The Topeka state journal., 1897-12-02
SPIRITS RAP
And They Rap Very Loud on a
Table
At a House Occupied by Well
known Topeka People,
Who Are None of Them BeIieV-
ers in SpirituaIisms
A GENUINE MYSTERY.
The Rappings Have Been Going
ON Almost Daily
For the Past Six Months or
More.
A GENUINE MYSTERY.

On a mahogany bric-a-brac stand in
the front room of the frame fiat at 1927
Monroe street in this city mysterious
rappings have been heard almost daily
for the past six months.
The house is occupied by W. H.
Stuart, a clerk in the office of the au-
ditOr of disbursements of the Santa F'e,
and Mrs. J. 3. Fulmer and her two
daughters. The room in which the rap
pings are heard is the one from which
Mrs. w. H. Stuart was carried, a raw
ing maniac over spiritualism, nearly
two years ago. Mrs. Stuart is now an
inmate of the state insane asylum.
None of the present occupants of the
house are believers in the doctrines of
spiritualism, and they are at a loss to
explain the meaning Of the mysterious
rapS- They were first heard by Mrs.
F'ulmer a few days after she moved
into the house as houSekeeper for Mr..
stuart on the first of last June, and
with but few exceptions they have con
tInued daily since that time.
The stand on which the rappingS Oc-
cur stands between the stove and book
case in the parlOr of the residence suf-
ficiently distant from the partition wall
to make it impossible for any move
ment in the corresponding room in the
next fiat to effect it. The shelves are
covered with photographs and bric-a-
Dfac OF different kinds, but there is
nothing in its construction or Orna-
mentatiOn which could cause the dis
tinct rappings which have been heard
for months.
Both Mrs. Fulner and Mr.. Stuart de-
scribe the raps as similar to raps made
by a cane on such a piece of furniture.
When Mrs. Fulmer'S attention was
first called to the rappings, Mr.. Stu
arts cane was hanging at one side of
the stand and she attributed the noise
to the cane swinging against the side.
But after the Taps continued regularly
for several days. she moved the cane
The rappings still continued.
Mrs. F'ulmer is the only one of the
household who is not annoyed by the
mysterious noises. She is a widow
her husband having died seven years
ago, but she says she knows that his
spirit is not responsible for the annoy
ance.
My husband is in heaven said she
this morning, and believe that when
people are in heaven they don't want
to come back to earth, and when they
are in the other place, they can't come
back. While L can't explain the rap
! pings, am not a believer in spiritual
ism, and would have no more fear of
sleeping in this room than 1 have of
sleeping in my own room upstairs
We'll, yOH go me one better there,
| Mrs. F'ulmer,' put in Mr. Stuart. This
is the room where my wife was in the
| habit of holding her spiritualistic
| seanceS before she went mad and was
| taken to the asylum, and here is where
| she claimed to have held converse with
spirits. For this reason, I don't be-
| lieve I would care to sleep here. al
though, like you, I am not a believer
/ in spiritualism. It is rather because
| the room has a sad significance to me
| than because I have any fear, that I
wouldn't want to sleep here at night
wei. I'm not ashamed to acknOWl-
| edge that I would be scared to death
| to Saaep in this room at night said
| Miss Bertha Fulmer, a pretty young
| lady and the eldest daughter of the
widow, looking uneaSily at the inOf-
( fensive looking bric-a- brac stand. Il
! don't like those rappings, and I don't
| see why and spirits want to come rap
! half out of me every time hear them
| and 7 wish to goodness they would
| stop"
I generally hear the raps every
! morning when come down stairs to
| get breakfast ready" resumed Mrs.
Fulmer. Then every once in a while
| I hear them during the day. Once 1
| went up to the stand right after
| heard them, and raped back, asking
what was wanted. Almost immediate
| ly there were two raps in reply, but
although I kept rapping back for some
| time, that was all. haven't heard
| them yesterday, or so far today"
4 do hope the old thing has quit"
| interpOsed Miss Bertha.
| And maybe the spirit has gone
away" went on Mrs. Fulmer But I've
| made up my mind that if they keep on
| I'm going to get some spiritualiSt med
ium to come here and answer them,
4
we can find out what is wanted. The
| only reason I think there might be a
| spirit is because I can't explain the
rappings. Something or somebody raps
| on that bric-a-brac table, and has been
! rapping there for the last six months,
and I've got considerable curiosity to
! know what it means.
| ''Once when I heard the raps," said
/ Mr.. Stuart, I got up and picked up the
| poker and walked over there and rap
| ped back. but no one answered me. The
! confounded thing worries me a good
/ deal, because can't explain it, but I m
! not going to let it worry me to the ex-
| tent of moving out of the house. Be
| sides L could probably stop it by break
ing up the stand, because the rapS have
| never been heard on any other piece of
furniture in the house, but that would
! be rather a weak sort of an action, and
! I think I'll let the raps go on and
| keep the stand. But I would like to
! know what causes Them
! Mrs Fulmer says that there has been
no other mysterious manifestation
/ about the house since she has lived
! there. That the rappings occur. how
| ever. is vOuched for by the entire house
] hold and several of the neighbors who
| have happened to be in the room when
| the rappings occurred.
Home for Colored Women Destroyed.
Chicago, Dec. 2.-Fire destroyed the
| home for aged and infrm coIored wo-