Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-09-23
For the Freeman.
Familiar Spirits0-Again.

encouraged 10 address yourself and your readers
again not that am sanguine that any proofs
which can bring from the Law, and the testi-
mony, will be conclusiUc in the minds of very
many, that these wonderful manifestations, or
or spiritual revelations, proceed, not from human
agency either living or dead but rather from
evil spirits, or spirits of devils working miracles
Rev, 16: xiv please read the connection. But
will proceed to say that since sending you
that Ms. nave spent few days at Saratoga
springs, where almost everything of wonder
full nature is exhibited to attract the attention of
the curious, &C., and among other things these
LoW rapping spirits were advertised for exhibit
ton, close by, and being in company win a
brother Of mine from New York city who has
written and published considerable in exposing
such deviity Ito speak plainly and no provcrb,)
he proposed to myself to 90 with him to their
door, and he would converse with those deluded
persons, for so we both understood these things
So rather reluctantly consented, and we went
accordingly ; and on introducing ourselves at
their door, Mt the Madison Hotel We were
very politely invited to " walk in,' and were
urged 80 to do, as grutuitous spectators and SO
we did, yet positively declining to take any part
ourselves in these things, which we unitedIy and
honestly told them we considered forbidden, and
denounced by the Good Lord in his Word, as
being desperately wicked, and the partakers
thereof to be punished in the great day of reck
oning, by being cut off from having any part
with the saints in the heavenly kingdom, which
is promised, and which Jesus has gone to pre-
pare for his people, Bat Notwithstanding our
plainness, to satisfy US of their ability to d.
such things, they proceeded, in their own way,
as we utterly refused to seek unto wizards
that peep and that mutter," &c-Isa. s. xix !;
or knock, or rap, as these rnppers do ; and 50
they called on some of their own guardian spir-
its or angels, as they called "lhe rappers," and
got them 70 rapping on the table, and answering
various questions Of the young and apparently
harmless and simple looking medium, apparent
y not more than Is or l6 years old, by gently
rappng on the table, which appeared to myself
to be on the opposite side Of the table to which
! was sitting, and the contrary to my brother
who sat at a small distance from the table on
the opposite side. The usual signals for a neg,
ative answer would be one distinct rap ; and for
an affirmative three raps and we witnessed sew
eral Operations, such as rapping out senten'
ces, one letter at time, the young medium
passing her finger over the alphabet of large
capitals, and on the rapplng it would be desg
mated what letter i was, and the Dr. (lor Sc
he wits called on the other side Of the taoIt
would write down the letter at which the rap
ping wus-heard; and SO they spelled out cor
rectly, at the suggestion of my brother his Chris
tian name and we presumed that none Of the
persons present but ourselves knew any more
about his name than any other person that never
heard Of him. But in attempting to give his
age, as they promised to do, they failed afel
tlying the second time and declaring that to be
right, of not giving the number right by nearly
eleven years.
And other wonders we Witnessed such as
tipping the table, raising the table on one side
fifteen or twenty inches, and then coming down
with tremendous fall, &c. and also Of writ
ing on the slate, the medium, i. e, the Dr., held
the pencil in his hand on the slate in writing
position, with his eyes shut, and held up his
head, and so the invisible medium, for SO it look
questions proposed but it was in such way as
to confirm us in our previous opinion that it was
done through the power Of some invisible agent
and from the whole tenor Of their performances
we were confirmed in the idea, that there was
no good spirit or being concerned init, but ''ev
and only evil" and of course the result would
fidelity and of course to dlshonor God, 10 civ.
ing the lie to his Word, and throwing the Bible
into the shade, or ,scardng it wholly, as 1t may
best subserye his daboIical purposes, first begal
or manifested in the garden OF Eden.
But without further comment of my own as tC
the truthfulness, or asehood of these things
except that will say for the qualification O
others, that in making my discoveries on the
occasion above alluded to, was particularly
careful to watch and examine the position an(
motions of all surrounding the table with myself
and there were none others in the room except
my brother already mentioned, to see if there
was any deception artfully to perform their won
ders but with all our precaution and lookout,
we could detect no imposition, except what was
practced by those lying spirits, as we were bolt
to denominate them, even on the occasion I; anC
did not shun or avoid to warn or bear witness tC
this effect before we left, of the abomnabe anC
fearful work which we trusted they were unwit
ingly engaged in.
But am aware of the diversity of views or
this subject, and do not expect that many vii
be convinced of the true nature of these satanic
deceptions, and delusions of Antichrist, whereof
thor shall be many in the latter days.
Now, in closing my communication, already
protracted beyond what was intended when com
menced, Just want to give passing notice tt
your note appended at the bottom of the page
viz, on quoting Eccl,, 9:v, q vi, as proof thai
these rappngs could not come from the spirit
of the dead, &c, you remark that " this is no
conclusive, &c, as we do not believe in the an
Inhalation of the SOUL" But permit me to say
that neither Of these terms are used in the pass
age quoted. OF course it is all inferential de
ductions from the text, to say that it did no
mean the whole man, even all that apperiainet
to the man as rational being and now an
on this subject want to give few more yer,
plain and positive testimonies from the Hol,
= OrOcles, on this subject, letting the Word speal
for itself, comparing spiritual things with spirit
ua only. And first | will qpote es and intrcdpc