National Republican., 1884-04-07
WALKING WRAITHS.
Spirits Evoked From tho Vastly Deep by a
Noted Medium.
Goblins, Beautiful mRIdens, and Nnnishe"
Friends RevIsItIns Scenes ON Earth

Mrs. Carrie NJ. Sawyer, tho medium whose
ability as an evoker Of spirits from the vastly
deep extends through all the leading cities Of
the country, is now in Washington and has
been astonishing spiritualistic circles by her
startling manifestations She is what IS
known as u materialzing medium, and lead
ing spiritualists regard her as phenomenal
exponent of the faith. A reporter of tho
REPUBLICAN having heard of her seances
called last night at her parlors, 9l5
r. street, having gone in company with a
leading member of congress from Missouri,
who was in raptures over the cabinet per-
formauCes which he had previously attended
The Mssourian seriously declared that he
had on the preceding night met and shook
hands with his father, who had been dead
twenty years. The remarkable part OF the
statement was that his father had the unusual
height of six feet and ten inches, and the
phantom, whose hand the congressman
erasped, was of tho same apparent altitude
and bore q strong resemblance in face aud
form of the original in the flesh.
Mrs Sawyer occupies an immense double
parlor, capable of seating 100 persons, and
there were perhaps fifty prosont last night,
Among them the reporter noticed several
congressman and prominent Citizens drawn
there with hope of getting one view OF the
sheeted dead. The lady, pronounced blonde
of pleasing face and ethereal expression,
announced that thore would be two seances,
n dark and a light one. In the first, the
lady seated herself outside the cabinet,
where she was securely bound with several
wards of thread and small grass rope. The
lights being entirely turned OH, the audlehce,
sitting in total darkness, was startled by an
almost immediate phosphorescent gleam OF
lipht from one end of the parlors to the
other and q rapid succession of strange ana
unearthly whispers flying along the walls
and ceilings. If trick was
certainly a masterpiece of legerdemain and
calculated to make even the most skeptlc feel
n little shaky. Following few moments OF
profound dsrkness, there came voice
scarcely audible, apparently a hundred yards
away, chanting some spiritual song Ihere
seemed to be no particular purpose In this
song for IL ended almost as soon as it began.
Then there was the usual touching OF faces
by ghostly fingers, number OF persons
stating at the same time that they felt the
touch of a vanished hand. When the light
was turned on the medium was found Sc
curely bound to the chair, considerably eN-
hausted either by the "infuenee" under
which she had been or by having to sit in the
same position so long.
The piece do resistance, however, of the
evening was light seance. in which the
lady astonished all present by her exhibitions
from the cabinet. This compartment was In
the usual form, being rough hewn armoii
with nothing inside except chair for the
medium to occupy. A committee of ladies
retired with her to a room and searched hei
to see that no eontraband makeup was con
cealed about her person. The ladies reported
that il was impossible for Mrs. Sawyer tc
have any surreptitious baggage within
the folds of her dress. The medium wal
seated within the cabinet with her heac
fat against the wall. A committee o.
two gentlemen, both well-known public
officials, undertook the task of tying her
Her arms were securely bound to the chail
with strong flax thread. SILK hnndker
chief was passed around her neck, the end
drawn through auger holes in the wall of th'
cabinet and tied on the outside. Both OF TN
gentlemen announced that it was impossible
for the lady to move from the chair, yet tn
front curtains of the cabinet had hardl,
dropped when q naked arm came througl
the parting folds and tho voic
of little girl came floating out witf
"Good evening, friends" This was allege
to be the voice of Little Aaude," the con
( trolling spirit of the medium. Shortly fol
lowing the curtains divided and the form o
man of medium height and full whisker
appeared. "Thatis John King" said voic
in the audience, and the phantom certainl
did bear striking resemblance to the famou
medium now dead. The figure stood thor
a full half minute and to q question If tn
apparition Of King was present ansWere
.'yes" in q strong, masculine voice. Where
upon it slowly dropped from view like y
actor disappearing through the trap door OF
stage.
II would require unusual space to deta
the various feats that followed, but 10 is onl
correct to say that nearly all of them were
mysterious and thrilling character.
beautiful young lady with long black ha
came out of the cabinet and was recognize
by a lady present as daughter long dead. III
apparition beckoned and thetrembling motht
went forward and grasped the hand OF whit
she declared TO be the spirit Of her departe
daughter. An old lady, In frill and ca
was recognized by an excited visitor
the ghost of her grandmother. congres
man was called to the cabinet door by fgu
in white, who said quite distinctly: Come
For moment he took an extended han
and exclaimed; "That is my sister Clara J"
Something of sensation was created WHIT
the prattling of baby was heard inside, al
a baby face, with extended hands, appear
at the foot Of the curtain, as If it were tryil
TO crawl to the floor outside tho cabinet. ~
little crawler got away, however, before al
of tho mothers present could identity 1t
their own dead darling.
At one time female figure in pure viii
came out of the cabinet door, and appeared
rise for moment above the top of the cabin
TO height of eight feet from the ho
descending again and dissolvlng into tn
air. There were perhaps dozen perso
present who recognized lost relatives.
wealthy Washington widow saw her husbaI
and declared she could not be mistaken,
died last August, and had promised
his deathbed that he would appear to
in seance. She stoutly maintained Il
she recognized the very shirt buttons he W.
in life and was buried in. 1t is no exagge
tion to say that during tho seance of an hC
and q half there were at least twenty-t
different figures at and outside the cabil
door, including mon, women, and childr
If it is possible for Mrs Sawyer to III
accomplished all this herself, she could Gus
make fortune as the champion change art
of the age. When tho seance was over
medium was found tied to the wall Of
cabinet Just as she had been left. The thre
around her arm aud the silk handkercf
around her neck were intact. 1t seemed
possible that she could have moved,
JTnI.Y WEEK