The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-08-18

8 -e-@11S11r0l2 AU0ubE y. 100
1.-..rra ros faE srRiEes. = pefsons
~csr~ = re gorinxs ga aave tne n1spMsn
~ 49, % s thsn for any length Of simc tney
may desire. -
spIRrTUALTsM AT BUFFALO.
II must be admitted that the publication
from the Buffalo Republican, copied in the
Dispatch u Thursday. .of numerous facts
connected with exhibitions Of Spirituaiism IN
that place. goes long way ahead OF any
previous developments of that august "ys-
terry. II Il sumswhst surprising that the ca
itor Who relates these astounding fsc1s' nay
Who professes himself 70 have witnessed
manv Of them. and absolutely vouches for
the correctness of the statements published,
should gravely declare that he is not Pc
lever in spiritualism It would have been
better for the effect Of his narrative It he had
omitted that declaration. for. if he saw such
things a. he describes, and does not believe,
II must be becsuse he had reason to suspect
some human jugglery in the getting up Of the
performance. However, we are censoled by
the statement that "the doctrine has for its
supporters msny of the most eminent litera'
ry and professional men. of Buffalo" We
should like 10 know. the names Of these
'eminent, literary men. There is not word
IN the wholeaE oglish tongue moresfrequentIy
misapplied than that much. inisused word
eminent" We dare say that, upon inves'
hgation, it would be found thatl these emf.
nent literary and professional men were net
quite equal to Prof. Wilson, Lord jeffrey, or
Sir David Brewster. On the whole, we should
consider any literary or professional man,
who believes such trash ~ that retailed by
the Buffalo Republic. an "eminent" jsckass.
We like . lgood ghost story, one that will
make the hair stand on end and the flesh
creep from the crown Of the head to the sole
ofthe foot. All men have longing to know
the secrets of the mysterious spirit-world F; to
have the veil that, hides.it lifted up, if ever
so little, SO that they can get peep at what
is going on behind the scenes. But ghost
story, like every other fiction, must adhere
to the probabilities" or it loses its charm
An ancient philosopher has observed that
che may lie who knows how to do it, but
the concoctors Of this. Buffalo romance have
TO such qualifications. They have. the in.
olinatioD, but not the capacity.
Did ever anybody hear or imagine absur-
dities 80 stupendous The medium is q
youth by the name of Ira Brown, and this
little villain succeeds in making the eminent
literary and professional men of Buffalo
believe that he is taken possession of by the
spirit of Napoleon Bonsparte and that the
said Napoleon is inspecting a regiment OF
cavalry, whose various movements the WIS.,
itors distinctly hear. Why didn't they ask
Boney what he thought of the Eastern war,
and whether he ever entertained any doubts
whether the present Emperor of France was
really the nephew" of his "uncle''? This
grand demonstration ends by the spirit taking
up the boy Ira, bodily, and carrying him
into the kitchen and from, thence into the
wood-house! ITO what base uses We may
return. Horatio! Why may not magma
ton trace the noble dust of Alexander, till he
Hnd it stopping bung hole"
.Imperious ce,sr. dead and turn ID to clay,
o, that the earth which kept the world ia awe,
Should patch wall TO expel the winters flaw"
If Shakespeare had lived in the time of the
spirit rappers, he might have found lower
depth than even "these base uses 1t mat
tiers not what becomes of the clay which
forms our mortal tabernacle. That which
makes Cesar, an Alexander, or Napoleon,
is The spirit and so long as the spirit pre-
serves its dignity, the cast off flesh is of as
little moment as the cast off garment. But,
think of the doom of this unhappy Napoleon,
whose body lies in state in Paris, but whose
nobler part, his spirit, that spirit which made
Europe shake as If by an earthquake, and held
the world in awe, is now engaged in running
from ltokitchen and from kitchen to wood
house, with vile little Yankee ON his back
by the name of Ira Brown! Nap oleon Bo-
naparte aud Ira Brown! The eminent lite.
rary whales of Buffalo may swallow that sto
~, but, not having q mouth as wide as a
whale. it it impossible for us to get it down.
Another very remarkable spirit, who fgur-
ed in this Buffalo "circle,' answered to the
peculiar and original name of George Brown.
We have no doubt that the sirname of this
spirit was really and truly Brown, but cannot
help suspecting that bis Christian name was
Ira. However, he appears to have done the
spectators brown by his extraordinary per-
tormanees Mr.. George Brown stated that
lie had been murdered, that his body could
be found in certain place which he de.
scribed, and that he wished Davenport, at
whose house this ghostly ."circle' is held, to
proceed with the medium Ira, who would
point on. the spot where his body was con.
ceaied. Davenport net acting as promptly
In the premises as desired by. the spirit, that
enterprising worthy threatened to transport
the medium to the spot himself. Not long
afterwards, Mr.. George Brown did actually
seize upon his namesake Ira, and carried him
across the river to Canada, and brought him
back again. which fact Mr.. Brown stated he
tried as an experiment to ascertain how fast
he could travel with such a burthen! On
smother occasion, Ira and another boy were
enticed away by the spirits, and taken in an
unconscious condition to a distant country.
We cannot say that the spirits on this occa.