The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-04-04

about y15xlS He closed the doors cfter us
and very politely asked me to be sested at tbs
/ table. Taught hold of the back of a chair
| and lifted il to the table and seated myself a,
one side of it. He took up another chair and
seated himself on my left, and requested me
| 20 place my hands open upon the table, which
did. He then laid his upon mine. IN few
| moments he was seized With violent Jerks.
! IKE some one laboring under violent attack
| of nervous disorder. Soon he asked: as -"
| q dsremember the name, and with side re.
| marx to me, that is my wife present." fun
| mediately three very loud raps responded
/ "Win you converse with me this evenir %
he asked. Again there was the response OF
three loud raps. He continued to ask quite q
| number of questions, each being responded
to BY one, two and three rsps. ! remarked
] doctor, do not understand these rsps, please
| explain" "0ne rap" he said, ''signifed No
| two raps, don't know, and three raps, Y es. >
Is that the invarsbe rule ?" asked. "No, y
he answered, 1--WE can establish any nuKlbeI
of raps, but in my communications have ad-
hered to these numbers He then asked
| quite number of other questions, with like
| result.
"Wlll you write some for usf"
Answered "yes, by three raps.
He then procured an ordinary school slate,
! about inches by 5, with q wood frame around
| it as is customaI with ruch Stat 8. aud handed
| It to ME for examination. ] toOkhold of il and
found it the same, so far as | could see, as any
| other slate. He then bit off a piece Of
slate pencil and laid it upon the table, putting
| the slate over and holding his hands on it
said: snow write" 1 heard a scratching
noise, and when the slate was taken up, there
| was written thereon. in plain. legIble hand
| writing, and whic1 | would have taken. il
shown to me anywhere else, as the hand writing
| OF my brother during life, 800 as told you
| ut DR.. Mausfeld's, ID. b. A" HefalsO took the
| same piece of pencil aud laid it on the slate
hi lSb. a. A.
pencil between the table and slate, ard asked
| questions and received replies. This demon.
strat.on was continued at some length. He
| then held the slate up between me and himself
! and requested me to ask some question. He
| could not see what was writing. / wrote
'WIll my brother, d. B. Andrews, inform me
! when and where he died% The answer, writ
| ten on the slate, which was placed every time
| in the same position as above stated, was,
Tennessee, 1859" wrong" saidI It was
tried aga.n, and "lS49" written. "Wrong
| again" To this. the Doctor failed to give an
explanation, simply remarking that "he could
only make manifest the phenomena, but did not
pretend to explain" he remarked to me that
Il appeared to him as a strong medium" and
| asked if II Was notG" and IF did not feel
| strange sensations ?" replied, "thstif was
| a medium did not know it, and felt no sensa-
| tions whatever, and asked if be could not tell
whether was a medium or not?' he said,
rs this gentleman a medium" Answer
written on the slate, ''he is lot" He remark
ed, that | had great many spirit friends
arou nd me-" twill some of them give me
| their names ?" asked. elizabeth was writ
| ten. ] could not remember any deceased
friend Of that name, and SO stated. He tried
again, when "Bill" was written. / could at
the time think of only one Bill, and asked,
will Bill tell me how he came to mis- death p"
fShot, was the written answer. thea asked
questicn of Bill, and an answer was written,
Bill can't wrIte'' "Row is that p" l asked.
