Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-06-21
In A GHOST SHOP.
Unexplained Freaks of an I'm
manageable Table.

The Ghost that was n Miracle Of
Beauty-An Account of a Spectral
Seanee Written by a Reporter who
Believes il All.
New York Sun.
A four-legged black-walnut table
with its two leaves outspread; a blacI
curtain OF glazed cambria, two yards
wide and a yard and half deep, hung
loosely ON string that stretched across
the room at the height of short mans
head, the bottom of the curtain reach.
ing to the top of the table; in the cur
tain round hole larger than face; a
white napkin or large handkerchief at.
tached to the black curtain as screen
over the hole; two persons, tall, pale
medium, who was anything but a wiz.
ard, and one spectator, who after
thoroughly inspecting the room could
safely affirm that it had the usual lux
uries of New York parlor, and no
traps or anything extraordinary more
tnan the string, the curtain, and the
uncovered table-these made up the
scene of the seance.
"Why the black curtain?" the spec.
tator asked. The medium answered.
80 make the apparition palmer by
contrast. IL the walls of the room
were papered brown or some dark color,
there would be no need of the curtain;
budthese spirits of light do not show
so well with a white wall. Whether
we shall get anything at all l do not
know. There may be something to
hear, or something to see, or there may
be nothing. We shall have to take
Just what comes. 1t VIII not be from
my dictation.
NOW FOR THE SPECTRE.
The two persons sat down, placed
their hands touching each other on the
table whereon there was nothing else
but a slate. With the gas turned
down to a ghostly dimness, in silence
they waited not one minute. There
came instantly tapping, tapping
knocking, knocking ON the floor, on the
table, on the slate. A large loose pack
age of leaves not folded was in the
spectators shallow side pocket some
distance below the table. A feeling as
of mouse running up his garments
two or three times startled him, mas
much as the medium was not within
arms length of the HOUSEKEEPING, and
only mice or disembodied spirits could
be so nimble. Then up from the spec
tator's pocket came suddenly the loose
leaves of paper and slapped themselves
down on the table under his nose. In
the wide shallow pocket there stayed
undisturbed lead pencil, penknife,
and miscellaneous light scraps of paper.
LIGHTS APPEARED
on the spectators hand, on the table,
in divers other parts of the room; for
the most part seen by only the medium.
The black curtain gave some playful
lifts, Topping up and down; then be-
came still; and the little white curtain
was lifted aside again and again, exact
" as by a gentle human hand. The
four hands of flesh remained on the Ia
bic touching each other without a mo-
ment's intermission. Then slowly
assembled from the lower side Of the
aperture a phosphorescent light, until
1t filed the round hole, and the black
curtain was its frame. 1t reminded
one of a face, yet it was not a strong,
sure outline. As more and more il
formed into shape the medium exclaim
ed: why it is you. Itlooks ike re-
Election of you. 1t is your cast Of face. y
The spectator thereupon began to talk
to it, deightedly, rapturously, giving
it fond, familiar welcome. With re-
cOgnition it grew more distinct, as
though it were coaxed into life. AL
smiling animation, it bowed and bowed,
and bowed again, retreating.
"Talk to it." said the medium. "You
have power" 1t returned. The fea-
lures grew brighter, until it was a
beautiful, womanly, fascinating face,
all sweetness and exquisite mirth-the
ball Of light developing into eyebrows,
nose, eyes, a tinge of rcd on the cheeks
and lips, all forming a miracle of love-
illness, but never absolutely distinct
nor seeming to be actually tangible
something. But as it finally became
almost strongly distinct, it was a face
artistic to the last degree.
THE CRAZY OLD TABLE.
The phantom did not demean herself
with the traditional ghostly gravity.
She left the aperture, and in lightning
moment bobbed a peak-a-boo from the
extreme side Of the black curtain, and
played between the TWO; then reap.
peared at the aperture, bowed her
goodnight, F." and faded away.
THE seance is over" said the medi-
um. The ghostiy influences refused TO
go with the disappearance Of the appa-
rition. The solid table uplifted itself,
wiggled and turned, crowding itself
against the two beings Of flesh, and
nearly smashed one of its sharp cor
ners into an elegant walnut and inlaid
writing desk. I'VE will stop this now, -
said the medium; "come again, and see
what another sitting may reveal" The
spectator said, as it an ordinary thing
that your visitors behold apparitions
like that of this evening"" ooh, no"
answered the medium, "only after many
sittings. Few persons resign their ac-
tivity readily. You were passive as
soon as we seated ourselves at the Ia
bic"
Inc next evening, AFTER que scrutiny,
the same two in silence and dimness
again awaited the coming of the dis
embodied. Suddenly on the left side
of the spectator, came a loud, hollow
whisper-"GOod evening"" So unex-
pected and utterly sepulchral, this was
startling. The ball of light was de-
hghtsomc, but this, in the circum-
stances, was sufficient TO make an ordi-
nary mortal jump and scream. The
same and other common phrases Of
salutation were then whispered on the
right; then with instantaneous change,
above, and here and there, all around.
The visitors hand and forehead were
brushed as by a head Of hair. The
medium, who had no personal knOwl-
edge of the visitor, became entranced
and delivered an address. In reply to
the inquiry, "Who was the spirit that
showed the face?" be said: ''She calls
herself Mary" The visitor hada buried
sister Mary.
SOME Of our exchanges profess to
ha1iaro Tbaf MorDard hos l-illad hin,