The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-06-21
More about the Spirits,

Acting upon the principle Of giving fair hear
ing rs well to the unbelisvers in the so callcc
spiritual Manifestations As 70 those who accent
them as revelations from the invisible world. W,
give place to the following testimony, md sha
mold ourselves under obligation to publish sucl
reiutaton or contradiction as may be furnished
by the parties IMPLICATED. Il is no more than
simple justice to say, that no person ought tC
condemn the used until they have had fan
chance to defend themselves.
DPosit'm Of Mri Norman Culr,r taken at dr.
e"dta, Aew York, april II, 1851,
! am, * marriage, connection Of the Fox
glrlsi iheNhrother married my husbands sister
lhe gi'is have been great deal at my house
and for two years was very sincere bel lever in
the rappmgs, but some things which saw wher
was visiting the girls nj Rochester, made me
suspect they were deceiying. resolved To sat
i'iy myself in some way; and some time after
ward made proposition To Catharue to asss,
her IN producing the manifestations ! had a
cousin visiting me from Michigan, who was go
ing to consult the spirits and told Catherine tha,
If they intended to 80 to Detroit, it would be a
great thing tpr them to convince him also told
her that It could do anything to help her,
would DO It chcerfully--that should probably
VI,
and | would do it il ,he would show me how 10
make the raps, She said rs MarCaretta was ab.
sent she wanted somebody 10 help her and that
II | would become medium, She would eyplain
1t all to me. She Nid ,ba. when my cousin con.
suited tho spirits, | must sit next to her. and
touch her arm when the right letter was called.
did So and was able to answer nenrly all the
questions correctly, After had helped her in
n r. lao 1,l ii.
Cret The rnps are produced with the toes. All
the toes are used. After nearly weeks rrac.
ticc, with Catharine showing mc how, could
produce them perfectly myself At first /, was
very hard work 10 do it.. Catharine told me to
warm my feet, or put them in warm water, and
It would then be easier work to rap she said
that she sometimes had to warm her feet three
or four times in the course Of an evening. |
found that heating my feet did enable me to rap
great deal easier, have sometimes produced
hundred aud fifty raps in succession. can rap
with all the toes on both feet Il il most difficult
TO rap with the great toe
Ca,harlno told me how 10 manage 90 answer
the questions; she said it was generally easy e.
nough to answer right if the ons who asked the
questions called the alphabet; she said the rca.
son why they asked people To write down sev.
~ "''"''' w I'np''i "h NW'h Hpllt ~ luein Nil
the splrlt raped at the right one, was to give
them chance TO watch the countenancc and mo.
hons OF the person, and that In that way they
could nearly always guess right.
She also explained how they held down and
moved tables. (Mrs. Culver gave us some illus.
trations of the tricks.) She told me tha, all
should have to do to make the raps heard on the
table, wuold be to put my foo, agains, the bottom
Of the table when Trapped, and tha, when I
wished to make the raps sound distant on the
wall, mus, make them louder, and direct my
own eyes earnestly to the spot where wished
them to be heard. She said II could put my
foot against the bottom Of tho door, tho raps
would be heard on the top Of the door.
Catharine told me that whcu the committee