HE has not been dead long enough" answer
ed the Doctor. The question was then sked,
"will Bill give US some musicS" Answer
written ale will play on the ACCORDION for
you" The Doctor then got an ACCORDION and
handed it to me for examination, which / did,
| and found 1t nothing mere than plain instru-
! ment of that kind. Then hol ling it in one
hand. it soon give forth sweet strains of mu-
| SIC, the same as if handled by person with
both hands. The Doctor then placed in my
| hands an ordinary hand bell, and after full
examination, he to k it, and remarked "it is
not always the case tn they will ring b IL,
| but we ill try" He then placed the bell IN
| der the centre Of the table. Soon il rose and
commenced ringing. then assembled, knocking
| underneath the table, and then came out and
| stood suspended Immediately in front of me,
and rang then fell in my lap, assembled again,
| and passed under the table passed out on nv
| right and rang again, then returned 70 the
| very place the Doctor had irst placed it, doing
| the time the doctor placed il under tbs table
| until it returned to its place again. After the
| bell demonstration, commenced a conyersa-
| ton with the Doctor about the wonderful
workings which had just witnessed, when a
| large arm char, some twelve or fifteen feet
| from US, wac violently shoYed az mist the ia
BILE, evidently no one touching It. The Doc
| t"r remarke that he had never before seen a
similar demonstration as that. ''1ee say he
there is spirit standing at your right shout
der. do you not see It ?" mo- replied, edo
you ?" 'Yes, and now they are all around
| you, and with this, the rsps commenced on
| the rounds and back of my chair; fact all
over it, tho several persons were striking il
with mallets. The Doctor all this while wa
| Sc ated several feet from me. Look" sal he
| there are several spirits under and arouad
! your chair" | strained my eyes TO see but
| never saw; but while looking suddenly my
| chair, with lie IN it, was raised mp, and was
seated in anotber'spo'. The Doc or then com
| manded the table IT, rise towards me; it do
| so gently, and fell heavily. 1t then, at his
/ bidding, rose from me and des enaed. He
| then bad 1t rise entirely from the floor, and il
| did so The above is a truthful, uuvarnished
| statement of what witnessed at DIR, Slades s,
its only error being that have not told near
| all. Now | am frequently asked: ado you
believe In it? Teply that do not believe il is
| TRICkERT OR DECEPTION,
| but that the phenomena Is wrought by some
| other than human agency. That it is within
! the power of some peculiarly constituted per-
SOS in this sphere Of life TO communicate with
those who have gone before us, do not, can
not doubt, after the investigation / have given
| the subject. If / had witnessed only what
| saw at pTs. Mans6eld's and SHADES, | migh.
| not have arrived at this conclusion, as
they make 1t o profession, but have on seve-
raj occasions witnessed similar demonstrations
| when knew that no trckery or deception was
| practieed, and l have been reliably Informed
| OF quite number of persons IN our midst
! who make no profession as 70 mediumsbip
but who car made manifest, when they are "a
| disposed, the same phenomena. l thus plain
| ly express myself, for al hold that when q
| truth becomes apparent 10 an honest sorI that
soul fails to be true to itself and it's duty, If i,
| shrinks In giving it forth in all its extent and
| bearing" and, in the language of another, eve
hold, that tie prevalent desire which is now
being manifested by multitudes Of people to
| make inquiry concerning the spiritual world
| to Il arm the state of the departed, to know in
| what manner their friends, who have gone
! from earth, continue to live in that other tife
| to what extent they are aware of the things
| which are trsuspiriDg here, and how far they
can or are willing to communicate their pres
| ent knowledge to the Inhabitants Of earth, Is g
| rational and popular desire-a desire calcua
/ tON AZ VIC Iuuy 10 eIeVaLc Tue
| human mind, and turn its attention more de.
| cldedly to the themes connected with our I'm.
mortality. But the desire needs direction and
| instruction. Like other nat ural impulsea il
| must be purified and elevated, OF il runs to low
| and grovelipE Qualifications" and to very
! great extent, 1t has done go. But while thus
! believe, do not believe 10 the many dogmas
| attached to what is known and styled as spiritu
alism. Unlike great many others, do MOI
allow it to influence my
| RELIGIOUS TEsETs.
| These / could not cast aside if wished, fol
| from my infancy almost to manhood, / wa,
| taught by MOTHER to accept the Bible as
| rule and guide, end hat the blood of Chris
was she0 as AZ atonement for sinners, ant
whether l i've up to its preeepts or not,
! cannot, 80 long as remember the word MOTH
Err, fail to accept them as great and ivlnI
! truths. And why, from all my reading ant
Investigation of the subj. ct, it should cAus
any one TO discard the teachings of the Bible
| | cannot conceive, as all their authors anC
| writer's, while they hold to spiritual commu
MON, tell you that such communication
| are q 1t infalhble-that there q both good ant
| evil spirits-that their communications mus
be taken for what they are wOrth--that they
The departed spirits, act in their spheres SIM
Iarly to what we do IN this-I have, therefore
for my own part, examined 1t 81 would an
other phenomena or mystery. Nest men ar
) Ow to believe these things, and are prone ant
content to plod on without any investigation
Tor themselves, but at all times are ready I
cry out On those who do investigate and Civ
| to the world the result of their investigation