The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-05-04
A Noted Spirltuallst Dead.

N NVVOW DOoWs
New York Graphic.l
News came by the cable that David
Douglas Hume Che changed his name to
Home" when he first went to Europe)
died in railway carriage, while travel
ling from st. Petersburg to Berlin. AS
this news is given solely on the authority
of the Paris Steele, it would not be i'm
proper to suspend conclusions on the
subject Until something furthef is heard
about it. If, however, Home is really
dead, an extraordinary career has sud-
denly come to an end. Home was born
in Edinburgh March 20, 1888. He was
adopted by an aunt, with whom he
came to the United States in 1912. 1t
is said that spiritual manifestations
attended him from his infancy; but the
earliest of his own recollection was a
vision he had in his fourteenth year of a
deceased playmate. As his relative and
himself we're i'll great poverty he used to
help to their mutual support by knitting
stockings and sewing quilts, in which he
became unusually EXPERT. The fame OF
his mediumship having got abroad, he
was in his seventeenth year invited to
visit at the house of Mr.. William III.
Green, President af the Boonton Iron
Works, New Jersey, who was an ardent
Spiritualist. Here he met Andrew
Jackson Davis and his wife; and here he
gave the first notable manifestation OF
his powers in trace writing. The facts
connected with some of these COM
munications were very remarkable, but
Home gave no other manifestations A
rich lady in New York having become
interested in the youth, she had him
placed under Instructors, and he mani
Tested uncommon aptitude for learning.
1t is positively asserted that he acquired
the French and German languages in
two months. Certainly he. learned to
speak them with perfect fuency In a
very short time. In 1858 he undertook
to study medicine, but soon abandoned
the intention, and devoted himself
entirely to Spiritualism. In 1855 he
went to London, which thereafter was
his principal residence and the scene OF
his most extraordinary exploits. The
city was filed with stories of his
"levitations" and other wonders; and
persons of the very highest rank became
firm believers in his mediumship. 1t il
said that he made a strong impression
upon the mind of Queen Victoria herself
especially by spirit communication from
some of her deceased relatives. The
Duchess of Sutherland, one of the Queens
most intimate friends, became an open
prOselyte and believer in Home. The
present Lord Lindsay and the late Ear
of Dunraven recorded the fact of his
levitations. Mrs. S. G. Hall (of the
Art Jo,umaD declared that Home on one
occasion took red.hOt Goals from the
hearth, placed them on her husbands
head and drew the white hairs over them
SO as to completely hide them, without
injuring Mr.. Halls scalp or singing The
hair in the slightest degree. Mrs Ross
Church daughter of Captain Marryat)
testified as to Homes rising several feet
from the floor and remaining suspended
in the air q considerable time; and Mr.
Crookes and Sergeant Cox have recorded
similar marvels. In Paris Home became
"quite the rage" and was frequently
summoned to the Tuileries to hold
interviews with the late Emperor
Napoleon. He was also presented to the
Emperor of Russia and the Pope Plus IN
In 1856 he Joined the Roman Catholic
Church. In 1858 he married noble
Russian lady, who bore him a son in
1859 and who died in 1862. Memorial
sketches of her were written by Mrs. S.
G. Hall and Mary Hewitt. In 1864 he
was expelled from the City of Rome fol
Spiritualist practices In 1866 he be-
came Secretary of the London Spiritual
Atheneum, In 1871 Mr.. Home married
the second time, and, as the World neatly
and justly remarks, "again went to Russia
for his wife, thing which will hardly
surprise those who know how wide il
the circle in Russian society of women
of rank and intelligence who throw them
selves with an ardor scarcely elsewhere
equalcd into all the most revolutionary
and mystical movements of our. times.
Not much has since been heard Of him
the last seance which he is known tC
have held having taken place in the
apartments of an American resident in
London. Mr.. Crookes and DIR. Wallace
were present on this occasion, and they
have declared publicly that they saw
Home, by mere force ofwill, add con
siderably to his stature and again reduce
his size, SO that he appeared at one time
much taller and at another much shorter
than his natural SELF The adventure,
of this man, the intimate of princes and
emperors, cannot fail to recall the career
of CagliostrQ but who would believe il
possible that such career could be pur
sued in this age of machinery and
skepticisfn. But it seems 10 be more ant
more of truism that average humanity
remains pretty much the same in al
ages.