Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-24
she commenced legal proceedings to recover
1t, but failed in her endeavor.
Return II SpfrituaIism.

Return II Spiritualism.
| Between the time Of DIR. Kane's death ant
| the publication of her book she resumed
| more or less the practice of q spiritualist
| But when she instituted the lawsuit sh'
/ had become a Catholic, and therefore wa!
not permitted by the Catholic Church t
| practice spiritualism. Somewhat later sh'
reiapsed and returned to spiritualism, part
| ly because she was in needy circumstance:
and partly through the incesSant calls upor
her by spiritualists for seances and so
called spirit communica tions. One day
asked Maggie why she had gone back t.
spiritualism, when she replied she had tt
do something for a living, and then added
with much disgust: 1.-The old fools, they
will have it,
Kate Fox went to England some time
ABOUT 1871, and there married a Mr., Jenc.
Ken, barrister of the Temple and an &C
complished man, but spiritualist. He be-
came acquainted with her through her per.
formances as a medium. In a letter to me
dated London. September 10, 1875, she says
Since my marriage l am quite out OF
spiritualism.'
When Leah married Mr.. Underhill, a man
in good position, and she was well pro-
vfded for, she abandoned spiritualism as
business. Previous to her marriage, how
ever, her sisters, after they grew up to
womanhood, quarreled with her and car
ried on the spiritualistic business inde-
pendently.
Maggie went to England In September
1875 In letter to me, dated London, De-
cember 9, 1877, referring to her brother-in-
law, MI Jencken, with whom she had quar-
relied, and to some other spiritualists, Is
the following verbatim extract:
Held Them in CONTEMPT.
Jencken, withal, is a fanatic, and of all
things on earth 1 detest fanatics the most.
Have you read of the slaughter of the Phil
adelphia spiritual fanatics? Only imagine
hni inv tod
are Billy the bootblack, Red Cloud. Spirit
Water ETC., etc. They had the name of the
Blessed Virgin. What old fools! One of the
faithful was Mr.. s., one of the wealthiest
hundred thousand dollars in his great effort
after truth, and at last he has got it-and
as the naughty little boys in the street saw
ne mas got 1t bad. Pardon me for stopping
so low as TO quote the language of the
naughty street boys, but it comes in so
apropos that cannot help it."
At another time she wrote humorously:
! ours In sisterly love, as the old spirit
uallsts would say. Apropos, how are you
progressing in the faith? Do you believe as
of yore?" o.
She knew well 1 did not believe in the
SHY fraud, and that had all along begged
OF her TO repudiate it; but this was her way
of showing 1 was a disbelieyer and of MAX.
ing fun of the "old spiritualists.
In the same humorous vein she wrote on
another occasion: va
imagine how happy I am to hear that
you are still in the land of the living l
was little fearful that you had passed
away and that perhaps YOU were giving
some startling manifestations through some
spiritual medium"
could cite many other sarcastic and hui
nlorous expressions and also of disgust,
from both Maggie and Kate, when writing
or speaking of spiritualism and spiritual
ISIS, all going to show their disbelief and
contempt; but the above Instances are slif-
ncieht TO convince any intelligent person.
A Typical Seance.
When 1 first met Maggie it was at the
residence of distinguished people, who were
lnquiring into or gratifying their curiosity
about spiritualism. In the evening a seance
was held, all sitting around a. table with
hands Joined. Previous to sitting down 1
toId Maggie IN whisper that did not be-
leVe in the spirituaistic stuff but that I
would not give expression to that to the
others present nor reveal any of her Sc
crets. AS a consequence she placed me by
i ler sue at the table, where she could re-
lease her hand from mine whenever she
chose, which no one would perceive as the
room was darkened; and she did take her
haho from mine at times when the CUSTOM
airy rapplngs, with questions and answers,
were gong on. Subsequently 1 was at MANY
other seances in different places with both
Maggie and Kate, and they, knowing nv
dispellef, never asked me to communicate
win spirits, being conscious at the same
tlrne that L would keep my promise not to
petray them as long as they lived. All the
sisters being now dead, am free to state
the above facts
Although they made ne public revelation
of the deception they had been led into and
practiced, fearing, no doubt, an outcry of
condemnation against them while living. l
am sure their minds were oppressed by
what they mad done. For many of the later
years of their lives Maggie and Kate sought
mental relief and oblivion by spells of hard
drinking and intoxication. Naturally they
were not bad girls, but were good natured
ana Kind. They were the victims of the
circumstances by which they were sur
rounded and from which they were I'M
able to escape. Had they been placed from
chlidhood and in early womanhood under
good moral Influence and favorable circum-
Stances. there Is reason to believe their lives
would nave been marked by truthfulness,
modesty and propriety
u6 ~