New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-07-24
"Tbe Spirits, and ImmortaIi
To ne Editor, Of The N. T. TSibun<:
cathay from Tho fanny &c youy yep,a


the tables, ring the bells, lift the chairs, throw the
tongs, and enact the other antics included IN TINS
faptastic repertory II is not accurately known
TO me whether the ground of your distrust be gem
eral as implying the absolute ncredloHity OF
ghOstly communications; or specific, as implying
the incrsdibility Of communications so rapm as
those we are now receiving but IN either case
am disposed to offer you rome general views on
these occurrences which | hope may not prove
wholly alien 10 the wants of your intelligence.
myself think it highly probable that these
phenomena take place by ghostly agency, or the
agency Of invisible persons bit Gt tie same ttDle
Imot distinctly maintain that, whether they do
or not Mey shed no Scintiiia Of light on the CUES
ton Of mans Immortality. TO make this thesis
plain, il the purpose Of the present writing.
think it probable, then, that many Of these ex-
hbitions are what they claim to be, namely, pro-
ducts of trans-sepuchral power because my init
mate knowledge of the parsons who are subject TO
them, permits me no distrust Of THEN complete
integrity in the premises and consequently de-
wolves an altogether disproportiOnite duty upon
mere electricity. Ii is uncomfortable that electri-
city should rap out an English sentence (a!though
way Of sentiment, than that Beaufy soon dec0ys,
or Eel communications corrupt gOod m1Raers,)
unless il be directed by an intelligence superior 20
itself. IT, therefore, you feel bound BY all y0u
know Of the risibie parties to the transactions, to
cOnfde in their honesty, you eau hardly hesitate
to assume the agency Of iarisibe parties. Some
time previous to the dawn OF these phenOm
ena in this country fread Of nine in Europe,
a man Of great sense, with an intellect disciplined
in the whole compass Of knowledge, wrote me -
| detailed account Of a remarkable experience of
| this sort he himself was undergoing. His wife,
woman so enshrined in wOman'y sanctity that
seem to offer PROCLAMATION even in thinking Of her
thus publicly was disturbed one night in her sleep
by vehement rappiDg upon the walls of her room.
The rappiDg appeared to shift its position from
one place to another in the chamber and to be
Indifferent to the number Of it, auditors. II
lasted so long, month after month if mistake not,
aud at intervals grew importunate in its brute
solicitation, that the nerves OF the lady became
severely tried, and the patience Of the husband
though he was at first amused by the Oddity Of the
Occurr6 nee, confessed itself exhausted. They re-
solved to leave the house, but as they had lease
Of it, which could not be adyantageouslv dis
posed of at moments notice, they had som.
difficulty in carrying out this resolution. ri.
nay, however, they moved, but the rappings
followed them to the new house, though believe
with a somewhat diminished intensity. About
tins period, to make long story short my friend,
whom shall call Mr. b., had occasion to see n
young lady in a mesmerc sleep, induced for the
purpose of giving her relief from epileptic attacks.
The patient happened on this occasion to ave
been attacked at the house of a relative Of Nc. T.,
wlere she had gone to spend the evening Wnen
the paroxysm declared ITSELF she was removed t.
bedroom on the upper floor and medical help
afforded her in the shape OF mesmerism, which
had been previously found bent fetal. She be-
came at once composed and ciurvoyant, speaking
to Mr. h., with whom she was en- rapport, o!
various things At length she exclaimed, with
rather a mTthlul cOuntenance, " Oh, what an ex
traordlnary old woman this Is! She saws sh.
wants very much to see you and your wife. Her
name is go and So" The name thus given WI.
that of female relative of Mr.. b. lately deceased
who had been greatly attached to his wife and
eldest child, and who had died in this identical
chamber "She says she has been extremely de
sirous, and been trying very hard to get speech
of your wife, but has not been able to effect it.
She wants especially to give her directions as to
the disposal of some bits of property, left unde-
ylsed by her at the period of her death. You
will find them situated thus and thus. and
having found them you will dispose of them
so and so.' Mr.. b. was greatly shocked at this
communication, as betokening an extraordinary
frivolty on the part of a respected relative, now
surrounded by the grandeurs and amenities of an.
other world but, on looking in the quarters indi-
Gated for the goods in question, they were dscOv-
cred exactly described. and, being disposed of as
desired, the old lady shortly became quiet, and it
was hoped had finally scared away from her
last remaining anchorage to earth. However
she once afterward requested the cairvoyant to
tell Mrs. b. that she had laid aside her specta-
Giles, her sight having got back almost to its
youthful vgor. And another time when the
clairvoyant was passing the day at MIR. b. shouse
there was an extremely lively recurrence of the
knockngs, which peculiarly awkward, as
it had been thought desirable by the med
ical advisers of that lady, that she should
be kept in profound ignorance of the inter-
course Of which she had been the unconscious
medium. BY jSdcious management, however
she was kept from any solictude on the subject,
until in the afternoon an incident occurred which
induced MIR. b. under some pretense of business
leading him imme dately into her part of the city
10 offer her an earlier escort home than was at
fret contemplated. 1t had always been sove-
reign consideration with my frie nd and his wife to
keep their children ignorant as possibl. of the
existerce OF these disturbances aud they had so
well succeeded, that not one of the little ones had
the slightest suspicion of what had been going on in
the house. They had now and then. indeed, been
disturbed by the noises, but had willingly listened
TO conjectural explanations OF their cause so that
their imsginations were kept, on the whole, CON-