The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1853-09-02
[ From an Address by John W. Edmonds
Judge of the Supreme Court, New
York Stnte.
TO THE PUBLIC.

oIk Othte'
TO THE PUBLIC.
I, was in January, 1851, that my at
tention was first called to the subject o
"Sp'ritual Intercourse" ! was laboring
under great depression Of spirits occupy.
ing all my leisure in reading on The sub,
ject of death, and mans existence after.
ward. | had read and heard from ;be
pulpit so many contradictory AND conf CT
ing doctrines on the subject, that | hardly
knew what to believe, | could moi, if !
would, believe what ! did mol understand,
and was anxiously seeking 10 know, il
after death We should agnin meet with
those whom We had loved here, and un-
der wha. circumstances. l was invited
by friend 10 witness the "Rocbester
Knockings," and complied, more 10
oblige her and TO while away tedious
hour. 'bouPht good deal on what !
witnessed, and determined TO investigate
The matter and find OUT what il was. If il
was deception, or a delusion, | thought
that could detect it. For about four
months devoted at let's, two evenings in
aweek, and sometimes more, 10 witness
ing The phenomenon in all lis phases.
A, length the evidence came, and in such
force tha, no sane man could withhold
his faith. .......
Thus far, the question was, whether
what saw was produced by mere mortal
means, or by some invisible, unknown
agency; whether il was perception, an
imposition, or what il professed TO be,
the product Of some unknown, unseen
cause. TO detail whut I! Witnessed would
far exceed the limits Of this communica.
lion, for my record Of it for those four
months alone fill, at least, one bundled
and thirty closely written pages. ! will,
however, mention few things, which
will give general idea OF that which
characterized interviews, now numbering
several hundrt d. Most of them have
occurred in The presence Of others besides
myself. have preserved their names in
my records, bu, do no, give them to the
world, because do not desire 10 subject
them 10 The obloquy which seems, most
strangely, 10 be visited upon all who look
in,o The matter with any other feeling
than a resolute and obstinate incredulity,
whatever the evidence. But these con-
sideralions grow out of this faci -ls',
that have thus very many wilne sses,
whom can invoke TO establish the truth
Of my statements; and, I'd, that if | have
been deluded, and have not seen and
heard wha, think have, my delusior
has been shared by many as shewd, al
honest, and as enlightened people us ore
to be found anywhere among US.
My attention was first drawn TO The IN
tercourse by the rappings, then the mos
common, bu, now the most inconsde dera
BILE, mode of communing. OF course
was oD the look out for deception, and a
first relied upon my own senses and the
conclusions which my own reason nigh
draw from their evidence. But was a
loss TO tell how The mediums coult
cause what | Witnessed under these cir
cumstances: The mediums walking The
length Of q suite Of parlors, forty or fif,!
feet, and the rappings being distinct.
heard six feet behind them, the wholf
distance, backward and forward severa
times: being heard neur the top of 4
mahogany door, above where the medium
could reach, and as fs,ruck hard with ,
fist; being heard on the bottom Of ca
when travelling, on railroad, and on the
floor and the table, when seated a. luncl
at an eating-Louse, by the side Of the
road; being heard at differen, parts ofiht
room, some times several feet distant from
The medium, and where she could no
reach--sometimes on the itble, and
intermedia,ely after, on the floor, anc
then at different parts Of tho table, in ra'
pid succession, enabling US TO feel the
vibration as well as hear the sounds
sometimes when the hands and feet o
the medium were both firmly and care
fully held by some one Of the party ant
sometimes on table when no one touch
Cd 10