The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-31

| Mrs Margaretta Fox Kane and Mrs
Kate Fox Jencken have been aston
ishing the public and greatly exciting
the Spiritualists by confessing that
their raps-the wonderful phenomena
to which American Spiritualism owes
| its birth-were fraudulent that instead
of coming from the spirit-world, they
were born in the flesh. Mrs Kane
read her confession before great mul-
titude in the Academy of Music, and
afterward produced raps loud enough
to be heard all over the hall. She says
| that she lied when she declared that
the raps were made by spirits, and the
Spiritualists says she lies now, But
she not only says that they were made,
but shows how it is done, which proves
that she tells the truth now. Thirty
years ago she was detected by scienti-
| fic tests in making the raps just as she
now SAYS she did. Several years age
the late DR.. George M. Beard, DIR. I.
K. Funk, and the writer tested her,
and ascertained how her raps were
made. Yet the Spiritualists will not
beundeceived. The only value of such
exposures is to warn those whose
brains are not already added.
The Philadelphia Times says there
exists a popular delusion that the Qua
kers-at least the old-time, broad
brimmed, sugar-scoop Quakers-are
diving out. 1t is not so in Phlladel-
phia. Ten or twenty years ago people
said the same thing, but the high
backed benches in the meeting-houses
are as full now as then. The truth is
that, after coqueting with ''worldly'
ways and fashions for season, the
young generation of Friends under
go q reaction, and gradually fall into
the same austere life, even to the
plain garb of their grandfathers and
grandfathers.
Chicago is to have Libby Prison af-
ter all. A new company has been or
ganiZed, and has applied for letters
of incorporation. The purchase of the
building has already been made, and a
new company is now negotiating for
site on which to place it. The build
ing will be moved to Chicago i'll the
spring, and will he fitted up as Il per-
manent military museum.
The Pennsylvania State Superinten-
dent of Schools has officially decided
that Public school buildings cannot be
appropriated OF occupied for other than
common school purposes. This decis-
| ion is very displeasing to the Roman
Catholics of Pittsburg, who rented
rooms in public school buildings Tor
the use of parochial schools.
is estimated that there are over
100000 Poles in the United States.
They are almost universally Romanlsts,
are very clannish, and can be reached
only by a native ministry. Mission
work in their behalf is but just now
receiving the attention OF Christian
societies.
The prosecution of MormOns for the
practice of polygany is having good
effect-putting an end to it i'll some
cases, and in some forcing the parties
to leave the country. They are colon
izing in Mexico, and the opinion is eX,
pressed that they will transfer all
their interests to that country.
The session of the Florida Confer
ence has been changed by Bishop NC
Tyeire from December Il, 1855, to jan
uary 8, 1889. The Conference will be
held at Barlow, Fla, beginning the
second Wednesday in January.
New York, October ga Herald
special from Knoxville, Tenn, says
that it has been discovered that }. A,
Swan, late treasurer of Knoxville
County, is 5000 short i'll his ac-
! counts.