Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-11-28

Astounding Developments Through
Hrs. Hollis.
rrom DIE cairo. ans eiaze,.e.

FfCin the Natfos kA4i-f 0a1catc.
If any man living has steeled his
heart and closed his ears against the
so-called truths Of Spiritualism,
that man is the editor Of this paper.
Evidence which would have thorough
" convinced us Of the genuineness Of
scientific achievement, Of COM
mercisl transaction or any natural
wonder, would. if given in support of
the reality of Spiritualism. have fallen
upon incredulous ears. The Dayen-
ports we saw, only to be Disguised by
their transparent trickery. Fay, IN
his coat cheat--a feat that has excited
the wonder and admiration of thou
sands-we saw in the act of finging
his own coat. Mrs. Ferris we saw,
only to be surprised that her decep-
tons did not bring her into difficulty:
We have sat in private circles-heard
mysterious raps inteiligently respond
to mental Questions-seen animated
tables resist the strength of muscular
men and follow the finger of feeble
woman-all this, and more we have
seen; but our progress In Spiritualism
has been at the rate OF one step
forward for two backward. Hence, 1t
may Justly be inferred that on Satur-
day evening. the 24th ultimo, when we
attended dark seance given By Mrs.
Hollis, ueexpected-not such evidence
as would weaken our skepticism, but
90 detect the trickery upon which
persons less observant, less collected
and more credulous than ourself, had
founded their faith.
The room was made dark. So-called
spirit whispers" we heard-the dis
tinct articulation of names, dates and
incidents of which the medium could
have had DO personal knowledge; but
with this came mass of twaddie that
was both tedious and improbable. In
this unsatisfactory manner the night
passed until the clock Tailed IL.
Light was then turned on, when Mrs.
Hollis, empty handed, passed behind
a worsted spread stretched across the
corner of the room, and there, in the
darkness Of the contracted enclosure,
seated herself. AT point in the mid
die of the upper edge Of the spread,
II by Is inch opening had been pro-
vided, and over this opening hung a
dark, muslin flap.
A short interval Of time elasped,
and there appeared at point about a
foot beyond the opening, what? Ask
the father and mother present, the
very ''instict" of whose affection is
stronger than any earthly philosophy,
and they will tell you, as We tell You,
that il was the selt-radiant, smiling,
animated face, Of their lost, but darling
little Laura And again, and again,
that sweet, living, angelic face appear
ed, gazing out into the food of light
that filed the room, now with earnest,
interesting gaze; now suffused with
smiles-at all times the dear, darling,
living face of the much incurred
little girl /! As often as eighteen times
the fond parents were enraptured by
the sight; and that their hearts had
just occasion to leap for ioy-not over
fat liielcss picture on pasteboard-
but over the spirit face of their dead
darling, made manifest, we know not
how, 10 mortal vision-the round, we'll
defined, living face, perfect in every
feature, of little Laura Martin-that
they ,iad this cause for tears of JOY and
calculations of delight, we attest, now,
and would attest with our dying
breath. Four others besides the
parents and ourself-clear Drained,
uuimaginative persons--saw the same
sight, and will, as unreseryedly, as we
do. bear cheerful testimony to that
effect.
But behold" says the confirmed
skeptic, we we're not there Mr.. Har-
rell, but we'll tell you exactly how it's
done. Mrs Hollis drew crayon face
on pasteboard; she showed this paste
board up outside the flap; whispered
. I'm little Laura, and your imagina-
ton filed out the balance"
a crayon face on pasteboard," was
it? The greater the wonder, then,
for with our last breath we would de-
clare that the face was endowed with
life; smiled, while yet it gazed out
upon US, opened wide its clear, spark
ling eyes. and gave every possible midi
cation that IL recognized and still loved
the fearful parents who looked upon
il so lovingly and longingly.
"Pastehoard," was il? Then FIVE
pasteboard babies have been born unto
the writer-one of which, a very ami
mated specimen of a pasteboard child,
even now prattles at our knee!
"Pasteboard, was il? Then paste
board children fill our schools; catch
the measles and whooping cough-pass
through the rough ordeals Of teeth
ing" and Sprouts, and finally, from
pasteboard beginning, develop into
men and women But enough. We
looked with a clear eye, undimmed
vision and unconfused brain; we saw
the living face of dead child, and
from this position no ridlcule can
move us--nothing short of evidence
as absolute as that which it required