Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-02-20

| ly arranged. Ho remarks lnat, altnOuBn
darkness Is not essential that when tho
force is weak, a bright light exerts an in
| terfering action on some of the phenomena;
but that the power possessed by Mr.. Home
was sufficiently strong to withstand this
antagonistic influence, and he therefore al
ways objected 10 darkness at his sednces.
In classifying the various phenomena
that have presented themselves 10 him In
the course Of his inquiries Mr.. Crookes re-
fcrs, first, to the movement of heavy bod
les, with contact but without mechanical
! exertion. This he states 10 be one of the
simplest forms OF the phenomena observ-
ed, varying in degrees from a quivering 10
n vibration OF the room and the contents 10
the actual rising into The air of heavy
body when the hand Of the medium is plac-
ed upon it. These movements, and indeed
most Of the phenomena, are preceded by a
peculiar cold air, sometimes amounting 10
a decided wind, sufficient TO blow sheets OF
paper about the room aud TO cause lower
ing Of the thermometer by several degrees.
Tho second class manifested themselves
| as persuasive and other allied sounds
sometimes as delicate ticks; sometimes a
cascade of sharp sounds, as from an induc-
ton coil in full work detonations in the
air, sounds like scratching, twittering as OF
bird, etc. These sounds were most prom
inently developed in the presence of Miss
Kate Fox, and manifested themselves in
all directions around her and in every va
riety. lie assures the reader that with a
f,,l 4 r a..
regard TO the sounds, he has tested them
all, and is well satisfied that they are true
| objective occurrences, not produced by
trickery or mechanical means. The third
class of phenomena consists in the altera-
| ton OF the weight of bodies, which will be
| presented in detail in an early number OF
The Quarterly Journal Of Science. The
fourth class, namely, the movement OF
| heavy substances when at distance from
the medium, he has seen in many instan-
ces. His own chair, he says, has been
t'oisiAdi ~ -tlS- ->.--i, -Liis his Ieet were
off the floor. A chair was seen by all pres
cnt TO move slowly up to the tablo from a
far corner, when all were watching it. On
one occasion, an empty arm chair, at his
| request, moved to where he was sitting and
then slowly back again, a distance OF about
three feet. He has repeatedly seen, in full
light, the movement Of a heavy table, and
on several occasions chairs turned with
their backs to the table, about foot and a
half off, each occupant kneeling on his
chair, with hands resting on the back, but
not touching the table. The filh class is
that OF the raising Of tables and chairs of
the ground without contact with any per-
son. On five separate occasions a heavy
DINING table rose between two inches and
foot and half from the floor, under
special circumstances which rendered
trickery impossible, the hands and feet of
The medium being held by him during this
movement.
The sixth class is that OF the deviation OF
human beings, which has occurred in four
instances in his presence. He has seen
Mr.. Home raised completely from the floor
Of his room in several instances. The ac-
cumulated testimony, establishing Mr.
Homes levitations, Mr.. Crookes considers
overwhelming; and he thinks 1t greatly to
be desired that some person, whose evil
denco will be accepted as conclusive by the
scientific world, shall seriously and patti .nt-
ly examine these alleged facts. The sew
enth class of phenomena consists in the
moving OF various small articles without
contact with any person, which lie has
very frequently observed, and where there
could be no suspicion OF trickery. He
thinks that when he is In his own dining
room, seated in one part of the room, with
q N mil Of Goon1xy ha
medium, tho latter could not, by any trick
cry, make an accordeon play in his (Mr.
Crookes's) own hands, when the keys are
held downward, nor cause the same ac-
cordeon to float about the room, playing all
the time. He thinks it impossible TO in
troduce machinery which shall wave win
dow curtains pull up Venetian blinds
eight feet of tie knot in a handkerchief
and place it in a remote corner Of the room;
sound notes on a distant piano; cause a
card plate TO float about the room raise a
water-boitle and tumbler from the table
mako a coral necklace rise on end move
about fan so as to fan the company, or
set in motion a pendulum when inclosed
in glass case firmly cemented TO the wall.
| The eighth class is that of luminous appear
ances, which according to Mr.. Crookes, re-
| quire that the room shall be dark, as the
| lights are in many cases faint. He states
that he has seen a solid self-luminous body
of the size and nearly the shape of a tur-
keys egg, float noiselessly about the room,
being visible for more than ten minutes
a nd striking the table three times, with 6
sound like that OF a hard solid body, be-
fore fading away. He has seen a self-lu-
minous crystalline body placed in his hand
by hand which did not belong TO any
| person In the room, and luminous cloud
floating upward TO picture. In the day
| light he has seen a luminous cloud hover
over a heliotrope on a side-table, break of
a sprig and carry the sprig to LADY, and
on several occasions he has seen a similar
luminous cloud visibly condenso TO The
form of hand, and carry about small OBJ
jOcts.
This leads him TO the next, or ninth class
namely, the appearance of hands, either
self-luminous or visible by ordinary light
Ofthese phenomena he gives numerous in
stances. In one case, small hand rose III
from an opening in the dining-table, anC
gave him a flower; it appeared and ther
disappeared three times, at intervals, afford
ing Mr.. Crookes ample opportunity of sat
isfying himself of its reality, as it occurred
IN the light, in his own room, while he wa'
holding the mediums hands and feet. Tht
hands and fingers do not always appear sol
i'd and llfe-like, sometimes indeed seeming
like nebulous cloud, partly condensed in
| the form of n hand He has more than oncI
seen first an object move, then luminous
cloud appear 20 form about it, and, lastly
the cloud condense into shape and become
a perfectly formed hand. At this stage i
was visible TO all present. Sometimes 4