The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-09-23

PHENOMENA WHICH Make NEW
ENGLAND sPIRITUALIsTs MARVEL.
Gabriei's Trump NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
dreds of the Departed Recognized
THE Theories of sIeptics.

W. B. 6. in St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Gabriel won't find much to do down this
way" a h~ard-headed old Yankee spiritual
list said After a brief pause he added:
Joe Stiles has raised half OF the folks
out Of the g~raveyards from here TO Cape
Cod already"
That for which women were prayerfully
hanged in old Salem is practiced under en-
couraging conditions at Onset. The witches
Of colonial days were mediums. Spiritual
Ism then was OF the evil one and was re-
pressed. To-day it 1ourishes nowhere in SO
many and such vigorous forms as in New
England. It's mediums are of Puritan
stock It's upholders are descendants of the
Pilgrims. From Jonathan Edwards to
James Freeman Clarke was a long step.
The progression to Minot J.. Savage is
almost as great. A psychical research, self
appointed OF theologians and
professors and wise men generally has
Just declared:
find slate writing a fact.
w find naturalization a fact.
whether produced by spirits. so-called,
We are not prepared to say"
This committee took a medium from her
home in a carriage TO the house of one OF
the members. AS soon as she reached the
door the medium was conducted to a room
by wives Of members OF the committee.
She was tripped-that is the word. Not
one OF the garments she wore into the
room went out with her. She was dressed
in black throughout. She was placed in a
cabinet constructed by the committee. Two
MaiIe sHTms At aPpg Ssst tel, This is what the
Onset IS where the seekers after the
spiritual go to see and hear new things. 1t
Is a branch of Buzzard's bay When Presi-
dent Cleveland walks down from Gray Ga
bles to the anchorage OF the catboat Ruth
ne looks across scant two miles of water
and rocks and sees the cottages, the ho-
tells. the outdoor auditorium and the tenn
pie Of the summer city of the New England
Der pines which heavily fringe the points
and glens of Onset.
A MECCA OF SPIRITUALISM.
To the Mecca of Yankee spiritualism came
mediums by the hundreds this year. The
resident population of believers swelled to
the thousands. On Sundays excursions
brought curious visitors by the ten thou
sand And the strangest of the seasons
phenomena were wrought by Joe Stiles,
the believers say.
The short, thick-set, kindly-faced old gen.
tleman. with cropped gray beard, neat in
attire, is not Mr.. Stiles, but just Joe Stiles
OF his mouth and benevolence looks out
OF his blue eyes. His voice is as agreeably
mpQulateQ as the tones or an organ. Two
things Joe Stiles does which make him
eminent among mediums. He rhymes by
inspiration. but not as other poets, who
passes under control The spirits take pos
eession of him. With eyes half closed he
reels of verse in varying quantities and to
be all right. The rhyming Is pretty good.
The immediate and local illusions forbid
pyes cl PrsdI0a and without apparent are mental tai
effort Joe Stiles recites couDletS OF epics
IA fast as the words can roll from his
But this isn't what prompts the spirit
ualists TO class Joe Stiles as a medium Of
the first magnitude. Control poetry is a
latter is common among mediums. The
speciality in which Joe Stiles leads all
parted in groups 81 and troops and to !" name
them Persons. places where they lived,
ships and Incidents are given. Joe Stiles
rarely hesitates. His readiness is as Won
derful as his accuracy. Turning to a lady
sDr. Charles Fl. Walter is here"
Yes. 1 know him." she replied.
There is another doctor comes to see
you-Dr. David H.-his last name isn't pro-
nounced the way it is sDelled-G-r-o-s-
"And DR.. John Cheever-know him?"
at should say I did, replied the lady,
raising the eyebrows in surprise.
Hes got some kind of a red liquid in a
yes. He was a botanic physician, bat ne
died twenty years ago. I'm surprised that
he should come to me-, for / saved the life
die"
The person to whom the three doctors
manifested their presence through Joe
Stiles was one of those self-contained, self.
assertive New England women. with a gift
for doing the right thing in cases of des
perate sickness or accident 1t amused hel
nightly that the three old doctors whom
she had met at the bedsides of their pa.
from spirit life to greet her. Joe Stiles
had directed his attention to another par
'sThere is a spirit here who says you viii
remember her." Joe Stiles said, addressing
e prim.looking old lady. who sat with hel
ment produced not the slightest impression
On the firm. matter-of-fact features.
"She says her name is Julia Watson-no
Marston," said the medium, instantly cor
recting himself. do you remember herr"
The lady nodded slowly.
"She died in Manner" suggested Joe Stile:
Ies, She did," was the reply.
''She says" continued Joe Stiles, 'tha'
she was never hitched to any man in life
The old lady nodded. with a little bit O.
q queer smile.
but rather regrets the manner of her death
which was somewhat sudden"
For the first time the old lady seemed t.
feel an interest in the revelation. SHE
opened her mouth for one of those expires
sive but silent New England laughs.
DO you know what she means by that?'
asked Joe Stiles.
A quick nod and-"She hung herself"
That's It," said the medium, and dis
missing Miss Marston he asked:
Does anyone here know Ethan Perry
He passed out at Hanover, and when in
this life ne used to drive hogs"
II knew him." said a bass voice in the
rear row, near the door.
And here are old Dave Huston. old Dea
con Stevens, George +. Norton, George l.
Borden. Holden Borden and Jim Sole"
II knew every one OF thenl," said a lady
"Jim Sole says he is building his mansion
above" suggested the medium.
II guess that's right" said the lady, "fo,
he was a carpenter when he lived in New
Bedford
WHAT STILES Can DO.
This is what Joe Stiles can do. He doe.
It day after day. He sits I'm a room with
dozen persons and calls the names of twen
~ or thirty of their departed friends. H
takes the platform before a thousand PEG
pie. sitting on the long benches which
rise in tiers on the hillside. and he calls
roll OF the dead, which numbers a coupl
OF hundred Every New England com
munity has its walking wonder who's
mind runs TO the local genealogy. n~ecrolog.
and chronology. This peculiarly gifted PEI
son can, mentally, go up one street an,
down another telling who lived in almos
every house. recalling little circumstance
or family history and personal character
istics. When natives OF a New Englan
town get together a thousand miles frOr
home there fC almost ALWAYS coTna cna A.