Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-02-05
THE EVENING NEWS.

IL something unusual
lance TO any shoe to be levied on report
er.; bu, we puneled our four b'ts-that'
another unusual thing for us TO have, by
the way. Were it no, for the items we
obtained, q simple peep at the assemolage
would have been sufficient; but interest
ING items are scarce now. and we are
forced 70 lend our full attention whenever
and wherever they are offered. On en-
tering, we learned that the medium :"
from Silver City had not yet arrived. bu,
wa. m~omentarily expected. In her ab.
-encc il, was proposed by the leader, or the
prince OF believers in S~piritualism (Mr.
Morse(. that as the meeting was now open
he should be glad to hear from believers.
or unbelievers, on the subject Of spirits,
their manifestations, etc. (It's q pity
Mark Twain hadn't been present to relate
the manifestations he felt after giving that
gal. he spoke Of some time ago, that bottle
Of spirits from Smiths saloon. A gentle
man named Gaskey, whose occupation we
should take TO be other than n dry goods
clerk or a lady's man, judging from the
way his hair curled. addressed the audi
ence, who listened throughout with the
yreatest attention. He labored and sweat
ed over his. subject as though he was
welding a pick or turning a horse shoe.
although I mus, give him the credit LOT
some very PLAUSIBLE reasoning outside OF
the subject he was attempting 10 grasp:
After going through his ramiheaeons OF
e~yangelic faith and spiritual faith. ne
branched off 10 s~ubstantiate the proof OF
the existence Of spirits communicating
with mor,als, by illustrating to US mani
fss,s,ions he himself had lately experience
cd. He had been reading one night CHATS
strange, why a man who labors hard all
day should 81, up late o'nigh,s reading,);
he laid his book down. or his paper (he
had forgotten which he was reading) and
he. as he supposed. was thrown into a
trance. He was carried into the spirit
land, ewes and mouth wide open, and his
clothes on, too-think Of that-and he
saw a ladder, and his father told him he
mus, 20 up; and he looked up, and saw
no end TO the ladder-i,, a. he supposed,
reached to eternity. He said to his father
(who was a gay old spirit). 81 want means
TO ascend" (His father did not reply
If We had faith as a grain of mustard
seed" etc., He told him the magnetic
influence Of spirits on the next plain would
assis, him. He assembled, ard saw legions
of other spirits. who were not pleased
with his presence lowing, probably, TO the
fac, of his coming there with his clothes
on he might have told them like Billy
Birch, in his burlesque on the play OF
Macbeth. he was a spirit that brought
his clothes with him. they wanted to
throw him down the ladder. and he thought
i, would mash him il they did. But
again his father told him he had magnetic
influence mot judicial. as customary in
this county, enough around him to pro-
tee, him. At this point Ne were almost
tempted to give three cheers for the old
man. He descended the ladder in safety /;
and. strange as it might appear to those
around him, he had not been out OF his
room! He had other manifestations OF
spirits, on several occasions, which he
would speak of at another time, and
would now make room for others. He
sat down. no doubt much relieved. Gen.
VanBokkelen was then called: He had
been a believer in spirits since 1854 (worse
than that, General. il reports are true,).
At the age Of IA years, he started out q
free thinker "a, this las, word he STAN
mered q little, and at first we took 1t for
dr,rker; but the gist Of his remarks. after
wards, showed US our error,). He had
been brought up. until that age, a strict,
s,raight-laced. double,join.ed Episcopa-
liam. He had questioned Bishop Onder-
donk, Of New York, on some points OF
- L. $500. NNll Nhaf fhaaa vERFa
the hidden mysteries Of God. He thought
.,here was something rotten in Denmark"
so he paid but little attention to religion
from that time TO the present. lie oeliev-
ed the only true church doctrine. md the
only church to be: do as you would
be done BY" He was pertly severe on the
churches generally. calling back the time
of inouisitions of the Catholic church. and
the late edict Of the Pope, "pronouncing the
curse of Rome on Masonry and all secret
organizations. He illustrated these facts
TO show that the spiritual doctrine was
preferable to the Evangelic, because 1t al
lowed people to do as they id pleased.
He had, at San Francisco, several times
had communication with spirits, Il know
he is a warm friend of Geo. Parkus, who
keeps the Bank Exchange there); once
with Yankee Sullivan, who got made at
him because he would not have q hand
some tombstone erected over his grave,
and actually made it very warm for HIM.
He mashed a large table over his stomach,
and had it not been for his friends who
were present in assisting him to put the
spirits down, he would doubtless have
sustained serious injury. He then ex-
planned how to produce table rappinss'
and offered to wager on its success. He
sat down apparently much fatigued. Abe
Newburger the County Treasurer's Clerk.
wanted to know il there was bad spirits
and good spirits. (He ough, 10 know
better thar TO ask such a question, he has
had manifestations on several occasions TO
my certain knowledge). He was replied
20 a, lens,h. but he could not see the point.
At this time, some one in the audience
said that as there were many persons pres
snt who had investigated these matters.
and had had manifestations from the spirit
land. He wanted to know II at any time
the spirits had ever told them of future
wants, and If so. had they found the spirits
10 tell the truth. Gen. Van Bokkelen
reolied yes! But not for any worldly
gain; tina. the spirits would not tell the
nrice Of Chollar tomorrow, and sometimes
tho spirits lied. The person remarked
chat be thought so from the fact that Mr.
VIM Who was then present and not toe
r we'll blessed with the good things OF this
life had been spirited with buying largely
in . claim out a, Cedar Hill. called the
r Irwin, and he thought the spirit hac
horn.wogsled him. and he did not care to
Get caught in the same manner, whereupor
Winn came forward. took off his overcoal
and rolled up his sleeves and then 'r"llee
them down again. looking as savage a, a
meat-axe. He frightened us so AFTER h
got a little steam up that we did moi think
/, safe TO stay any longer. That this thing
Of sp~iri,ualism can be of no benefit to any
one even providing that the believers car
do ali they claim is certain. And that i
works much injury throughout the COM
muui,y is unquestionable. II sets som'
n.ople to thinking at least, while thei'
thoughts are demanded in another direc
ion Il is really a shame 70 these citizen.
Of Virginia to permit such meetings q
take place ON Sunday evenings. Besides
= Aha In a q