The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-05-16
First Spirit
eset,--+-' -asr~ -
Rapping.


lie. prominent spirituahsts recently
held convention at Rochester to COM
memorate the forty-ninth anniversary
of the Rochester rappings." Noted
believers from all over the country
were in attendance and Fitzhugh hall
was the scene of materializations and
spiritual manifestations of many kinds.
Aside from the seances and tests, the
main business Of the aspirftualists was
to start fund to be used in erecting
memorial to the Fox sisters
Rochester has the reputation Of be-
ing the birthplace Of spirit rappings
but this reputation is not wholly justi-
fed by facts. The real birthplace was
Hydesville, small town near Roches-
ter. -
The phenomena of, spirit rappings
began in March, 1S48. In the home Of
John D. Fox IN Hydesville The Fox
family were known land respected
throughout Wayne county. The chill
dren, Margaret and Kate, aged twelve
and nine years, respectively, were at
home when the family was startled by
the mysterious rappings that were
heard nightly upon the floor in one of
the bedrooms and sometimes in other
parts of the house. A patter of foot
steps sometimes was heard, and bed
clothes often were pulled off. Both sis
tiers declared many times that cold
hands passed over their faces.
The noises became so pronounced
that the aid Of neighbors was called
in, and an effort was made 20 trace
the mysterious sounds to their cause
All attempts at investigation were
baf1ed, and the Fox house soon be-
came noted as being haunted, and
many wild stories were afloat of mys-
ferrous lights that gffmnered weirdIy
above the roof and pale phosphores-
cences that danced about the yard at
midnight G-.a.-s - as,so
The pool near the house was said
to be- lraa1nted,dan many neighbors de-
clared. that they had seen strange
figures and sheeted shapes dancing On
it's banks. Children held the place in
horror, and even cool headed men hest
tated about driving near the plate late
at night.
On the night of March 81, when the
raps first occurred, little nina-year-old
Kate initiated them by swapping her
fingers, and the raps responded by the
same number Of sounds. Kate then
said: Now do asI d., Count one,
two. three, four, i've ts': six.' at the same
time striking her. hands together. A
similar number of raps responded and
at similar Intervals. ,11lS .esi-,s.s,
Count ten said the mother of the
girls. and ten distinct knocks were
heard,
Count fifteen and that number OF
sounds followed. Mrs. Fox then asked
number of questions relating to the
age and number of her children, all of
which were answered correctly
One of9the questions as to the cause
OF the7' ra ppings received the answer
that lit)Mas dtheo spirit sof a man who
had been mufdsfedaih the house some
years before. The matter was inYes-
tigated, and the remains of a human
being are said to have been found
buried in the cellar,
The story of the. Fox cottage finally be-
came so notorious that. the family was made
to Rochester. The trip from Hydesvil.e to
Rochester was made by rhe Erie canal and
Mrs. Fox was fancylng that the rappings had
been. left behind When t;,ay were heard trn
the floor of the caDin Of the D}a-.
After number Of meetings had Lcen led
in the home Of Mrs. Fish. II Rochester the
spirits insisted that public meeting be
held, but this was opposed by tae family. and
the fnvisibles" 1e.;a-cd tha: they would
leave the house n7isss their wishes were
complied with.
The rappinys lid case for a time when
nothing was done, aa.1 ii was sna!ly decided
to hold a meeting, as the spirits had 1e-
quested, and it was held III tie nl Ger
inthian hall on the evening of Nov. IA, 1849
A number OF prominent citizens appeared
on the platform. and Mrs. Fish an her sis
ter, Margaret Fox, the medium The hall
was filed. The phenomena were manifested
freely and were subjected to many tests.
A committee appointed to inyes.ig lite lie pro-
ceedings reported that it was Unable to trace
the nhAH0Nfara n
The report was disappol ltmnnt te the
majority Of those present, for the skeptics
had expected thorough exposure A second
committee was appointed consisting of prom
inent men. The Investigation was conducted
at the office of Chancellor Whittlesay. Mrs
Fish and Margaret Fox were placed in num-
Der Of different positions. and every precaution
was taken to prevent fraud. and as result
of the investigation it was the unanimous
opinion of the COMMITTEES that the sounds
were "ineXplcable." -09:itF
By this time the excitement in the city
was intense. Much dissatisfaction was ex-
pressed at the methods of the committee,
and q third one was appointed among its
members being two physicians. This COM
mittee was even more eXacting in its tests,
but was unable to discover the cause of the
sounds. 40 'esF1-s-'@
When it reported failure there was almost
q riot. Threats were freely made against the
lives Of the mediums and the assistance Of
the police was asked. These precautions
proved nece; sary, as tie audience frantic with
excitement, made a determined rush for the
Platform, shrieking maiedictions and hurting
threats at the two slender, pale, but COM
posed women, who seemed not to heed the
angry surgings of the mob.
It required the utmost efforts Of the squad
of police to remove the Fox sisters to place
of safety. Never since those first days OF
spirit rappings has Rochester been in the
throes Of such wide and general excitement
During that first year 1t took a degree of
moral and physical courage to be a spiritual
list.
In 1850 the Fox girls gave seances in New
York, and the alleged spiritual manifesto
lions became the subject Of extensive discus
sion. Mediums sprang up all over the coun-
try and were multiplied by thousands.
For years the Fox sisters startled the coun-
try, but as time passed the interest in spirit
rappings and other alleged phenomena grew
gradually less and finally seemed to die al
together. One of the Fox sisters married DR..
Kane, the arctic explorer while the younger
sister, Kate, married a DR.. Geucken, prom
inent physician.
There should be some memorial of the
Fox sisters in Rochester," said Mr.. Hates.
who was chairman Of the convention. to the