The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-11-18

The millions OF Splrltuahsts IN
the United States find their Mecca
ust now in a little frame house
which lies seven miles north of
Rutland, vt. It is the home of
William II. and Horatio G.. Eddy,
and it is haunted by hundreds of
ghosts. Colonel Henry s. Olcott
has been investigating the phenom-
ena for the New York Daily Graph
ic, and his letters have been pro-
fusely illustrated. The Eddys were
tormented by spirits from their
birth. Their father, prosaic
farmer FIRST essayed to cast out the
devils by beating and starving the
victims. When this failed he used
his children's spiritualistic gifts to
make money. They gave exhibi-
tons. He superintended the show
and pocketed the proceeds. The
boys and their sister now dead
were mobbed, stoned, beaten, burnt
and shot They were twisted into
agonizing positions and tied there
for hours while the manifestations
went on. When they came home,
they would gladly have relinquish-
ed their inconvenient powers, but
they could not It is noteworthy,
by the way, that these powers we're
inherited. Mrs. Eddy, the mother
of the boys, was q clairvoyant.
Her mother had the same faculties.
Her great grandmother was SEN
fenced to death for witchcraft in
1894, but was rescued from Salem
jail by friends, and secretly sent to
Scotland. The children could not
go to school, for they were accom-
panied thither by rappings that
drove the other scholars wild with
fear. They have consequently had
little education. They are, and
always have been, unpopular. They
are shy, grutf, sensitive men.
Their reputation for integrity is
good, but the neighbors think they
are in league with the devil. With
this preface about themselves, we
pass to what they or the spirits
around them have done. There
have been thousands of manifesto
lions. Very many have consisted
only of feats of clairvoyance and
rapping out communications. Two
great classes OF facts remain-the
floating in air of human bodies and
the naturalization of spirit forms.
Horatio Eddy, when he was in his
seventh year, was one night carried
three miles through the air to a
neighboring mountain top and left
to get home as he could. Colonel
O1cott gives no authority for this
story, which may be founded on a
mere case of sleep walking, but he
quotes the testimony of two out Of
three eye witnesses to the fact that
another brother, now dead, was
carried out of a window and over
the house. There are hundreds OF
instances 10 be given under the
second grand division-the mate
realization of spirits. The spirits
of known and unknown persons
have appeared in the house and in
the neighborhood, in darkness and
in light. People have talked with
them and have felt them. They
have been distinctly seen
Colonel Olcott weighed the spirit
of an Indian girl, Honto, twice
She stood on a Fairbanks scale an6
weighed SO pounds the first time
and IS the next. He turned thu
full force of powerful battery
upon her without producing any
apparent effect. Nearly all tn,
phenomena attending the appear
ance of 'Katie King" in Londor
and in Philadelphia have been re
peated in or around the Edd,
homestead. Very many person,
have witnessed them. Since Col
Olcott began his investigation h
has received innumerable letter
from all over the country asking
him to procure information OF
different points from the spirits
Most of the letters, it is needless t.
add, are very silly. They serve t
show, nevertheless, how wide sprea'
public interest in this subject il
Is Spiritualism a cheat, or is it true
There are many people who woul'
give q good deal to have that ques
ton definitely decided.-Chicag
! Tribune.