Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-22
HOW THE SPIRITS KNOCKED.
Alter Forty Years the R rochester Rap
ping Conferred 10 be q Fraud


THE FAMOUS FOX SISTERS STATE HOW THE SOUNDS
WERE AADE-THEY SAY THEY WANT TO UNDO rHE
HARM THEY HAVE DoSE-rHE "RAPsr THAT STARTED
THE MODERN sPIKITUALIsr MOVEMENT.
The once celebrated Fox sisters, who are the
originators OF modern spiritualism. appeared last
| night before a large audience at the New York
Academy Of Music to expose the frauds of spirit
ualism. Both Miss Kate Fox and Mrs Margaretta
Fox Kane appeared on the stage. Mrs Kane rem
dered q lecture In q faltering, almost inaudible
voice. She produced the famous rappings so that
they were plainly audible by the movement OF her
| big toe joint. Mrs. Kane said she thanked God
that she was able TO expose spiritualism-
| Mrs Kane has written a statement, or confess
sion, which was published yesterday In the New
II think mat it is about time that the truth of
this miserable subject Spr1tualsm' should be
brought out. IL - now Widespread all over the
world, and unless It Is put down soon it will do
| great evil was the flrst in the field and have
'My sister Katie and myself were very young
children when this horrible deception began.
| was eight, and just year and half older than
| she. We were very mischievous children and We
| wanted TO terrfy our dear mother, who was very
good woman and very easily frightened. At night,
when we went 10 bed, we used 70 tie an apple TO q
/ string and move the string up and down, causing
the apple TO bump on the floor, or we would drop
the apple on the noor making q strang noise
every lime IL would rebound. Mother listened TO
this for time. She could not understand IL and
did not suspect US OF Ucing capable OF a trick be-
Cause we were so yOuns-
CHILDISH MISCHIEF AT FrRsT
"At last she could stand It no longer and she
called the neighbors In and told them about It. 1t
was this that set US to discover the means OF
making the raps think, when reflect about It,
that IL was most wonderful discovery-a very
wonderful thing that children so young should
make such a discovery, and all through our mis-
Chief Children will always find means to accom-
plish mischief As to the thought OF spirits, this
never entered our brains. We were too young to
know anything about that
"Our eldest sister, Mrs. Underhill, was twenty.
three years OF age when was home. She was In
Rochester when these tricks first began but came
10 Hy desville, the little village In Central New
York. where we lived and were born, shortly AFTER
MY father and mother were very good honest peo-
whom tie village was named and who lived near
They TOOK great fancy TO US and we were espe-
clal favorites OF the Hydes both before and after
the notoriety that our rappings made became
Widespread All the people around, as have said,
were called in TO witness these manifestations
My sister, now Mrs. Daniel UndeI hill-she was
Mrs. Fish then-began TO form a society OF spirit
ualists- There were so many people coming TO the
house that we were not able TO make use of the
apple trick except when we were In bed and the
room was dark. Even then We could hardly do 1t,
so that the only way was 10 rap on the bedstead
"And that Is the way we began. First as mere
trick 10 brighten mother, and then, when so many
people came to see children, we were frightened
ourselves and kept IL up. Wewere then taken by
Mrs. Underhill. 10 Rochester. There it was That
we discovered how 10 make the other raps My
sister Katie was the first one to discover that by
swishing her fingers she could produce a certain
noise with the knuckleS and joints and that the
same effect could De made with the toes. Finding
We could MAKE wraps with our feet-nrst with one
loot and then with both-we practised until
We could do this easily when the room was dark.
No one suspected us OF any trick because we were
such young children. We were led on by my Sis
ter purpoSely and by my mother unintentionally.
We often heard her say, us this disembouied
spirit that has taken possession OF my dear chill
dren?"
CONVINCED THAT MURDER had BEEN DONE.
THAT encouraged our fun, and We went on. All
the neighbors thought there was something and
they wanted TO ind out what 1t was. They were
convinced some one had been murdered in the
house. They asked US about IL, and we would rap
one ior the spirit answer Yes" not three, as we
d1d afterward. We did not know anything about
spiritualism then The murder, they concluded,
must have been committed In the house. Tney
went over the whole surrounding country trying
10 get the names or people who had formerly lived
In the house. They found finally a man by the
name OF Bell and they said that this poor innocent
man had committed murder In the house, and
that these noises came from the spirit OF the muir
dered person. Poor Bell Was stunned and looked
upon BY the whole community as a murderer. AS
lar as spirits were concerned neither my sister
nor thought about II.
