Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-07-28
S}tHruttatit ;Nurtllwest.
WESTERN LETTER.

leaving home, after an absence Of five
weeks and scrutinizing observation Of
people, country and crops, brief des'
cription may be OF some interest to at
least portion OF your readers.
Bidding a short adieu to family and
friends, took the fast line Sunday eve,
June 18th, at Liberty Center, for a
tour into Missouri, Iowa and Wlscon-
sin; arriving at Memphis, Mo-, next
evening about p. m., our first stopp'
ing place to visit friends, laying over
at Keokuk four hours, during which
period we took a promenade about tie
city. 1t stands high above the waters
of the Mississippi, containing some fine
business blocks and costly dwellings,
with every appearance of an enterpris
ing people. TO ascend the bluffs
hundred feet or so above the river, side
walks were erected into flights of stairs
which were not only romantic but lev.
led tax upon some of the spare mus
Gle to reach the summit, but when done
found ourselves overlooking houses,
trees and streets below at dizzy hight
in fair birdseye view of the river,
and RATS Of lumber and timber floating
upon its muddy surface to market
down stream, perhaps to the gulf.
But to go back to Springfield, ILL.,,
where we found ourselves emerging
from a nightly cot Of Pullman sleep
er, the first noticeable thing beheld
was water on every side, in streets and
fields, the result of heavy showers dur
ing the night, which had kept us com
pany from TT. Wayne since ten o'clock
the previous evening. While remain
ing there for q short time the atrocious
crime of the murder of Lincoln came
rushing through our mind with renew
ed vividedness as if his spirit was float
ing in the breeze to remind us that we
We're stopping at his former home and
present resting place. In passing
further on the same trace of heavy
rains were visible and no less accepta-
bic, it being the breaking up of a con-
tinuous drouth for some weeks. Much
to our own disappointment corn was no
more forward than IN Henry county,
except now and then an isolated piece,
and some just emerging from the earth
and still other pieces just marked for
planting. The wheat was almost a
failure here, far more weeds than grain
on the fiat prairies, as if winter killed
or drowned ont, and caused q feeling
of gladness that Henry county was no
despisable place where farmers crops
were about as sure as the season itself.
Will commence again at Memphis,
where we found a very rolling country
lnterspersed with timber and prairie
lands, comparatively new or resettled
since the war; and very good soil,
The village of Memphis, on the Wa
bash line. contains near 1000 inhabi-
tants, denoting much business and
thrift, but lacking in that spirit of
cleanliness, neatness, taste and good
order that lends enchantment to refin-
ed tastes and attractiveness to foreign
capital.
Having been previously informed
that man by the name of Mott was
living in this place, who had gained a
great notoriety as a spiritual medium,
myself and wife determined to inves-
tigate the genuipeness or fraud of this
phenomena so far as in our power. and
accordingly did so on three different
occasions during our stay. Individual.
ly for myself my object was to learn
facts that might be seen and heard re-
gardless of the source of production or
what it really might be, and treating
this as [ would any other business
transaction to gain true information,
entered upon the investigation of pur-
ported spirits, and to guard myself
thoroughly against any possibility of
any other living person, machinery or
device occupying the cabinet or closet
beside the medium himself, | made
thorough examination Of the closet, on
ly about four feet square, projecting
flush into the room from an outer wall
of the house IN second story with no
place of ingress or egress, except
through the door, and knowing for
myself that this closet contained moth
ing but a plain wood bottom chair and
foot stool, the medium was allowed to
enter and locked in with no light in
closet. In few moments | was called
to the door and notified that | had sew
eral spirit friends there that wished to
see me. | answered promptly that |
was ready to meet them. was stand
ing close to the closet door through
which there was an aperature with cur
tains, when a young lady raised the
curtain from within and presented her
face within a foot of my own | rec
ognizing the broad white forehead and
face of my first wife, she addressing
me as her dear husband in low audible
tones, with many other expressions of
Joy to see me again, too much mixed
with sobs for all to be understood. My
son Chas. who died in Philadelphia in
a college course, next presented his
tall and manly form, calling me father,
as in life, conversing freely (and more
audibly than his mother), of things, of
his earthly existence and as intelli-
gently as though he was really living.
He says if I had taken your advice
and not studied so hard / would have