Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-07-29
COOPER AND SPIRITS.
WAS THE NOVELIST CONVERTED
BY THE FOX slsrERsi

A sesaee In DIR. Griswoid's once nj
which Notsd Men Were rrcssut-An.
suers Through spirit naps" which
Made Profound Impression.
The statement by one Of tho 'Fox
girls" Of Rochester rappings fame. de-
claring that all the spirit sounds and
noises were caused by the cracking Of
her toe joints, leads mo to give un &c.
count Of u remarkable feance with these
three girls at the time they paid their
first visit 10 New York After pcrusinx
It ! think the reason win DO satisfied.
whatever OF deception may have been
pricticcd. that the too joint story Is nn
incnable humbug
# was Ia 1850 that tho Fox girls camo
TO New York. astounding reports having
preceded them Of the noisy visitation q
the spirits which had literally compelled
them 70 leave their homo. DR.. Rufus
W. Griswold, the author aud critic, 90.
copied rooms ~ that time IN Broadway
between Dlocokar and Houston streets
These were on the first door and held
his large aud valuable library.
He WINS an ughclicvor Ia regard 10 the
"rappings." not oaly 20 FAR NJ any spirit.
nal influences prevailed. but with respect
10 the production " the sounds them
nelyos, which ho pronounced "all trick"
IL was proposed TO invite these girls
10 meet q number Of gentlemen NJ Dr.
Guswolds rooms. where IL WINS expected
tho "spirits' would DO present, whon We
felt confident Of exposing the humbug.
AZ iNrI.tIgrST AUDIENCE
The invitation was accepted At the
appointed hour tho following gentlemen
mot In DR.. Urswold's apartments, j.
Fenimorc Cooper. George Bancroft, w
Q. Bryant, tho Rev DR.. Hawkes.. Dr.
John W. Francis. DR.. l.. l.. Marcy John
Bgalow and myself Tho thrcc Fox
girls came promptly. They were seated
by table, but not neHt enough 10 touch
IT, Tho company made a large circle
around IL, aud We all impatiently waited
for tho performance to begin. Utter in
erdulity pcryudod our little assembly.
A half hour passed aud tho spirits
made no sign. The girls were repeatedly
asked how soon they would bc-in 20
demonstrate. Thoy replied gtayoly that
the spirits wore not under thoir control,
that they Ind intimntcl they would DO
prcsont--thnt was all they could say.
AZ lcngth raps began TO bo heard.
sounding like hlight shocks from an cleo
the battery. Questions were ut once in
order, aud DR.. Francis took tho door
His iniouogator.oa were leading oucs.
and ut the cnl of fow minutes no TO.
signed IN favor Of DR.. Hawkes., the Fox
girls getting tho best Of IL. with De-
Hawkes.. who had boon bred lawyer,
things did not How 30 smoothly with
then. but there were several answers
which excited surprise.
was seated next to Mr.. Cooper, and
perceived ho exhibited much impatieneo
while tho questioning was going on.
When Dr.. Hawkes. finished. Cooper ex.
claimed, LET mo hayo hold OF them"
lilo began accordingly, Hero arc tho
questions and answersi
"somo yean ago lost n near relative.
Was It male or a fomalo'
- female"
by natural death or otheTwisol"
"Oihcrwise.n
"Plcaso rap the number Of years since
che person died"
tNpSruTAnLE EVIDENCE
Tho rappiugs began, Wo all listened
httenlivoly. counting the number IA
1t ran from twenty 70 thirty, from thirty
TO forty, from forty to iifty. we began to
hold our breath. Tho rappings stopped
at iifty.eight There was some discussion
whether 1t Was hfty.scvcn or flty.cight,
and 1t was raped oyeg again at hity.
eight.
had watched Cooper narrowly. As
tho rars proceeded hs became deadly
pale. At the conclusion all eyes were
tarncd on him.
"Guutlomcu," said he, "whon wal
about two years old my sister was killed
by being thrown from her horse, Tho
years since then have boon correctly
raped"
saw that Cooper was profoundly af.
feotcd. This did not, however. stop tho
Proceedings. Mr.. Bancroft suggested
that tho rappings fhoald be transferred
10 the door, he being on ono side aud
Bryant on the other. No questions woro
asked, but tho raps came out strong.
After some further experiments we adj
Journed with tho feeling that VIC had not
succeeded in "confounding Hho Fox
girls," and wo agreed that the least said
about 1t tho better
Fonlmore Cooper died about eighteen
months after this occurrence, Two or
three years later was dining with Mr.
Phinnoy OF tho book firm OF lyison IL
PHinncy, md u near connection Of Mr.
Cooper's, In the course OF conversation
he asked mo IL | knew Cooper had DO.
come u confirmed spiritualist before his
death. said did not. lle assured mo
Of the fact, but could not account for IT,
] told him beloved could account for
st, and | repeated TO him what have
now recorded here. Richard ID. kimball
IN New York Times.
A.. We Physically AdyanolngT