The Ottawa free trader., 1874-11-14

u .
natural stupidity and religious superstition
can create. He Let the boys out for hire as
mediums, aud put the money into his own
riou- pOckrt,. But that was not much Tor 4
| Methodist Of the old school to do. Cursed
! by SUCH Il father, IL Is Il wonder that the boys
did not become bad men, inCecd, nOt"ith'
Standing they had n mother WAC j. repre-
scented 10 have been woman Of more than or
diuary intellectual and moral charac,cr-a
seer, witch or medium herself, WHO saw the
spirit plAymates of her children, with whom
she sympathi2ed protecting them as well as
she could from the brutality of their father.
She is also said to have been lincal descent
ant of II Salem witch who was conIemneI TO
DEATH but somchO" escaped, and "scnt hcr
spirit on through mortal veins "
THE sEANCE CHAMBER
Perhaps the foregoing will suffice, in the
line of the Eddy boys " personnel and fam.
ily; and thus introduced to the mediums, we
may go, on call, generally ut half past :
o clock in the evening, up into the circle
room" hall of about 40 feet In length BY
II feet in width constructed, last year, over
the old oncstory kitchen IL" of the house,
running west OF the main building. This hall
Is a plain, unpaintcd room, about ten feet
in height, pierced by three windows on north
and south sides, with entrance door in the
east end. 4 chimney two and hall feet
wide runs up through the floor at the west
end, jat,ing into the room ard forming the
soutEc:p end of the cabinet, a lathed and
pastcrcd closet two and half feet wide and
seven feet long in the northwest corner OF the
hall,
Having assured himself that there is no
iGgress into that simple closet, except through
the door way open before all no trap-doOrs
for conspiratOrs, and no place to deposit a
large secret WARDROBE in, etc, and finally that
no human being is in the closet the investi.
gator takes his seat on one Of the two lines OF
pain wooden benches, about eight feet from
the platform on which the apparltonS are to
present themselves Here, along with his
telowvstors and IN the full light of kcro
sene lamp, he awaits the coming William
who sometimes enters with alaCrty, but usu
ally as If impelcd by some power which he
would resist if he could; and, stepping upon
the platform, two feet high and f or five feet
broad and which runs across the west end OF
The room, and on the edge of which is bal
ustradc cut for passage way at the south end,
he proceeds directly through the closet door,
and suspcnds blanket over the doorway of
the closet (Thc door remains always thrown
back-open) Lifting the veil blanket, he
re.enters, takes his seat, and is said To fall IN.
to a trance at once.
THE SEANCE.
Meanwhile the spectators joincd rs usual.
Is, and the conductor of the circle In these
days Mr. Brown, an intelligent and agree.
able gentleman, who went, last June, to Spirit
Vale TO pass week or two, but fingered on
and finally married in August one Of the Ed
dy girls, and, being a man of means, Is erect
ing, under spirit direction, neat house, etc,
near by the old Eddy home, turns down the
light to a dim degree light, but sufficient to
enable one to often distinctly see the faces of
the apparitions, and always their full forms
Sometimes the conductor suggests singing or
music on the violin. All who can sing do so
for few minutes, sometimes five, say, some.
times morc-whcn, behold usually preCcd-
ed, however, By spirit voices in the closet
the veil lifts, and out steps, for example, a
something in human form, dressed as .e.
male in short skirt, etc, and whose foot falls,
sometimes lightly, sometimes pOndcrOusly,
on the platform, as she strides it or dances tC
the music of the violin Old habitucs, vlsi.
tors of week, perhaps, hail her Us "Honto'
She bows and smiles her thanks, ard some
times laughingly responds to praise Of her
"pranks" Perhaps she. at somebody's re-
quest lets down her wealth of long black
hair, etc. She stays out, may be, three min.
utcs, darts into the closet to "reCuperate" her
strength IN It's atmosphere such : the cX-
planaiOn given, and comes forth again, do
ing this perhaps five times before she takes
final leave Sometimes, frequently of late,
she constructs what III the paranCc of the
place is called "spirith cloth
SPIRIT WEAVING
Often m elderly lady devout believer, n
ncighbor, named Mrs. Cleveland, woman
who has in nowisc lost her senses like a yea
lot but seems the rather 10 have sharpened
them among the spirits for the last year or
more, and whom all visitors learn to respect
tor her cand0r as well as good sense, together
with Mr. Pritchard, a wcll-preserved gen.
tlcman Of 90 years Of age very sensible and
NEST reliable man, and who has
been boarding at the Eddys since May last,
having gone there at first 10 stay a few days
is called by the conducting" and "materi.
alilin~' spirits Within tle closet to sit on
one end for the purpose Of strengthening
the battery magnetic, to use the phrase.
ology of the circlcroom. Well Ifonlo, not
having before approached either one of these,
steps before Mr.. T., for example bends over
ls ii trying TO discover something Invisible
10 the visitors, and also invisible or undis.
covered by Mr. T. She extends her open
hand and picks from his lap, it may he Il
something very fine, scarcely perceptblc rs
she holds it up. small Ia volume, so small
hat she seems To hold it in the hollow of her
land, perhaps. She unioldS il little goes
o the other end OF ihc platform and puts an
md OF it ~ Mrs. cicvcland's hand, ard
urther unfo6s the substance until its fell di-
ncnSlons seemed 10 be reached two, three
,r four feet, when, clasping its corners in.
ler hands Mrs. {. still holding hsr end, eX.
ends her arms apart L. the full length and
walks across the platform, the wei" shawl,
n cloth growing in width ansA length as.
,hc moves mot ~ if StrcChcd until it has be
come IL tcct long, perhaps, and, may he, >
feet wide, when she gathers it into anOw hul-
Ky mass, raises tive veil and casts il into the
Siosct. This spirit clolh" manufacture,
and on turning 10 nay notes She opened seven
lines ono night Mrs. Cleveland says it
sometimes folds like silk, at other times like
4 velvet fabric mas. lilo linaN pt hNt