Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-04-07

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Of . sudden, planchetse. with . faint
preliminary crash. starts on and makes
long, swinging ssde-bong movement.
marked by the pencil with = straight
dA&h- It takes you BY surprise. and yea
know You ara Innocent In the natter
but you are convinced you partner Is
guilty. He meets your glance. and you
See Ia his eyes his own corresponding
conviction regarding YOU No; you are
made planehstts novel
confess this question interests me
more than any ghost story ever heard
A more curious sensation than this
movement beneath your hand Of thing
which Is not alive, and which you are
not yourself propeIling, Is seldom ex-
perienced by mortal man We see iron
filings move about the poles Of . mag
net, or bits Of paper hutter 70 piece Of
rubbed sealing wax. but this Is different.
for planchette moves In no fixed direc-
ton towards certain objective point.
but IN all directions impartially; and
moreover, it movoae intelligently. II
writes. draws and does other things
which shall presently describe. Bar
ring certain habits that it falls into. its
manifestations certainly contradict ex-
pectatson; it does not do what some
think !. Is going 70 do. In vain you ask
Il question which seems 20 neces-
Ctate particular answer: planchette
replies from quite another standpoint
and current Of thought, and its reply is
q surprise. In pursuance Of the theory
Of unconscious centration." you ex-
plore your mind and memory for the
source Of planchetto's remarks, with no
very satisfactory results. Besides, adj
hitting that the contents Of your
memory, and the springs of your char
scter. lie opon TO planchette, 10 make
therefrom suoh selections and combina-
tons as 1t chooses-how does it do il?
How do the contents Of your mind get
into the piece OF tobacco box, and how
does il contrive to write them out?
have spoken Of the attraction Of a
magnet II you hold q small piece of
iron close to strong magnet you feel
o slight pull. The pull the planchette
gives to your fingers when 1t proceeds
on its perigrinations is very similar to
this But in writing out word it pulls
In dozen different directions within
the space Of few seconds. The effect
Is not like that of machine, however
complex. or Of body obeying fixed and
inevitable laws, but Of an independent
personality, endowed with intelligence,
purpose and memory. For II remem-
bers what 10 has said and done in the
past, and knows what il is about to do
Our planchette, IN answer to questions
suggested by its own answers, related
TO Us, In daily installments extending
over three weeks, long story compris-
ing upwards of ten thousand words. It
was SO good story that II was after
wards accepted and Published by a
leading periodical. word for word as it
was originally written down. and from
beginning to end there was no I an in
consistency. Nor was it all written
through the mcdiumship of one pair Of
people: dozen different couples at diff
fereut times sat down to the work, and
the tale proceeded uninterruptedly. In
short, the complete story must have
been stored up in planchette's mind
before it began to write it.
After we have become accustomed to
the thing and familiar with its ways
many queer peculiaritics are noticed.
Planchette has no morality and no re-
gard for truth. If we ask 1t q question as
to matter Of fact, or about something
in the future, its reply is always ready
and generally very explicit. but never
true save by accident BY far the best
method is to let it take the lead in the
conversation. ''Wnl you write, plan
chette?" Eyes" "Well, who Is writ
mgr "John Smith" Tor any other i'm
aginary pcrson). You now proceed to
question John Smith on any imaginary
detail of his person, his life, death, oc-
cupation, desires, rccollections, pur>
poses and sentiments. BY and by John
becomes q human and recognizable In
dividual to you; and you are even able
to tell, BY the preliminary sensation
In tho nerves, whether it is John OF
some one else who is about to write the
next sentence Planchette never con-
fesses its own dramatis personae.
Sometimes three or four different
persons Ito call them that will
each write a sentence ono after another;
but the sentences are all characteristic
in style and conception Occasionally
have seen two communicates contend
for the possession of planchette. jerking
il away from each other, tripping up
each others writing. fighting, in word,
like two angry children, and In one In.
stance breaking the pencil In their
struggle. Planchctte often betrays
faults of temper. vanity, mirth, cyni-
cism. scorn-all manner of human fol.
bles. Tell Mary" 1t once suddenly
wrote. breaking in upon some yarn il
was spinning. that she had better shut
up" Now Mary did not have her hands
on planchette, but she was sitting nj
the table, distracting our attention by
making frivolous remarks Planchette
always wants the whole attention oi
everybody in sight, and Is apt 10 grow
sulky or abusive If this is not accorded.
Having thus in some measure prepared
the way, shall relate. next time. an ex.
/ perience Of my own with planchette
which is. so far AZ l know. unprece-