The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-01-01
From the Pulaski &C eorgia) Times.
D8rkev,s Sniritualtsm
1er having witnessed anythine TO

Never having witnessed anything to pros
elyts us to the doctrine of spiritualism, We
are not prepared to vouch for the truthful
ness Of the experience as related by color.
| ed gentleman, whom we chanced to over
hear, but will give the experience for what i,
is worth. Our readers may believe what
Samuel says or not, just as they please
Should We ever witness as plain nanifes
tation. as Samual says he did, We shall have
our skep;cism removed.
We give the story Of Samuel as nearly as
we can, in the language he uasd in relating
II TO his friend Joshua, which was eerbati'"
as follows:
"Well, Sam" says Joshua "what does
you tink eb dis ting dey call spiriizism and
do mejums, festations, and all sch as dat !;
does you tink dar is troof in it or not''
Why JOSH" says Samuel, very eau
tieusly; 81 is ob de pinien e5 some OBJ de
white folks on dat subject, think that dar
is troof in it, but Josh, ef = y an spress he
self on dat subject, and says he bleve spirit
festation am true, den de folks ebery whar
say; dat niger is crazy. So you see, Josh,
what l has seen, till know who is talkin'
to fust"
Dat is de flct, SAM" replied Joshua,
fer hear nassa John say dat all dc folks
in Makun is crazy about de spirits; but il
you spress yourself to dis niger, afare God
I nebber till it to nobody"
"Den, Josh" resumed SamaeL "I tel
you my sperience on de subject. is me.
jun myself golly is for sartin, an when
you hear nv sperence den you belief in de
spirits too. Now, Josh, gwine to tell you
de troof, an what | tell you is what is seen
wd dees ize, an heard Wild dis mouf;-no.
no, mean heard wid my years. Well, 1
went down de ribber swamp, one night bout
tree weeks ago, possum huntin, dare was
nobody wild me, but dat dog you see dare,
an We tread big old possan in de biggest
old black gum tree you ebber see in your
born days Well, thinks to myself, ef |
has to cut da: tree down to get dat possum
den Ise gwine homo widout de possun for
sartin. Well, set down and tink for min
it er two, an scratch my head. Den say
to myself, now | gwiue to see eE dar is any
troof in de ting dey call spirits 'festations.-
So goes up to de tree en- stuck my axe, as
hard as could, an left il dar, an slept of
from the tree, an sed: if dare is de spirit
here ob any black man dat is dead, what has
ebber been 'possum huutn' w!d me, | will
tank hlnl to let me know it by cuttiu down
dis tree. | say de same ting ober tree times
al tcN 1 see uc ak COlull OUT OIL Os iftt, ah
afore could snuff nv torch, away it was
Gwine, cuttin' like blazes, ijes Ike sum body;
but | swar, Josh, dar was not soul dar but
me an de deg. ob course | knowed for
trooft vas spirit. Ny dog raised he Brig
sells an growl, I made him lie down an
hush he noui. Bine by, arter de ak had
cut big keerf, it stop and set dc axe down
on de sroun, ies like when you stop TO blow
an rake de chips outer &c place da;s cut
wi6 your hand, you know, and de CHIPS fall
out &c place, but couldn't See no hand nor
muffin.
"Well, warnt skcered a bit; stood dare
an de axe 5000 dare, jist leanin up against
muffin. Thinks I, that mist be Bill Cniz-
zum, what used to go wild NE possum hunt
in, afore he drd. Saz |, is dat you, Bill
Cbuzzunl: an when say dat, down fall de
axe on dc groun', an al de saudin | could
do, it neber cut anode. BIT. Den | kncwed
i. was Bill, an he tink | Gwne to az him
for de quarter dollar he owed ME when he
die, an he cut out for true. | tell YOU,
Josh, didn't cotch dot 'possum-no Stree,
bob-dis chile take de a, an cut fer home,
sar,in. Now, Josh, dare is trso! in de spir-
itzum, for sariin, but don't breavs dis ting
10 nobody, 70. / dent want no man to say
dis niger is crazy