The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-08-17

the casiors were oil in the right line for mo.
lion he could jus, start il by the full grasp
Of the thumb and fingers Of both hands.
The persons stood on the sides Of the Ia
BILE, three and two, and back from its edge
abou, eighteen inches. As Dr.. Bell is
some six feet Two inches in hight, he aver.
red that ho had no difficulty in seeing be-
t,reen the table and the persons Of all pres.
ent. The hands were raised over il at about
the same hight Of foot and hall.
AT q request, the table commenced its
motion, with moderate speed, occasionlly
halling, and then gliding on a foot or two
at once. Il seemed as IL its motion would
have been continuous IL the hands above
il had followed along pari passu.
On reaching The folding doors dividing
off the two parlor, and which were open,
il rose over an iron rod on which projected
half or three-quariers Of an inch above the
level of the carpet. II then entered the
other parlor and went its whole length un.
Ill il came near the pier glass at its end
a cenier.,able having been pushed aside by
one of The party 10 allow its free intercourse
A,reques,, for they during this time spoke
as il to actual beings, the motion was rever
sed' and !, returned until It agaiu reached
the iron rod. Here il stuck. The table
hove, creaked and struggled, but all in vain
il could not surmoun, the obstacle. The
medium was then I" impressed by the
spirits y 10 write, and seizing pencil, has.
lily wrote ,ha, iilhe fore legs were lifted
over the bar, they Il. O., the spiri's) thought
they could push the others over. This was
done and the motion KEEP, on. Once or
twice DR.. Bell requested all to withdraw a
little further from the table, q" to see " how
far the influence would extend" II was
found that whenever much greater dis.
lance. say two feet, was reached, the move
nent ceased, and delay Of three OF four
minutes occurred before il recommended,
giving the idea that, il broken of, certain
reaccumula,ion Of force was needful 10 put
il in motion again. The table reached
the upper end Of the parlor, from which !,
had started, bu, was leit some four fec
from the medium line Of the room. Dr
Bell expressed the thanks Of the company
for the very complete exeibilion with which
they had been favored, but remarked thai
the obligation would be enhanced il the
"spiriis " would move the table about four
feet a, right angles, so ,ha, the chairs would
come rish, for their late occupants. This
was Immediately done, aud the perform
ance was deemed SO perfectly full and sat
isfaclory that nothing more was asked n
this soss;ea.
DR.. Bell was. understood 10 say that thi'
made some five or six times in which ht
had seen the table move without human
contact, and all under circumstances appa
ren,ly as free from suspicion as this just re-
lated. He also stated tha, the Rev. Mr.. H.,
clergyman Of extraordinary sagacious
perceptions, and mechanical skill, took
this same medium to his own house, with
out previous thought, where she never be,
fore had been, and where his own table, in
the presence OF his own family alone, wen,
through The fullest locomoion without hu'
man touch. DR.. Bell mentioned, that, in
his last experimcnt-,hat just narrated
the entire space moved through was over
fifty feet.
DR.. Bell then passed 10 the topic Of re.
sponces to mental and verbal questions,
and gave several narratives Of long cOnver.
salons with what purported 10 be the spirits
Of persons dead for twenty-five to forty
years, in which every question he could
devise relating to their domestic history and
to events in il, known only TO them and him
had been truly answered. Some OF the
subjects put men,alIy-i.e. e., without speak
ing or writing-had half dozen correct re-
plies, forbidding OF course completely on
any doctrne Of chances, the contingency
OF accident or coincidence, as such mental
questions, per Sc, negative the explanation
Of previous knowledge on the part Of the
medium.
A briaf abstract Of one Of these will give
a general idea Of their character. DR.. Bell
had frequently remarked TO his spiritual |"
friends, ,ha, IL any medium could reproduce
the essential particulars ola final interview
which had occurred between himself and
a deceased brother in 1926, he should be
almot compelled 10 admit that il came
from his spirit, because he was sure that
he (Dr. Belly never had communicated Il to
any living being. Hence, as II had never
been known but 10 two persons, and was Of
so peculiar well.marked character, as not
10 be capable Of being confounded by gen.
erali,ies, no should hardly be able Otherwise
10 explain 1t. A few weeks aherward,
what purporcd TO be the spirit ofihat broth
er narrated The essential particulars OF the
the place where, down 10 the
well.recolected fac, that he tras adjusting
he stirrups Of his horse, preparatory to
distant journey, when !. was held
Pretty early, however, in his investiga
lions, DR.. Bell began TO find that, however,
corec: his spiritual cOnferees were in mos,
of,heir Iesponces, the moment question
was put involving a response the truth Of
which was unknown to him, uniform fail.
ure occurred. Sometimes, where he be.
lieved q, the time that his questions were
ouly answered, subsequent information
had shown him that he had been mistaken.
He had answers which he believed 10 be
true, when the fac Is were decidedly other