81 am the widow OF Dr., Kane, the Arctic explorer,
and say TO you now, AS hold his memory dear
and would call him TO me were 1t possible, know
that there Is no such thing the departed RETURN
ing TO this life have tired TO do so in every rorm
and know IL cannot be done. Many people have
said 10 me that such thing was possible, and
seemed 10 believe so firmly In it that tried to see
II IL were possible. When in London some years
ago, went 10 the sexton OF a churchyard and
asked him II could go among the graves at II
O'Clock at night He consented when told him
That wanted 10 do this for a certain purpose.
left my servant at the gate outside. 1 went TO
each grave and stood over IL, and called upon the
dead, alone there In the dark, 10 come and give
me some token OF their presence. All was silent,
and found that the dead would not RETURN That
Is how tested IT, There Is no test lett that have
not thoroughly slfted. Mediums do not visit They
arc too low and too illiterate. DIR. III. WadsworIh
OF 81 Queen Anne street, London-a' very dear
friend Of mlne-sent me money for my expenses to
go over 10 London. said TO him when l arrived:
81 think TOO much OF you to have you deceived
and there Is nothing In spirituasm. 1t is fraud.n
"He answered me: 81 thank you for telling me
about IL, Maggie. i know all tine rest to be hum
bug. thought would have you 10 come In last"
said: Tnere are no dead or departed spirits that
have ever returned" He said: eff you say So
Maggie IL must be true, because have ALWAYS
peue'eu IN YOU" But stlll he seemed incredulous.
HOW THE sEASCEs WERE HELD
ITO return 10 the story OF my childhood: said
had gone with my sister Katie and Mrs Under
hlll, my Oldest sister, TO Rochester. II was here
that Mrs. Underhill gave her exhibitions She
took US there, and we were exhibited TO a lot OF
SplritualiSt fanatics. We had crowds coming ~
see US and MIS-. Dnderhll made as much as 800
10 $50 night. She pocketed this Parties came
In from all parts 10 see Us. Many, as soon as they
heard little rap, were convinced. But as the
world grew wiser and science began toinvestgate
my younger sister and myself began TO adapI our
experiments TO our audiences. Our seances were
held In room. Tnere was comfortable I'm the
middle, and we all stovd around IL. There were
some who even believed that the spirits OF living
people could be mater1altzed. There are many
different forms OF Spirituailsm. To all ouestlons
We would answer by raps. When look back upon
that life almost say In defense OF myself that
did not take any pleasure In IL. 1 never believed
in the spirits, and never proIessed to be a Spirit
ualist. My cards always say: Mrs Kane does
not Claim any spirit power. but people must fudge
for themselves" Nobody has ever suspected any
thing from the start In 1S4S until the present
day, as 10 any trickery in our methods There
has never been a detection.
HOW THE RAPPING Is DONE
"Like most perplexing things when once made
clear, II Is astonishing how easily 1t is done The
rappings are simply the result OF perfect control
OF the muscles OF the leg below the knee which
govern the tendons OF the foot and allow action or
the toe and ankle bones that are not commonIy
KNOWN such perfect control is only possible when
chlld Is taken at an early aye ana carefully and
continually taught TO practice the muscles which
grow SUN In Later years. child at twelve is
almost 700 ou Win control OF the muscles OF
tne ioot the toes may be brought down TO the door
without any movement that Is perceptlbe 10 I he
rappinss py the use only OF muscles below the
Knee Thls, then, Is the simple explanation OF the
whole method or the knocks and raps
"sOine very wealthy people, formerly of San
franclsco, came 10 See me some years ago when I
lived IN AID street, and / old some RAINING for
them ! made the spirit rap on the char ana
one or the ladies' cried out: 4 feel the spirit
tapping me on the shoulder OF course thaf
was pure Imagination great many people
however, when they hear the rappinT ,taagins
at once that the spirits are touching them
IL Is very common delusfon One fana,Ic