The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-01-28
Foster. The Medium.

l met in the ancient and historic St.
Charles Hotel, in New Orleans, in the
winter of 1874, Charles Foster, the
medium, who died recently. He occu-
pied two rooms on the ground floor.
on passage which opened on the left
hand of the central rotunda. On this
tour he was accompanied by a slight,
shapely. fair-haired young man from
Boston, whose name, if l remember
right, was Bartlett, and who had a
soft, unearthly, spookish manner. A
young man, in short, who might at
any moment have demateralized him.
self and become spirit without at
tracing attention to the process. He
was Fosters secretary, and curiousiy
enough did all the sordid pecuniary
work of the trip. For Foster was
spendthrift who had good appetites,
which he never hesitated to indulge.
The rooms were extremely small
and dingy. The second of the two was
room, holding at it's best about ten
people.
Foster was as afraid in the dark as
a child, and never slept alone. Indeed,
the mere prospect often minutes soil
tude would depress him in the most
extraordinary way. Foster dropped
into the easy chair, lazily smoking a
cigar, and Bartlett threw himselfupon
the lounge and began to read the Ban
ner of Light.
While we were talking Foster and /,
there came knock at the door. Bart
lett rose and opened it, disclosing as
he did so two young men plainly
dressed, ordinary middle-class South
erners. saw that they were clients
and rose to go. Foster restrained
me.
"Sit down, he said. I'll try and get
rid OF them, for Pm not in the humor
to be disturbed. In any case they are
only commonplace chaps, and I'll
soon be through with them"
l stayed, and it was the first and
the only seance OF Fosters that l, in
my character of unbeliever, ever took
part in.
ntheroomF oster sat as far from the
table with the marble top as two feet
at least. Bartlett had returned to his
sofa and his Banner of Light. sat
by the door, and the two young men
with awe-stricken faces sat by the ta-
BILE, one of them resting his arms on it.
Foster lolled back in his chair, watch
ing the smoke of his cigar His left
hand was in his trousers pocket, his
right was free and toying constantly
with his mustache. One leg was
thrown over the other.
On the table were several long, mar.
row strips of paper, about the width
OF the margin OF newspaper, and a
couple of short pencils.
Now" said Foster, in his usually
indolent manner, ''it will be necessary
for you to think of some person, now
in the spirit world, in whom you have
confidence. All! as l speak to you
some one has arrived. 1t is a woman
perhaps your mother. She is going
to communicate with YOU"
At that instant there came q rap
upon the table, apparently in the low
er edge of the marble, SO loud and so
distinct that three of us started-the
young strangers and myself,
''Take this card, proceeded Foster,
his eyes shut and his expression one
OF drowsiness. at contains all the
letters OF the alphabet, Spell out let
ter by letter, in silence, the name OF
any spirit you may expect
Then followed what to me seemed a
most extraordinary incident of teleg-
raphy. AS fast as the young man
struck the right letter an invisible
something smote the marble with a
ringing tap.
do you recognize the spirit?" in
quired Foster, still drowsy and unin-
terested.
"It's my aunt, SIR" replied the
countryman, very white, but with a
resolute face, as became q brave
young fellow who was bound to stand
by any revelation, no matter how ire
mendous.
"She is standing between us, look
ing at you. She is tall and thin, dark
hair mixed with gray, very wrinkled,
and her smile is very gentle"
'It's my auntn' cried the lad, with
eyes dilated.
"Take one OF those slips of paper"
continued Foster, twisting his cigar in
his mouth. "Write ON it whatever
question you want to ask other. Then
roll it up in your fingers as small as
possible and give it to me-" ..
1t took the young man a few min
utes to think out and then compose
the question: task in which he was
aided by his friend. Then he rolled it
up into ball about the size of pea
and handed it to the medium.
Foster took it indifferently, held it
against his forehead just as he received
it, and without a moment s delay, but
in rather hesitating voice, said;
"You have asked your aunt whether
in her judgment it would be q safe
speculation for you to go as partner
i'll the butcher business with o-and-So
mentioning a name) in Algiers." AL
giers, by the way, is the Brooklyn of
New Orleans.
eyes, sir!" gasped the young man.
"Your aunt says to you in reply"
drawled Foster, "that she does not
like to interfere with your plans, but
you must be very careful in your deal
ings with So-and-So. His reputation
is very bad one, and he has cheated
everybody he ever was in business
with"
A flock of other questions and an
swers followed, all expressed in the
same way. The more he replied the
brewster and more indolent grew Fos-
ter. l thought he was tired of the in
terview and was feigning sleep to end
it.
All of sudden he sprang to his feet
with on expression OF horror. His
eyes glared, his breast heaved, his
hands clenched.
The lad, on his part rose stupidity a
moment after, his eyes fixed with an
anxious stare on the medium.
"Why did you come here?" cried
| Foster in wall. "Whv do you come
here to torment me with such sight?
Oh, God! It's horrible! It's horri-
ble!" And he clasped his two hands
before his face, shuddering.
Incredulous as / was, the sincerity
of his distress troubled me. Even on
Bartlett it had such an effect that he
dropped his paper and sat bolt up
right. AS for the two young men, they