Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-08-14


About twelve years ago, says the Rut-
land Hcrdid, ''the Eddy family" attracted
to the little town of Chittenden in this
county a large number of visitors to wit
ness the so-called Standardization" of de-
parted spirits, red, black, blue and gray
There was llonto, an Indian girl Santum,
Il noble red man George Dix, the pirate
a girl spirit that breathed melodiously
on mouth harmonicon, while the afore
said George Dix bawled through speak
ing trumpet. \ great many people went
to spirit Vale as it was called, attract
ed thither by the well-written description
of its alleged miracles in the New York
GrdpIlic, the work of Col. Henry :. Or
cult, a man of so much intelligence and
literary skill that skeptics believed him at
that time nothing but an accomplished
Bohemiant skllfully working IA mind of
sensatonalsm for good salary. Among
the other visitors at spirit Vale was a
Madame BlavatSky, described by OlcOtt
as the daughter of a Russian general, of
Georgian or Circasslan stock. Madame
BlaVis sky was conspicuous in OlCOtt' 5 let
tiers : she always saw more miracles than
anybody else she posed as seeress and
clairVONant in her own hereditary right,
and there seemed to he so good an under
standing between this fascinating Russian
| sybil and OlcOtt that there was strong
suspicion that they were confederateS i'll
PLAYING on the horn of humbug to make
| the duped crowd dance for their common
| profit and amusement. Finally the Eddy
! family quarreled and spirit Vale was
deserted Olcott and Blavatsky went to
| New York and founded the philosophical
society" so called. After that Blavatsky
and Olcott and other distinguished disci-
Piles went to India and pitched their tent in
| Madras. a shrine was built i'll the
headquarters OF the society, and there
would appear the astral form OF the ma
To-, tn.rN x-tEs l.
''the Master and sometimes as "Cristo-
folio" The so-called Shrine was the
scene of mummeres and mountebank
tricks similar to those that drew so many
people so long TO spirit Vale" The mir
acle working is thus described:
"If a theosoph wanted questions of vast
import or small answered, he wrote let
ter and put it in the shrine 1t would
disappear, sometimes Immediately, some
| times not and an answer from koot lioomi
would be found occupying the place. Now
and then letter from the Brothers would
drop from the ceiling, or suddenly in con
versatiOn the Blavatsky would say she felt
that koot HoOmi was answering some
point in dispute or sure enough, letter
would turn up in some unexpected place
of the character she indicated. Another
favorte performance was Tor Nine. BlaN-
| atsky to tear a cigaret OF Il cigar paper in
two. having marked it in some peculiar
fashion, or tied it with hair, and then to
dispatch il to distant place, where the
inuuirers would he told To look for it, and
where they would sometimes find it, some
times not The BlaVatsky's household
manager, Nine COnlomb, quarreed and
rebelled, and finally let the public into her
confidence. There were traps and sliding
panels, and concealed cracks in ceilings, Il
false back to the shrine, etc, made 10y
the male COnlOmb who was an expert
carpenter The astral koot Hoomi was
I'm ingenious arrangement of masks, blad-
ders, wigs and muslin. The phenomena
were Juggling tricks carried out by con
federates The COnlOmbs were parleyed
with for while. but finally, driven TO the
wall, they published IA lot of letters from
Nine Blayatsky, proving all they said and
more"
In these letters Blavatsky calls her as
sistants and lecturers our familiar mutfs.
"our domestic imbeciles," Olcott Is fond
ly referred to rs an idiot, and by n pet
name so gross that the publishers of the
letters would not print it. Blavatsky was
Obliged to leave India for Paris. The
strangest part of the whole business is that
Ocott, who was ten years ago believed TO
be an able confederate of the artful Rus
sian countess, was really n sincere believer
and the wOman's abject dupe. That Il
man of his unquestionable intelligence
and literary skill should for so many years
have been the dupe of this impudent adj
ventures is only another proof that man
may have Il good deal of intellect and
learning and yet be SO credulous as to act
like an imDeCile,