Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-07-31
The Spirits In London Hume's Marvellous
Performaucee.

Mingling with those interested in. witness
ing evidences of spirit-power, | gladly ac-
cepted an invitation TO meet few friends on
Monday, the 7th of May, 1860, at q house in
the West-End. At quarter after eight
o clock, we went into the adjoining back
and sat down at a loo-table.
There were nine of us-Mr. Hume being one
of the number Immediately the table COM
menced vibrating and gently lifting itself
off the floor. say lifting itself, because no
human beings in human clay were the actors.
Nothing occurred for q few minutes, during
which conversation was kept up, and then
the table gradually rose up of the floor about
four feet, or rather moro than foot beyond
our outstretchcd arms, the hands of which
had rested gently on the table before its
ascent. II then descended.
The accordeon was asked for by the raps.
Mr.. Hume took il in his right hand, by the
rim at the bottom of the instrument leaving
his left hand on the table, and then were
played some beautiful voluntaries, exquisitely
attenuated, yet clear and melodious. They
then came out, gradually fuller, and yet more
full till the room seemed filled with the vol
ume of sound like pealing organ, still no
false note. A friend sitting next me, forget
ting himself exclaimed; "My God, how Won
derful p and after breath, asked 'if they
would give us some air we knew" and hav-
played at once.
< lady present. whose little boy had re-
Gently died, had indications of her son being
in the room; and the accordeon commenced
playing well-known air, which, on earth,
the little boy was very fond of, as tallying
with his mammals name. Reader, was not
there truth of light and love in the Incl
dent? The mother thought so, and her tears
betrayed her thoughts.
The detOnations on the table, and some
times under my hands, were as sharp, and as
clear, and ms loud, as if struck vigorously
with the edge of a penny-piece.
1t was then raped out by the sounds-"Go
TO the window" we rose and moved the loo
table to about eighteen inches from the win
dow. | may, in passing state that the
room was about thirty-seven feet long
by twenty-five wide, and about fifteen
to the ceiling, bountifully supplied with
the usual drawing-room furniture. We
sat down again, but more closely, so as to
allow vacant space at the side of the table
opposite the window. The sounds then gave
out--"Put out the lights" which was done
We found though the room was dark, yet the
light from the window was sufficient for us
to family see each other. The window-blind
then commenced moving up and down-no
one near it-evidently to tone the light; and
while we were remarking the singularity of
the phenomenon, and how high it went all
looking at it--suddenly it sprang up to the
top, and then came gently down to its origi-
nal position.
Mr.. Hume felt some thing on his head and
found it was a leaf. Suddenly the leaf of
geranium was taken and dropped into the
lap of lady sitting at the table. We heard
the snap, as if breaking off the stem of n
flower and Immediately came down past the
left ear of my friend and on to his knee, u
sprig of geranium; while he held it up for US
to see, | expressed wished to have one,
when sprig came past my right ear on to
my knee. picked it up, and while showing
it, another came past my face, as if from the
ceiling. The geranium plant was in the room
several feet from any of us, and the sprigs
came down both on the right and left Of me.
After pause, Mr.. Hume said he felt as if
he were about to be lifted up; he moved from
the table, and shortly he said, "Iam rising
but we could not see him-"They have put
me on my back" | asked, "Will you kindly
bring him, as much as possible, toward the
window, so we may see him .? " and at once
he was hoated with his feet horizontally into
the light of the window, so that we all saw
his feet and part of his legs resting or float
ing on the air like a feather, about six feet
from the ground, and three feet above the
hight of the table. He was then floated into
the dark and heexclaimed, "They have turned
me round and | am coming toward you" |
then saw his head and face, the same hight
rs before, as If floating on air instead of
water. He then hoated back and came down
and walked up to and sat on the edge of the
the table we were at when the table began
to rise with him on it.
He asked the lady to sit on the table, and
perhaps the spirits would take them both up;
the table moved little, and then was still.
Mr.. Hume was then taken behind to the settee
next to me; and, while there, we heard sounds
several times as to some one giving utterance
to monosyllable in the middle of the room.
Feeling pressure against my chair, looked
and saw that the ottoman had been brought
along the floor about six feet, no one touch
ing it, and close to Mr.. Hume. He said, 81
suppose it is for me to rest on" He lay down,
and the ottoman went back to its original
position. "Oh | am getting excited, some
one come and sit with me-" | went and sat
beside him, he took my hands, and in about
a minute, and with out any muscular action,
he gently hoated away from me, and was lost
in the darkness. He kept talking to let us
know where he was
We heard his voice in various parts of the
further end of the room, as ifnear the ceiling.
He then cried out, "Oh they have brought
me a cushion to sit upon-I am sitting on it
they are taking it away" Just then the
tassel of the cushion of another ottoman in
the room struck me on my hair and forehead,
as if coming from the ceiling, and the cushion
was deposited at my feet on the floor. falling
as if a snowflake. | then saw the shadow
of his body on the mirror as he foated along
near the ceiling. He said, ~ wish | had a
pencil to make mark on the ceiling
have made a cross with my nall He came
down near the door, and after pause he was
again taken up; but | did not see him, but
heard his voice as if near the ceiling. Again
he came down, and shortly returned to the
table we were at, and the sounds on the table
babe us "Good night