The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1879-07-03
SPIRITUALISM,
lis Birth in Rochester, New YOrk-The
Fox Girls and the Rappfngs.

were allied the Rochester knock
iDgs," or the phenomenal sounds and
comm inications produced by the
Fox sisters Of this place.
A very wealthy man told me that
in his younger days in Rochester he
often went to see these girls at their
manifestations. They lived in a
quiet street OF Rochester, and were
rather hearty, red checked, country
like girls. I'VE made every effort"
said this gentleman. @to detect them
in some imposture, and even put
tumblers OF glass under the legs Of
the table. but we never found any
thing out"
The Fox girls, we may say, were
the daughters OF John ID. Fox They
moved into a haunted house" in a
town near Rochester, where the in
mates had been annoyed by rapping
on tie doors. The Fox family also
heard these rappings and endelvored
to trace them to some human origin,
but without success, The younger
girl, unable TO get to Sleep, and hav-
ing no fears, began to snap her fingers
in response to the raps. and noticing
that the spirits responded with just
as many raps as she gave snaps, the
girl cried out: "Now count five!
Count ten! Tell US the age OF sister
Catherine!"
In this WY the enumeration by
raps was discovered by a child who
hardly could read. OF course the
family was excited by the manifesto
tions OF intelligence In this unknown
cause. "If you are spirit" asked
the mother, make two distinct raps."
Those raPs were given March 81,
1913. abou. the time that Western
New York was aaitated over the
probability OF Millard Fillmore their
neig4bor, becoming vice president.
From that night arose the whole lit
erature of rapping.
Then the whole vi lage started to
search the house and keep watch
over whatever impostors might be
there. One dry, Ia the cellar, David
Fox, son of the tenant, cried out to
the invisible raPper: "If you are a
spirit rap to the letters that will spell
your name!' He then began to call
the alphabet and the instrumentality
indicated the name ~Charles T.
Roemer." Nobody OF that name had
ever been known there, but it was al
legged by the rappilg medium that he
was pei ller. and was M lrdsred in
that house.
OF course these occurrences spread
abroad. and the Fox family moved to
Rochester, accompanied by the rap
piags. People then began to go 10
them TO ask questions about the
dead. After awhile tables and 9th, 1
obj scts began to move ia the pres
ence and under the touch OF these
girls. Society being generally excl
ted now, variou, frances and clair
voyant conditions came out.
In November. 1S49, as was alleged
at the request OF the spirits. the Fox
family called public meeting in
Corinthian hall, still standing, the
property OF Samuel Wildsr, which is
now being transformed into the most
beautiful theater in the interior OF
the state, lectured two consecu-
tive winters on the same platform
where the Fox girls exploited, and
heard no rappings except from q
rather nervous heart. The Fox girls,
thus brought before the public, became
the subject OF universal newspaper
literature. review. discussion and
semi religious excitement. Such
men as John w. Il lmunds, Prof
Gray, Robert Dale Owen, John
Pierrepont and others, are generally
known to have been spiritualists, but
not the innumerable business men
whose whole religion is spiritualism
The names of half a dozen prominent
men were given TO me in Rochester
as spiritualists.
"Tnere are my grocers?' id one
gentleman. They are just as practi.
cal men as any in the world. Yet
both OF them are as deep believers in
spiritualism as in sugar. They tell
me every few days what information
they have received from the spirits
on where to buy, SELL" etc.