The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-19
LINCOLN AND THE SPIRITS.
A Medium Claims That He Believed n
the Superuatural

the Supernatural.
WHITE PLAINS, n. Y, Oct. 1s.-A book
entitled abraham Lincoln Spiritualist,"
~ Mrs. Nettie CoIburn Maynard, of this
city, makes some startling declarations re-
garding Mr.. Lincoln's belief in supernat-
ural communications. She states that in
the latter part of 1862, when she was a
young girl and had some reputation as a
medium, she was in Washington City and
became acquainted with Mrs. Lincoln and
number of other prominent persons. who
attended her seances. Mrs. Lincoln in
duced the president to attend one Of her
seances and on that occasion he
was warned by an unconscious medium
not to postpone the issuance of the
emancipation proclamation. Those pres
ent were surprised, asking Lincoln if
any pressure had been brought to bear to
secure defurment of the proclamation.
He replied that there had been pressure of
the strongest kind, but he was much i'm
pressed by the incident, and shortly after he
issued the proclamation Mrs. Lincoln OBJ
tanned clerkship for Miss Colburn, and
the latter remained in Washington City,
frequently giving seances. The following
February Lincoln was again present at
seance, and spirit through her told the
company that a precarious condition of
things prevailed in the army
at the front, threatening its USE
fulness. The president said: "You do not
understand the situation. how can you
point out the remedy?" The spirit advised
him personally to go to the front with his
family, going among the soldiers, inquir-
ing into their grievances and showing
them that he was the father of his family
Lincoln said he would do as advised, and
soon did SO with good results. At this
seance Lincoln, III. D. Somes, congressman
from Maine, Colonel s. p. Kane, of Phila-
delphia, and others sat upon a piano,
which, notwithstanding their weight, was
moved by the spirits. When asked what
he thought of the affair, Lincoln was reti-
cent, but stated freely he had
not supposed things communicated
by the spirits were known to any
one but himself. The next time the
medium met Lincoln was on the day of
the battle of Charlottesville. The COM
munication was to the effect that the
Union forces were holding their own.
Next day this was confirmed by official adj
vices. In the winter of 1S63-64 at a seance
the terrible condition of the freed men was
made the subject of communication in
which the president was urged to appoint
a committee to investigate the question,
which he soon did. General Daniel Z.
Siekels was present at this seance. Mrs.
Maynard states that during the winter
there were held many private seances at
which the president and his wife were
the only visitors, but that as she was
the unconscious spirit communication,
neither of the auditors ever told her
what occurred. The president was very
anxious, and at the suggestion of Mrs.
Lincoln, Miss Cofburn invited Charles
Foster and two well-known mediums to
hold seance for Lincoln, and through
them as well as her, Lincoln was warned
of his approaching fate. He did not ad-
NIT, however, that he placed any reliance
on these prophesies.
The writer of the book, who is now the
wife of William Porter Maynard,
also gives many interesting "reminiscences
of Lincoln's general life, which she had
many opportunities of Observing.