The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-16
THE R FOX SISTERS
CLEVER TMPOsT0RS MADE FOOLS OF
WISE AND WEALTHY MEN.
Their "Spirit" Rappings Caused n
~ensatiOn but Ii Is Seen They Held
Their Dupes in Contempt.

Their Dupes In Contempt.
w. B. Phillips, in New York Independent.
Fifty years ago modern spiritualism arose
near and in Rochester. in New York. There
were three Fox sisters. namely, Mrs. Leah
Fish, a young widow, who afterward was
Mrs. Underhill. the wife of the president
of a New York insurance company; Mar
garet, better known as Maggie, and Cath
crime, also known generally as Kate. Leah
was a half-sister and much older than
Maggie and Kate, and evidently an expert
enced woman. Maggie was born in 1886 and
therefore could only be from twelve to thin
teen years of age when the mysterious
noises were first heard at Hydesvile,
Wayne county. New York, in 1s4S. Kate
was younger than Maggie by nearly three
years and her age. consequently, would be
about ten years. Mrs. Fox, the mother. stated
in an interview with her several years sub
sequent to the commencement Of the rap
pings that the relative ages of Maggie and
Kate were fourteen and. twelve when the
noises were first heard at Hydesville. 1t
is highly probable that this simple-minded
old lady spoke In an offhand sort OF way
and made a mistake of a year or two. But
whether she did or not 1t is certain that
both the young sisters were merely children.
And this fact is dwelt upon by spiritualist
believers as showing that these children
were too young to practice deception, and it
went far to induce many intelligent people
to believe there must be some foundation
for the manifestations exhibited afterward
by the little Fox sisters.
All three, Leah, Maggie and Kate, are
dead. Although Leah was much less known
20 the public In the inception and progress
of spiritualism than her sisters. in fact, not
protesting to be a medium, she had never
theless most to do with working up and
carrying on the so-called spirit Manifesto
termined woman. Her little sisters were
completely under her control, as also was
the mother, who was a plain, uncultivated,
good-natured and credulous country woman.
REMARKABLE CREDULITY.
Maggie, in later years, In speaking one day
to me of the credulity of the "old spiritual
ists," as she called them, told me that her
mother even was a believer In spiritualism,
and died believing In 1t, so well were the
secret practices of her children kept from
her. Then people sometimes hear or tell
lies so long and persistently that they final
ly forget the origin of them and believe them
to be true.
The so-called phenomena arose at the
house of Michael Weekman, village of Hydes-
vile, Wayne county. New York. Weekman.
It was said, beard mysterious noises or
idated building. He left It in lsi7. and then
the Fox family went to live there, and the
repe ss1n fha l9w ms sna fnay sounds eslnaa p %ere heard naTS
by them In the house In March, 1s4S.
When Mrs. Fox. some years later, spoke
TO be in one of the bedrooms and sounded
as if some one was knocking on the floor
or moving chairs: On Friday night we con,
II ,,I4 80 no 90 had r. haCQnSa VIC hQn
been broken of our rest so much. l had just
laid down in bed when the noise began. 1t
commenced as usual; ! knew it r from 9,r al
Maggie and Kate, who slept In the other bed
of the room, heard the noise and tried to
make a similar noise by swapping their fin
gers. AS fast as the youngest one made the
noise with her hands or fingers the SOUND
was followed up in the room, 1t making the
she stopped it stopped, tn other girl then
spoke in sport and said: Now, do just as L
da-count one, two, three. four ETC., strik-
ing one hand in the other at the same time;
! The blows which she a were repeated
as before, blow after blow. She then began
to be startled, 1 then said to the noise;
strokes. The ages of the children were
raped out. I asked If it was a human be-
Ing making the noise, but no response came;
A few months after these alleged mani
f S saoiHs the he F6c,s family v Femov tSey from Pan
| sided with Mrs. Leah Fish, the half-sister
of the two little girls The rappings con-
to have like rappings. Generally the rap
pings Of the Fox sisters were only heard
when they we're o,5sr t0 nSI e IN t bhey se wsnn o d8
| New York, where In 1S49 they made their
manifestations before an audience in a
| public hall.
STARTLED NEW YORK.
In May. 1850. they went to New York city.
4 49, . --~111~~~ hanoNnn tina fnnf0
| Of much public discussion. At the same
| time spiritualist mediums" sprang up in
many different parts of the country. the
| business having become too enticing, with
prospects of profit, to escape adventures
in it.
When spiritualism had become a flourish
| ing business Maggie and Kate used to make
noises by swapping their toe and finger
| joints. Maggie especially was an adept in
| thus making distinct and sharp sounds. Be-
sides every skilled c%onjurer knows there
are different ways OF producing sounds or
| rappings, the source Of which would be I'M
| known to the audience.
While the family remained at Hydesville
the sensation was only local. and investi-
CATION did not go far, but when, three
| house and went to live at Rochester with
d conan nlsd. aS Mfs. T Fo spif the motSer re prsel
tically disappeared and only knew what her
daughters did or proposed to do just as they
thought proper to tell her. Leah perceived
at once, evidently, that by proper manage
ment the sensation that had been started
could be made profitable by bringing her
self as well as her sisters to more promi-
hence in life and in getting money. Having
taken charge of Maggie AMI Kate, she had
absolute control over them After entering
upon a course of deception they could not
for their own sakes confess they were or
had been deceivers. Certainly Maggie and
| Kate dared not to do SO while under the
firm hand of Leah. The progress of spirit
ualism, after having been thus started, is
known generally and need not be related
here.
Both Maggie and Kate were good-looking,
or, as some would say. pretty: short in stat
ure and slight in figure, but with we'll
rounded forms. Their features were regu-
lar but small. Their childlike. winsome
manner and good nature when they first
came into public notice won for them the
favor of the people in general.
Dr.. Kane, the celebrated arctic explorer,
| rearance before the public, when she was
love with her, became engaged to her, and
| made arrangements TO prepare her to be-
come his wife. Previous to his expedition
to the arctic region in 1853 he insisted that
| Maggie should give up the spiritual medium
ship and he provided the means to have
her properly educated during his absence
in the north; consequently she was placed
in an excellent school in Pennsylvania His
intention, no doubt, was to marry her. But
when he returned in 1856 from the arctic
bic health n a hr0kQu and ha payar raeav-