The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-07-06

Rlseax1cal Splvit Rappers...Ineeresean :
Develops1enk .
We HAYS seen spirit, land such SPIRIT
It was mona Of your airy imponderable spirits.
but substantial spirit, seen with the eyes and
handled with the hands. It consisted Of thin
wooden box about six inches square, containing
an armature and magnet which had been con.
nccted with wires TO galvanic battery. When
tne electric circuit was broken and closed nv
button. key the magnet produced ran in the
box, and, according to the formula of those Who
are skilled in the Interpretation of sprit Ian.
guagc, those raps were read off as MESSAGE
rom the split world. A distinguished nrofes.
sor In New York was frequent visitor to Tho
estabtishment where such manifestations occur.
RED, and the boz which we examined had hecn
called the professors MOTHER as he comm.
nicated through it SO frequently with his he.
loved and departed parent.
Not very long ago q certain house in one az
the iasnionable streets Of our city be- came dis.
uhgaisned Tor spiritual visitations Great num-
oers Vi the curious we're nightly attracted to its
parlor tine Zee was one dollar for each visitor,
LOT the purpose of receiving messages from that
unseen bourne from whence. it is said. emo trav.
eier has returned."g Many visitors went away
quite satished, while others were not quite 80
oenghted at having paid their dollars for the
ambiguous answers that were given by the spir-
It's. But among all the visitors none was so
frequent and satisfied as the professor alluded
TO. He always paid his dollar with cheerful
spirit, and felt comiorted with the entertainments
but the delusion came to an end at last. The
managers Of the establishment had contrived 70
get into debt, and after due process of law. the
sheriff came one day and exercised the spirits
IN most effectual manner, for, upon the car.
pets being taken up, about forty spirits were
dislodged in the form of little boxes such as We
nave described. These were placed at certain
distances apart under the boards of the flooring
ana some were concealed in the partition walls.
Inc wires of the box formed an electric circuit.
communicating with galvanic battery in an
upper room. Small buttons formed KEYS to
open and close the circuit; these keys we're
placed under the car ct in situations we'll
known to the managers. BY pressing upon one
OF these buttons with the foot the electric cir
cult was closed in the same manner that tele.
graph is operated and the magnet then made a
rap, generally right under the feet of the inoui-
rer, who was always attended by an operator,
who generally succeeded In learning something
OF the previous history of the individual. A
clever French electrical mechancian in Broad.
way furnished these spirits to order. Those
who pulled the wires" in the spirit-rapping es.
adjustment, however, not only pulled the wool
over the professors eyes, but over the French
mechanicians also. He joculary relates that
although he furnished the spirits, he has never
been able to rap his dimes for them out of the
crafty fellows who managed to rap so many dol
lars out of their deluded dupcs. We have
heard of other modes whereby such rappings
have been produced, but none so scientific as
this Scientific American.