, 1865-12-21

a SpA1uA" NfC1kQm 4kPl40F&& mel
/ Children to Another Sphere by Cold
/; PoIAon-Great Excitement at Hattie
Creek, mIch.
I From the Detroit Free Press, 1oth.1
The quiet village OF Battle Creek WAS throwt
Into great excitement on Saturday last BY the
discovery OF the dead bodies Of three children
under circumstances which strongly induced
suspicious Of foul play. A Coroner's Jury
was nt once summoned, and 3 thorough inyes
t!gation Of the affair was commenced, but was
mot concluded when our informant left. The
inquiry has developed a condition Of soctal
alairs which is almost too much for crednlity
10 swallow. That, in this latter half Of the
nineteenth century, in the midst OF Christian
community. persons Of both sexes should herd
together like catt1c, In furtherance Of wild
religious fanasicism, almost surpasses belief
. When they 60 still further, and add to Their
previous crimes the most helnous one known
i to the laws Of God or man, the community in
!; which they lire may be part1oned for exhibit
Ing symptoms Of unusual excitement. e,
The circumstances Of this case, so far rs de.
yelopcd, appear to be about rs follows: Last
spring g Mrs. Leonard left her husband at
YPsflauti ond went to Battle Creek, takiug
three by ior1ner husband, It seems that
she WIS believer in the doctrines of modern
sp1ritunlfsn1, and was led to desert her hus-
, band through Instructions from the spirit
world. She herself possessed the power OF
communicating with spirits, being IN the per
iarcc Of TINT sect '1mediun." !" By advice
from the sumo supernatural source she drop
ped the name Of Leonard, and being matfi-
mon'a1ly Joined, according to the ordinances
in vogue IN the spiritual world, to her first
husband, again assumed his name and
called herself Mrs. Hnvlland. When she
reached ! Rattle Creek With her children
she had fve hundred dollars in money, and
cat In hnr7 NV
this period another character appears upon
,thc stage in the person Of, n Doctor Baker, of
Adrian, who was also spiritual medium of
'grcat repute among his sect. Doctor Baker
boarded with Mrs, Hay{land. The house was
"a great resort for spiritualists, there being
many Of TINT sect In aud about Battle Creek,
and ''circles'' md 'seances" were the pr3nci.
}pal occupation Of the gifted doctor and his
pupils; for 1t appears that the Haviland
'touee WIS sort ofspiritual academy for the
training up Of female mediums through tho
superior knowledge aud gifts Of the doctor.
A Miss Merritt, Of Ionla, medium, was OF
the household, and Miss Hannas, Of Battle
Creek, a young Indy ofserenteen years Of ace,
was boardez In the fnmfly. She Was derel-
mediums, as ''test medium p that Is, the
!veraeisy Of spirits In general. ind loauacious
ones In particular, was tested through her su-
,perior gifts. It was said that she s.deyel-
'oned" more rarnid1y than my test medium
ever known IN those ports, being quick-witted
md ehrewd. This academy went on with
swimming success through the summer and
fall, and furnished incontrovertible spiritual
evidence for the conversion Of the unbe-
ilicyiug. ~
About four weeks ago the doctor borrowed
5000 Of. Miss Merritt md bought lot in the
outskirts of the town, upon which he built
his castle In the shape Of board shautY with
one room. Into this shanty with one room
the doctor moved the three women above
mentioned, and the five children and they all
lived together, continuing to t' develop'' the
young lady as . test medium. Wonderful
Things were related of her powers in that en-
laci.y. She could 60 into trance, and when
she arrived back again to this mundane sphere
would relate wonderful things Of Whist she
had seen and heard: She had seen aud
talked with any deceased friend you might
name> and could describe him or her exactly
ms be or she appeared In this life, the dress,
size, color Of hair and eyes.
:, :. vi nafF o horrible md swfnl.
Which cen 10 n1mc W1d be unlawful
The party were getting ready to travel and
astontsh The world by public display OF their
Intimacy with the spirits. Mrs. naviIaud had
procured place for her two children named
Leonard, and hid told. the other three that
she would take cnre of them. On Saturday
afternoon last some children living In the
were plnYing near the ahanty,
when the two Leonard children made theE
appearance. On being asked where the!r,
older brothers and sisters were, they said
ihey were dead. The children ran home
md told their parents, some Of whom imme-
5iately visited the shanty, and found the re-
port to be true The woman Leonard alias
tlayi1and, said that the youngest, 8 girl aged
tour years, died on Thursday about noon;
The second boV aced stx wears. died m
Friday morning at 10, O'Clock; and the
third, n boy eight years old. died on Friday
Afternoon 1t Ave o'clock. Miss Merritt says
Sic asked the doctor what they should do
with the children If they should die, and he
.aid he would make box and bury them On