St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-15
SAINT PAUL.
Additional City News on Page 6.
tales OF THE TOWN.

SeXbIdl
Ryan yesterday discussing spiritualism.
Story after story was told, and Instances
where spirits had been seen were in
Vulnerable. One of the gentlemen was
travelling man, and when it came to
his turn to relate an experience" he
launched forth without being coaXed.
Il used to travel for New York firm
through Vermont" said he. land one
night put up at little burgh in the
northern part of the state. The hotel
was one of those oId-fashioned taverns
so numerous in Vermont, with a large
room for an office, as dirty and as
smoky as it could be. 1t was III the
winter time, so after supper all the
guests, including myself and the Oldest
citizens of the town, crowded around
the big stove and began to tell
stories. There was an old gray
haired man among the number, and
when it came to his turn to tell
story. The fact developed itself that
he was an out and out SplrltuallSt. L
told him that | did not believe in spirit
ualism and never would until had
seen some demonstration on the part OF
the inhabitants of the. other world. lie
said he could easily fix that for NE and
thereby gain brother in the cause. so
we all went into the dining room, and
the old man requested me to sit up to
small table which was placed in the
center of the room. Now SAID he,
you ask for whom you would like TO
see, that is dead, and the spirit will an
swer back by rapping on the table, VI
course it was the same old gag, but as
there promised to be some fun IN 1t,
thought | would do as he asked me.
Before | knew it loud and distinct rap
came from the table, and, as there was
nobody near it but myself, began 10
feel little queer, and imagined L could
feel my hair raising. Two raps, the
old man had told me, signified no and
three raps yes Ask the spirit who
he is whispered the old man, and nuts
tering I'D what courage l had left,
asked:
is this the spirit of my poor de-
parted grandmother?' " The answer
raped back was, No
F'''Is it the spirit of my poor departed
uncleH then Queried l. Again the
answer raped back was No was
little at loss what to ask for next time,
as couldn't think of any other rela-
tives that had kicked the bucket. But
happy thought struck me.
l remembered that had once
owned a dog named ''Touser,"
who had died one night and gone to
dogdom. Both myself and wife loved
the brute so, thought would find out
if it was the spirit of Touser that had
come back to see me. So L asked
again."
SIS this the spirit of my poor departed
dog, Touser?'
'You can imagine my surprise, gen
tlemen, when the answer yes was
raped back. But [ wasn't to be
fooled, as had gotten over my qualm-
ish feeling, so l inquired again."
If this is the spirit of my poor de-
parted dog Touser, give me some demon
Stration by which may know you are
the genuine article And upon my
soul and honor, gentlemen, that table
got right up and walked over to the
wall, and raising upon two legs rubbed
itself against the wainscoting, just like
poor Touser used to do. | needed no
further demonstration than that, but
tainted right in my chair. Ever since
that gentlemen, 1 have been a firm be-
lever in spiritualism,' and the travel
ing man pulled away at his cigar. The
spell was broken by one of them saying
in husky voice: Lets go and get
drink"
Jake Austin. of Fergus Falls. was
at the Merchants yesterday. He stated
that the prospects for crops out his way
were very good. In fact" said he,
t'the yieldot grain will be better than
it has been for years. The average
yield of wheat in Otter 1ail county will,
l think, be about twenty bushels to the
acre, and in some places thirty. Fer
gus Falls is building up right
along. and some very large
blocks are under course of cree
ton now. When the railway shops
were taken away from there and 10
Gated at GAINESVILLE, people thought
Fergus had gone up the spout, but they
were mistaken. The shops never did
GAINESVILLE any good, as the place is not
building up any. The railroad en-
ploys are not putting any money in the
town and do not care to build, as they
do not like the place. Two car loads of
employees held a meeting at Fergus
Falls the other day and discussed the
matter, and | think before long the
Manitoba company will see the fitness
of things and move the shops back to
where they were originally"
~
The present excitement over the sup
posed discovery of the elixir of life by
DIR. BrOwn-Sequard brings to memory
the advent of a certain quack doctor
call him DR.. Smith for want of anything
better-in this city some years ago. DR..
Smith had some wonderful remedy
with which he claimed he could rejuve-
nate the old, and cause rich, red and
racy blood to course through their veins
at the same pace it did when
they were young; Many a rich
old c0dger of st. Paul went
IN nd +1,in
full remedy, but to the sordid, unsenti-
mental public they never seemed to
grow any younger, although they swore
by the TiStar star that they felt SO. DR..
Smiths charges were very reasonable,
as it was only necessary for each patient
TO pay him 81 900 to be assured eternal
eternal life and vigor. The doctor also
sold great many remedies to people
who could not afford to pay the custom
airy fee, and each one who went away
from his office carried with him box
of "The Mormon Elders Damiana
Waters" Tennyson, when he wrote
$The Gardeners Daughter" must have
been thinking of an elixir Of life, as he
says:
There. half light half shade, she stood;
A sight to make an old man young.
Tennyson, however, did not practice
NtidI VI uG NOulu IltNc
gone and gazed on some gardeners
daughter as she stood by the gate, be-
fore he wrote "LocGsley Hall Sixty
Years After"
Another fad that went the rounds of
this city, as well as nearly every other,
was the discovery of a sure cure for
the deadliest of all diseases, consump-
ton, by the injection into the system of
sulphurated hydrogen. While the fad
was new, everybody who had weak
lungs, or imagined he had, was treated
to an application of this odorous gas,
and after the application they all felt
better, in fact they felt as though walk
ing in air and breathing through
pair of double-jointed copper-plate
lungs. In Boston, it is claimed, this
remedy was never used, nor even intro
duced as a remedy. as most of it was
manufactured there, and of course the
Boston people could not be induced to
take their own pills any more than a
physician could.
II &c,