The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1886-07-22
NUMBER 9.
THE FOX SISTERS SPIRIT RApplNe.p
Three Rochester Girls Who Became Fa-

Three Rochester Girls Who Became Fa- ~ al
mous-Ths Phenomena Of Is4s. g,ia gEft 30 r
To western Kew York belongs the dis uIgs
tinction of having originated modern a-t.-
Spirituaisna. The initial "spirit-rapping'
phenomena began in March, 1S48, in the ''t
family of John d. Fox, in Hydeville, - TIC
Wayne county, New York Besides Mr.. 10
and Mrs. Fox only their two younger Igs.
children, Margaretta, IL years old, and g. :
Kate Q years old, were at home when the r.bas
family were startled by mysterious rap asnsii
pings that were heard nightly upon the. 81.
floor of one of the bedrooms, and some
times IN other parts of the house. They l''. -
endeavored to trace the sounds to their - 10
cause, but failed. 1t is also alleged that q
a. patter of footsteps was sometimes srgunsr
heard, the bed-clothes were pulled off I'D.
and Kate felt cold hand passed over
her face. On the night of March 81, ss'it
when the raps occurred Kate initiated ifaa y
them by swapping her fingers, and the ~sf4n
raps responded by the same number. of ca5 -
SOUNDS , ha1e tnen said, NOW, 90 as -, Is q
t;1,a ooa or dS + az e TIL 'r2iss
same number of raps responded. andog .Eoal
at similar intervals. . The mother off, %
the girls then, said, Count ten,";rcr.r,
and ten different raps We're heard. ,,... %,
"Count fifteen" and that num-
Der or sounds followed. She then said, S',SO
TELL us the age of Cathy (the youngest y - 30
daughter) by rapping one for each year, - g 81
and the number OF: years were raped 3.'i 70
correctly; In like manner the ages of .-, .-
each of the four other, and then absent
children, We're by request indicated by ~
this invisible agent. Mrs. Fox asked II oG. u
it was human being making that ~ 81
There was no sound. She then said, IF fw.ss'
o.,s,i 10 fxrya
you are spirlt' MAKE Two ai 81. :1ogs1
heard. . .'' -.'."..'' r.'- l'''
Three weeks afterward it was made Z ri:H
known by the raps that the body of a 81 t@.
murdered man lay buried in the cellar, h1E
and the exact spot was indicated where &c., -,.
parts of human skeleton was actually
found. The name Of the murdered man
was given, and it was learned that five ia
years before such a person had visited Gitea
the house and had suddenly and myster- 40
lousy disappeared. .Dpaa
After awhile the raps occurred only in
the presence of the two sisters, Margaret
and Kate. The family having removed -
to Rochester, the raps accompanied
them, and new phenomena, including '
clairvoyance and the movement of pom: z ~
derable bodies without appreciate IT. ~ia
agency, were developed. In November, "a.
1S49, the Fox girls appeared in public ~
hall, and the phenomena was freely .,.g
manifested and subjected to many tests, 20. ...
and a committee, appointed for their in d.,
vestigation, after continuing their exper- ..f, g..
iments there and elsewhere for several
days, reported that they were unable to
trace them to any mundane agency.
Within few months Spiritualism had '. D.
thousands of converts and was an estab- ~ ID
lished faith. w. ..'.rG- '..-~ a"t .a f".H
In an extended article in Peck's His ".H
tory of Rochester, from the pen of Mr.. ..i. y
r. ID. Jones, it is stated that the sisters : hi4t
remained in Rochester some months, ION
and then visited New York, Philadelphia ,,.,E
and many other localities, affording t. a..
the curious the opportunity to hear the 49,,
sounds and witness other manifesto
lions. The three sisters are still living. '...
Leah, now Mrs. Underiill, resides in New e. =
York city; Margaretta (lffs. Kane makes fe.n
her home in Brooklyn, and the youngest,H6 'r2'
Catherine is living in London, England, s'rt y
and is the widow of an English barrister!', " 20
by the name of Jenkin. The sounds, as .f,ya q
in 184S are still heard in their presence .ti
Other and varied manifestations are said .,-,o..
to occur in all parts of the world, having In q,
been developed by what in 1S4g was de, '....''.
signated as Rochester rappings." From -. =,
these rappings as a commencement has t'.! =
originated modern Spiritualism. - az ~
Rochester On. " Democrat. Tn2i|1 =.