Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-28
June 90, 1899.
'The Origin of SpirituaIism."

From the Banner Of Light.
Upon the above subject William B. Phil
lips writes at length in 4 recent number
of the independent He claims to have been
intimate friend of the Fox sisters, and
makes several curious statements concern
ing each of them. He says that Leah (Mrs.
UnderhilD was a shrewd, cunning, deter
mined woman.
Her two little sisters were completely I'M
der her control as also was the mother"
He tells of what Maggie said to him of
the creduity of the odd spiritualists." and
that she expressed her surprise that her
mother was believer in sprituaIism until
the day Of her death. He repeats the story
of the swapping of the joints of the toes
and fingers OF the two girls Maggie and
Kate, and affirms that the former became
a Catholic prior to 1868.
He further states that she told him that
she went back to spiritualism in order that
she might get living, and that she added
with disgust, referring to spiritualisls. The
old fools. they will have it," He refers
briefly to Maggie's marriage with DR.. Kane,
and hat of Kate to Mr.. Jencken, and
serts that DR.. Kane insisted in 1853 that
Maggie must give up spiritualism if she
married him He further alleges that Kate
abandoned spirituaiism soon she mar
ried Mr.. Jencken, and that Leah did The
same thing when she became the wife of
Mr.. Cnderhill. He quotes from letters that
he claims 10 have received from the young
er sisters to prove his statements. He says
that he knew them to be frauds, but that
he had promised them he would not betray
them SO long as they lived. AS the three
sisters are now in spirit life he feels jusu-
fed in telling the world the story of their
duplicity t?)
If all of his statements are as reliable and
truthful 90 the one relating to Mrs. IN
derhill, tfes public may rest assured that he
has given the world a tissue of falsehoods
IN Mrs md
spiritualist to the end of her days and
never hesitated to defend her religion on all
occasions. Her work THE Missing Link in
Modern Spiritualism," gives a truthful ac-
count of the manifestations and the con-
nection of her family with them. She
neither controlled her mother nor her sis
tiers, nor was she the shrewd, cunning wo-
man Phillips makes her out to be. All who
knew her speak of her in the highest terms.
as woman of refined tastes and fine spirit
ual nature. His aspersions upon her there
fore, fall to the ground as unworthy of the
thoughtful consideration of any self-re-
speeding man or woman.
His news 90 with regard to Maggie Fox
kanes religion prior to 1868 will lead all
spiritualists to reflect seriously upon his
truthfulness - Phillips did not
have the honesty nor the manliness to tell
his readers that Maggie Fox-Kane re-
pudiated her recantation of spiritualism
prior TO her transition, and sought by all
meals in her power to undo the wrong she
had done nor did he add that she passed
away strong in her faith in spiritualism
His assertion that he knew their manifes-
tattons to be wholly fraudulent and that
Maggie and Kate had both frequently ex-
pressed TO him their disbelief in spiritual
ism in general, and their contempt for
spir;tualists will strike the intelligent read
er as grotesquely absurd. If he knew them
to be frauds, if he We're an honest, truth
full man he would have exposed them thor
oughly, and never would have promised to-
conceal their duplicity. He did not do it.
but waited until the. three women he ma
iigns had gone up to their immortalities ere
he made his manly and truthful (?) attack
upon them! What doughty warrior is
this man who wars upon women, who can
not defend themselves from his shafts.
from their home in spirit life! The oppo-
nents OF spiritualism are welcome to ali The
glory they may derive from such work as
his, and can applaud the assailant of the
dead as heartily as they please. The world
in the end will accept the truth in all its
purity; hence the falsehoods of this man,
VINO writes of the arisen women as an old
time friend, will react upon himself and
harm no one save their author.