Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-04
STORIES OF SPOOKS.
Experiences of Florence Marryat, Au-
thor of Numerous Novels.
GHOSTS TROUBLED HER AT NIGHT,
Then Spirit--Face Artist Confirmed Her
Inherited Beliefs.
A PRESCRIPTION PUZZLES A DOCTOR
WRITTEN FOR THE pIsPATcH.l


Those interested in the subject of spirit
ualism will find the personal experiences O
Florence Marryat (Mrs. Ross-Church), thu
author of numerous novels, very interest
ing stories, if not convincing proof tha
"There Is No Death" Florence Marrya
is the daughter of the once famous Captain
Marryat, who wrote the novels full OF fuI
and adventure, in which the fathers ant
grandfathers of the present generation tool
the greatest interest and delight. 'tJacol
Faithful" 'Midshipman Easy" "Petel
Simple, "The Phantom Ship" and otner'
are still to be found in every library. But
as fashions in novels change and taste!
alter, they have largely lost their great
popularity.
Florence Marryat, the daughter, inherited
her fathers literary ability, chiefly mani
Tested in writing love stories on the regu
lar pattern. In order to show that she is
not one of those whom she designates a:
"wretched literary towards, too often met
NOWADAYS, who are too much afraid of the
world to confess with their mouths the
| opinions they hold in their heartss" she
| proceedsNto avow herself firm believer in
bodied spirits, clairvoyance, clairaudience,
fortune telling from cards and locks of hair,
slate writing and all the rest of the wonders
| and mysteries of spiritualism.
SHE INHERITED HER BELIEFS.
Moreover, she backs up her position by the
statement that her father, Captain Marryat,
was not only believer in ghosts, but him
self ghost seer. She expresses herself as
i IL Il. i L II ,,,4-
tion to the story of her own ghostly expert
ences, and takes pleasure in the thought
that the ease with which spiritual manifes-
tations have come to her, and her own spirit
ual insight may be gift inherited from her
father. Strange as it may seem, Captain
Marryat has never appeared to his daughter
at any seance in either Engla or America.
She has never seen him in the spirit, or
heard his voice. This makes it sure to her
that the mediums do not live by trickery or
faIsehood, since some of them surely know
ing her to be his daughter would have
tried to represent man so well-known. Es-
pecially, she thinks, she might have eI-
pected fraudulent representation in Amer
lea, where she sat at many seances given
for herself alone, or where she was the chief
person. After her identity was made known
and her faith in spiritualism had been ac-
knowledged, she says every medium in Bos-
ton and New York had ample time to get
I'D an imitation of her famous father for her
benefit had they desired to do so. But the
gallant Captain has never Showed up"
Moreover, all that she has ever heard from
him was a message through Mr.. Fletcher,
a medium, and through the spirit of her son,
that he never would appear to her, and she
need never expect him.
NOT A CONCLUSIVE ARGUMENT.
The American 'media," she remarks,
knew nothing of this communication, but
while through them she saw II of her
friends and relations Captain Marryat was
not among them. This, she seems to think,
is strong evidence that there was no chica-
merry or attempt at fraud. To some people
it would appear that the American media
were little too "slick" to call out man so
well known, and with whose characteristics,
peculiarities and English accent they were
not familiar enough to initiate in convincing
style.
In her childhood the author relates be-
fore modern spiritualism took its rise in the
form of ''rappings" in the humble home of
the Foxes, in New York, she was accus-
toned to see visions, and be visited in the
dead of night by spirit forms. On telling
about these to her mother and sisters the
stories were ridiculed and made light of as
"optical illusions" But the "forms''
dressed in white continued to come, and
however dark the room might be, every
thing in it was distinctly seen as though
illuminated by their presence. Her first
husband, Lieutenant Ross-Church, was ac-
customed to complain that he never got a
straight nights sleep for two years, owing
to her constantly awakening him with the
description of some man or woman in the
room. With all this going on she was
afraid of GHOSTS" and knew nothing of
modern spiritualism save as described by
some people as something diabolical and
wicked, and by others as getting "some fun
out of table"
AT PEOPLES INDIFFERENCE.
But little thought on the "great be-
yond' and the friends who had passed over
convinced her that "spiritualism must
either be a humbug or q very solemn
thing" After 20 years experience, she
asserts, she has proved Ito her own satisfac-
ton at least) that spiritualism is not a hum |
bug. She is constantly surprised at the |
Indifference of the world as shown to this |
great matter, and expresses but little save |
contempt for those who are sceptical as to |
its truth.
The basis of civilization-the Bible-she |
AYERS, is full of the proofs of spiritualism. |
How can Christians deny it, she asks, when |
the Lord God walked and talked with Adam |
and Eve in the Garden of Eden, when the |
angels appeared unto Abraham, when the |
witch of Endor, who had familiar spirit,
called up Samuel, when Balaam's ass spoke, |
when Jacob had interviews with angels, as
had also Hagar, and Moses, and Daniel, and |
Joseph, and John.
All these and other manifestations are |
spirititualism The Protestant Church."
she insists, ''cannot deny that those who |
were Gead returned to earth and were seen |
bv many at the time of the crucifxion. The |
Roman Catholic Church does not attempt to |
deny it, as all her legends and miracles are
founded upon spiritualism or the miracu-
ous or supernatural return of those who |
nave passed beyond the veil, though there
is nothing miraculous about it, but simply |
combination of nature
SHE FoRGETS ONE PASSAGE.
Bnt in setting up her proofs the author
seems to have forgotten there is a distinct
in the Bible from the Lord
through Moses against spiritualism. "When
hou art come into the land which the Lord |
hy God giveth thee thou shalt not learn to
10 after the denominations of those nations,
There shall not be found among you anyone
hat maketh his son or his daughter to pass
through the fire, or that useth divination,
" an observer of times, or an enchanter or
witch, or q charmer, OF a consulter with
amiliar spirits, or a wizard, or q necro-