The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-08-09
LITERARY
OLCOTT'S GHOST.
Peop.e from the Other World.

The student of necromacy will lind moth
ING more marvellous in the works of Albert
us Magnus, Cornelius Agrippa, Nostradam-
us, Paracelus, Girolamo Cardano, or any
other distinguished authority on the arts of
magic, than the wonders which are related
with such native simplicity and good faith
i n this remarkable volume. 1t is chiefly de-
voted to description of the extraordinary
scenes witnessed by the author during one
or two visits of several weeks at the Eddy
homestead in the township of Chittenden,
Vermont, which he made his temporary
abode for the purpose Of investigating the
strange phenomena that had given the place
wide notoricty. Chi,tenden is retired
hamlet in grassy valley of the Green
Mountains, about seven miles north OF Rut-
land The inhabitants are mostly farm
ers by occupation, and Me:hodists In re-
lipion, possessing no more than an average
degree Of intelligence, with little desire for
novelty or thirst for improvement The
Eddy brothers are no exception to the gen.
eral rule, but, as Mr. Olcott alleges, pos
sess al hereditary gift OF what may be
called natural magic. Tn cir mother, who
is of Scottish descent, inherited the faculty
of "foreseeing," as it is termed in Scotland,
or more properly clairvoyance, in the opin-
ion of the author. She not only had pre-
visions of future events, but the faculty of
seeing ghosts from whom she claimed to re-
ceive visits as Familiarity as though they
were ordinary neighbors. Her mother be-
fore her possessed the same faculty to q Ger
tain degree and one of her remote ances-
tors in the material line was sentenced to
death as witch at the time of the Salem
deluson in 1892 The father of the Eddy
brothers was man CT strong prejudices, a
bigot in religion, with no breadth of mind.
anil little education. After their ma rriage,
Mrs. Eddy concealed her peculiar gifts from
her husband and for some time seemed to
have lost them. But they returned after
the birth of her first child with more pow
err than before, and continued to be the
source of much misery until the day of her
death Her husband at first made light of
them, and forbade her to give way to what
he declared was the work of the devil. He
resorted to prayer to abate the nuisance,
and when that failed he made use Of coer-
Give measures, but with no better effect
The frs. child that was born had the tenn
permanent Of the father but each succeeding
one, at very tender age, developed the
mothers idiosyncrasies. Mysterious sounds
were heard about their cradles. Strange
voices called through the rooms they were
in. They would play with beautiful chill
dren, seen only BY the eyes Of their mothe,
and their own, who brought them flower.
and pet animals. Sometimes. after the,
were laid quietly in bed, their little bodie.
would be lifted gently and doated through
the air by some weired power. The father
stormed and threatened. He called in hi
pious neighbors, and prayed that the curs'
might be removed from his house. But al
in vain The devil was proof against ever,
entreaty. The Infatuated parent then ha,
recourse to blows. In order to drive tn
evil spirit out of his little girls and boys
he beat them until he made scars on thei
backs, which they will carry to their graves
Things thus went on from bad to worse
The children could not 60 to school wi,hou
raps being heard on the desks and benches
for which they would be driven out by tn
teacher, followed by the hootings and revil
ings of tho scholars. In whatever wa,
these manifestations may be explained
and Mr.. Olcott does not profess to hav
discovered the secret Of their action-the,
certainly present o curious problem in tn
study Of heredity, and may afford som
suggestive illustrations of that interesting
but obscure, chapter in the science Of an
thropology
II is BY no means surprising that wit
the daily occurrence Of the marvels whic
are set forth in this volume. the town Z
Chittenden should have become the Niece
Of the votaries Of the supernatural,
whom the daily routine Of life is only
prosaic tale, and who find no charm in z,
istence without occasional glimpses Of u
world unseen. These disciples Of q
newness" who haunt the mountains Of Chi
tenden, according to the author. are mo
ley group, for the most part whimsical
appearance. crude in intellect, and unevs
in judgment, though there are some agre
able exceptions. Ladies' and gentleme
editors, lawyers, divines and exdivines. II
vensors. architects, farmers, pedlers
magnetic salves and mysterious nostrum
long haired men and short haired wome
the Growing hens Of Fowler. and the cac
ling cocks, their fitting mates: women vi
an idea. and plenty Of men and wom
without any to speak Of: people Of sen
.rI r.~crl> nf nonesense. sickty dreame