Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-10-13

:, A. ]. a traitor" He caps the climax I
y asserting in conclusion that "mOst oft
P Confederate soldiers in Memphis are d
a termined to vote for A. j." This mu
q be the same correspondent, says Il
d Union and American, who a few da!
since claimed in the Bonner that NJ
: Johnson would carry West Tennessee /
twenty thousand votes.
DOM PIATT ON SPRITUALISM.
WhHe in Cincinnati recently, Colon,
Dom Piatt, so well known in Ohio, az
y cepted the invitation of friends TO Wis.
q spiritual medium, Mrs. HOllins, at th
q house Of DR.. Wolf, on Smith street. Il
describes the different stages of skepti
eism he passed through, and then give
? the experience which follows, whicI
does not seem to contain either skepti
cism OF unbelief. The shadOwy like
ness so often seen was undoubtedly tina
Of a loved and lost wife, long sine
passed away:
1 had made up my mind that thI
"AbAN AAN vas al AAEEAAbl1F AluOLEl
sort of a fraud, when the luminous ap
pearance at the opening resolved itsel
into q head that so shocked me that fol
a second my heart seemed 10 stop its ae
ton. I was so surprised that for a sec.
Ond l was stunned, and my first feeling
was hat of Indignation al what struck
me as a want0n outrage. This was not,
however, well defined, and the moment
4 could reflect, the fact forced itself upon
my mind that probably l had deceived
myself. My sight is quite dim from
over use, and / had only caught a
glimpse Of what had so startled me. 1t
was too sacred q subject to be triied
with, and l determined to investi-
gate the matter closely, and if 1
found any fraud in the business to
make an example Of n medium at
least. The face appeared but once after
ward, and more indistinct than before.
50 that nothing was given me upon
which to solve my doubt. / had enough,
however, to satisfy me that there was
something more in this than IS general
ly attributed TO such manifestations. To
tell the honest truth, | had gradually
settled into that unhappy state of belief
so common in this m~aterialistic age that
we possessed nothing in the way Of spir-
itUal life that could be administered I'D
On after death. This had been jammed
into me by being knocked on the head,
when l found, by actual experience that
as the physical ceased to operate, that
part of me which thinks, wills, and re-
members ceased q exist also, and all
was blank until the blood began to cir
culate and the material engine got un-
der way again. For thousands and
thousands Of years that chin of death
has been tied up and the napkin folded
over the mouth never to be removed by
any message from the world beyond. So
like the more eminent theolOgians Of
our day, / had come 10 the unpleasant
conviction that all there was of it we
could feel, taste, hear, smell and see.
And vet through this rat-hole came
what purpOrted to be facts, upsetting my
settled opinions and putting me all at
sea upon this subject.
1t is a common error for US to reject a
truth because it does not come to US in a
dignihed and imposing manner. All
the miracles Of Christ failed to overcome
the disbelief Of the Jews that grew out
of the melancholy fact that the Messiah
had come up out of Nazareth and had
been born in a manger. Newton got his
ideas Of a great law from the falling Of
apple, while Franklin with his kite
identified the lightning. And so this
startling disclosure of a great truth is as
to come when least expected in
obscure way a others have done be-
fore.
With this spirit Of skepticism, and
with no belief in anything, not even
myself, 1 entered upon this investiga-
ton l do not propose to go into the de-
tails of il, for Others are at work upon
them; but l can say in brief that at the
end Of a week, in which ] gave from five
to eight hours daily to the investigation, |
/ was forced to the conclusion that if |
had not been holding intercourse with
the dead, i had, at least, been ia COM
municatiOn with a mysterious intelli-
genee outside the humanity subject TO
the laws Of flesh.
Mrs. Hollis gave me, for example, a
se0Rce to myself, in which 1 was to re-
communications in writing. / re-
to the house at ten o'clock, in the
morning, and in broad daylight we two
sat down by q small tea-table, over
the medium threw a wooden
cover, and giving me the slate she re-
quested me to ask any question, either
AAEAAIAAI Va " MAAAG = w Vic HlEA. Z
She placed the slate under the table,
and while talking about other things
held il there with her right hand. BY
of a mirror that was hung acct
in such a way that / could see
her entire person, / notice that her left
hand rested in her lap. In a few min
ties I heard the pencil drop upon the
late, and bringing it out, sure enough [
iound written upon il an answer to my
question. This continued for two hours
md q half, in which time l asked forty
)De questions and received the same
number OF answers. In some respects
.hese were not satisfactory; that is, |
sOuld not realize that the person who
lurported TO be in communication with
ne would send precisely such messages.
They were answers and they We're rea-
iOnRble, but in the answer 1 could not
EEL the ource indicated. There was
)ne popularity which struck and some
what annoyed me: Every question /
was a test, while nearly every
inswer was an a~voidence OF the test:
and yet while this wa going on, quite
.lneApeetediy and Of course unasked for,
he most conclusive evidence would be
There was a circumstance that oe-
cured that amazed me, for it was 80 I'M
expected. l had written a mesSageupOn
he slate that l did not wish the medium
o see; and 50 turned II down, putting
he pencil upon the upper side. In this
lositon she placed il under the table.
heard the pencil drop directly, and
etching out the slate, found no writing.
1t over, however, under my
i~nterrngatOry was the response
he spirit had written il on the under
lide, and the medium told me of q fact
hat l Immediately put to the test, that
he writing would &c on upon the upper
ide with the slate pressed to the bottom
Il the table.
The most striking manifestations We're
made IN the dark, when the voices OF
he spirits became audible 70 us. The
pirif whose face l had seen-and, by
be by, this had been repeated to me I'M
il there could be no question about the
esemblance at least, If not the identity,
or l had procured a powerful opera
lass that revealed TO me the very color
Z the eyes and hair-this spirit wills
TO me long messages that could be
by Others, which fact saved me
rom the doubt Is TO whether my imag-
nation had not played me false. But
he most striking and conclusive mani
was in an interview between
fr. Cory and his former friend, Ell
rood Fisher. This was Introduced by
be medium asking If any one knew T,
lWoOd Fisher and giving a description {
I HE personal appearance. MI. Cory /
aid he would be glad to communicate {
18th his friend, but asked for some evi- I
ence that Il was klwoOd Fisher he con-
ersed with. EiwOod the Friend then J
cyan. !
" Does thee remember the little store {
q Fifth street," !
" Yes, very well" responded CORY. I
fiDoes thee remember the first time :
lee saw me there, sitting on the coun. e
.rP1 1
every distinctly" q
Z" Does tbee remember taking me s