The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-12-28
For the Lancaster Gazette.

Jennie Lord, at my house, and those
of other families of Lancaster; and
since the matter has been considera-
bly, discussed, and has gained some
width, concise statement of the ma.
ture of these sittings, and what really
took place at them, may be well
enough.
Miss Lord is what is called epiiit-
ual medium. She is lady Of refine
ment and great strength OF mind, and
a member OF highly respectable fam
| lily, of Portland, Maine. She travels
in company with Miss Stebbins, who
is also true lady, She deems it
duty to devote her time TO this matter.
The manner of conducting these
seances, and what takes place at them,
is as: follows: The medium is seated
at the head Of the table. On either
hand, a lady is placed; then two gen.
tlemen, selected from citizens on ac-
count of their reliability and fair deal
ing; then alternately lady and gentle
man, from twelve to sixteen in num-
ber. Hand are then joined all round
the table, including the medium. and
remained joined until the manifesto
tions are over. After singing by the
circle, to produce tranquility, the me-
dium is eptranced, when the light is
extinguised, and the music commences
to play accomplishments to the violin,
which is all the time played upon by
q musician invited for the purpose. A
side table placed four to five feet in
the rear of tho medium, contains, at
the beginning OF tho sittings, all the
instruments to be used; such as guitar,
amborine, twelve bells, triangles,
thumbells, bass viol, drum, glass of
water, fan, &C., &. These are carried
by invisible power through the room
in some instances ten feet, and more
from the medium, striking the ceiling
and walls of the room; often being laid
down and taken up again. The glass
of water is carried to the lips Of persons
and drank from; and the fan played
upon the company. The mediums
hands, as have said, are held every
second of the timo, and all are satisfied
that she, or any other person could
not possibly employ their hands to
produce the phenomena. What then,
is it? Electricity; magnetism; odd
force; or disembodied spirits? The
latter is the belief Of spiritualists.
I have been in contact with this
ocult subject for twelve years, and /
here affirm, that what has recently
been done in my house was not done,
nor contributed to, in any way, by
human muscle, In this view 1 am
sustained by a large number of ladies
and gentlemen Of Lancaster, whose
words no one would think of calling
in question. The ladies were my
guests. The house and furniture were
mine; and for three weeks | gave the
matter my constant attention; and ]
have to say, that whoever alledges
fraud, is deeply mistaken; and l chal-
lenge the world to trace deception or
trickery to these ladies, under the
strictest scrutiny. 1t will never be
traced to their hands, for their hands
do not do it. Miss Lord has been be.
fore the public twelve years, and has
given her sittings to thousands of the
y best people on this continent, and nc
detection has ever been made; for nc
deception exists. ... ....
Doubts havo been raised by a few
who sat most remotely from the medi'
um, and did not feel the touch of the
instruments. These were honest
doubts, because their eyes could moi
see what was going on, but of some
twenty or moro, who were at different
times seated beside the medium, there
was but a solitary exception. A gen
tleman who, on the last evening of oul
! seances, occupied, by my invitation
the seat of honor, proclaimed, after the
circle was discontinued, that it was
his belief that the lady medium did al
that was done, with her own hands
though he confessed to mo, and The
, company, at the same time, that hel
= hand touched his every second; anC
the lady and gentleman on the oppo
I; site side affirmed that the other hanC
: of the medium never left theirs; and
agreed that she did not leave her seat
How the gentleman is to sustain this
! most extraordinary assumption, must
! under all the circumstances, be hid L
: human comprehension: for every san'
) mind knows that two hands are requir
ed, at the same time, to play the quit
. ar, the tamborino or the bass viol; anC
= in this case tho music was sustained
! from five to twenty minutes without {
: moments interruption. The gentle
!, man is sadly mistaken; that is all; anC
: not another person, who had tho same
= facilities that he enjoyed, to form al
7 opinion, will sustain him. ia ut
/ do not make this communication
y to sustain the spiritual theory Of thes'
mysteries; far from it. / know as lit
g tlo of the causes that produce them a
J any body else. / write to do the sub
J, iect justice. We are all of us at tn
n extreme out-posts Of knowledge; ant
i we should be willing to admit, that
u after all, there are some things yet t,
y be learned. When we first openeC
d our eyes upon the materiality that sur
o rounds US, we know nothing. Gene
q rations yet to be born may attain t.
knowledge that has not been in ou
d draopoa = Sn;p;kualitv in thu hndv mi