TO testify.
One evening l lifted one end of heavy card
table from the floor, and then requested that the
opposite end might also be lifted; when, to the
ss:onishment of tsose present, the other end was
20 NhEa
blight OF some SIX or eight inches aud in the
course Of few seconds dropped, striking heavily
upon tbe floor, as if the eaergy that previously
upheld it had been suddenly aud Intentionally
Withdrawn.
A few evenings since. guitar was played, In
the following singular manner; The lower enc OF
the instrument vas rested upon the 100: Of card
table nl,und which the cOmpsnY present were