The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-02-21
THE cnIrrENDEv CHIMNEY.
MIR. Horatio a. Eddy. Invitation Politely
Declined.

To THE Enron or The suN-Sb: An article
o. ss s A. Rutland w. pnplsnea IN your columns Nov.
iains ~ aud eeT ignorant Or malicious lioel upon
Tins article was calculated to injuro our good name
and reputation damage our business ana bring iis.
credit upon the cause spiruallsn by destroying our
iunu nee as honest mediums
s made 10 slide away Ike the traps of theatres" the
CHIMNEY Il IMAGE IN two compartments, one for the ma
smosc Of d. sitccn stove to ascent i,S close Ga r.
row STARE YOU con descend through the chimney 10 Tie
our sisters and Others, acting ss cOnicdcfalts ~ W
,n,se sar and appear On tho platform as the spirits
n rery e he above falsehood,, VIII say that TIE
privilege Of making any ex'minai,Jn Of me ca0i1et
stscmehts Of his Correspondents true viii give him
tliyyJ lOne thousand dollars. 49,.
would not notice them. but he vide influence your
psper * and The nu.erog. exchanges !nat hsye
nuence upon u. our business and the truths repre-
through your edtoris columns YOU give Us the oppor.
tunity to reiule tins libel We shall hold InE srS per.
SOFA Iesp9lTole Tor damages po,.r,oo rr,v
cmTrESDEN, w., Feb 49,
We give place to Mr.. Eddys letter, and are
glad to infer from II that he and his spirits are
well and prosperous. We had understood that
the whole party had gone West.
Yet we cannot accept Mr.. Eddy's invitation
to visit Chittenden and examine his kitchen
chimney
now There ia good deal Of important and
pressing news to be looked after. II Mr.. Eddy
reads THE SUN carefully and In the right spirit,
he cannot but see how exacting are the require
ments upon our time and attention. And II no
will further consider that there are probably
not three persons on this side OF the river, out
side his own family and those Immediately in
terested In the draught OF HE kitchen stove,
who care a picayune whether the chimney IL
single, double, quadruplc, or brcked up as
solid as the Worth monument, he must ac.
knowledge that there is no inducement for us
TO visit Chittendon.
In the second place, Mr.. Eddy's money has no
attractions for us. \ thousand dollars Is hand
some sum, and In this case It must represent
much exhaustive dancing on the part Of Houto,
Aunt Sally and the other llght-heeled spirits, as
well as many agonizing commissions and contor-
tions on the part Of the honest mediums. We
could not, In conscience, accept moneyso hardly
earned. 1t would not rest quietly in our pock-
cts. Besides, we should not be sure OF getting
It, We should be called upon TO prove the
state Of the chimney In November on tho
strength Of an inspection IN February. Now,
chimneys are very uncertain creatures We
have known them to undergo startling changes
IN much less time than three months. Although
We do not think we are mistaken in MIR. Eddy's
character, we are not prepared to trust his CHM
ney, and especially In n neighborhood where
bricks and mortar are handy, and labor, owing to
the large. unemployed spirit population, par
ticuafly cheap.
In the third place the threat at the end OF Mr..
Eddy's letter induces us 70 decline his invita-
tlon. a libel suit for damage to the reputation
OF spirits would be novel and highly interest
ing. Aud II Mr. Eddy is prepared to prove the
honesty Of his business ana the Renuiueness of
his manifestations by bringing materialized
spirits into coursand putting them on the Wit
ness stand, we should be standing Ia our own
light and hindering scientific investigation by
declining to give him the opportunity. We think
we shall not 90 to Chittenden.