The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1853-09-15

stupidity. Extracts from this letter
must suffice to show the extent of Mime
Benoits credulity:
went to see the table one afternoon,
writes Mime B., with Adelaide, Nine
Lecuyer, and the wife of Francois. We
arrived. and | trembled on entering the
room. Three persons were then leaving
the table, one Of whom was weeping at
what it had said TO her. Somebody in
qnired if any person wished to ask the
table anything; said that as Michel
and his wife had arrived before us, they
ought 10 speak to it first; but they re-
fused TO do SO. accordingly sat down
to the table, asked it if it would be kind
enough to tell me how many children
my mother had, and it answered IN the
affirmative.
How manyann said |.
"Two," answered the table.
as ii brother that have ~
"No."
"a sister m
"Yes.n
ais she at Boulogne 2"
"No."
cat St. Claud 2"
"No."
ais she at Paris 2"
"Yes.n -..
as she in good health 7"
"No.n
ais she i'll Z"
dyes"
Very ill?"
avery"
dangerously i'll z"
ayes, dangerously"
"Shall | see her again?"
"No."
'On this, as you can well understand.
was greatly affected" continues Nine
Benoit in her letter, Sand began cry
ing: but I turned TO the table asked it ::
will papa go to see her?"
"No."
"And mamma 2"
"No.n
"No one, then, will visit her Z"
"Noone."
"The master of the house then came
in, and in his presence asked the table
if you, my dear sister. were to die; but
it could not answer. The man spoke 10
it in German, and it answered him
His daughter asked if it would allow
her 10 tell me what il had said: it an
swered No, that ought not 10 be told?
But the young woman turned TO me
and said You will never see your SIS
ter again. On this the table beat her,
and refused to reply TO any more ques-
tions, while the girl humbly asked its
pardon as of great parsonage"
The letter then went on 10 describe
the sorrow felt by the writer at the loss
of her sister; how her husband had
questioned the table in his turn, and
how it had answered him ]: and how. in
addition, number of other very ex-
traordina1y things had taken place
But il is unfortunate that Mime B.. who
was witness to all, does moi inform the
world how the table, when il got suIky,
went TO work 10 beatthe poor girl. Had
she said that it up with a leg and kick
ed her. we could have accounted for it:
but for table to turn to and beat per-
son-over the head for instance-must
have been awkward.
The upshot of the matter was, that
the pretended statement of the marvel
Gus table became the talk of all the
gossips, and that the greatest curiosity
was manifested 10 know of what mala-
dy the sister had died. Mile Marie,
the defendant, took it upon herself to
crafty the curiosity, by stating that
Mile Fiine, the sister, had died in
child. birth. Nine Benoit Indignantly
resented this imputation on her sisters
virtue; violent quarrel between her
and Marie was the consequence, and
at length the latter beat her: hence the
complaint. The court fined Marie so
francs for committing an assault, but
did not consider it necessary 10 avenge
the outraged virtue of Fifine-who is
neither dead nor ill-by granting dam
ages for defamation of character. I
have given you hasty report of this
trial to show 10 what length supersti-
ton and barefaced trickery sometimes
60 in France We have humbugs
enough in the States, but they GO ahead
of us here.