Norwich bulletin., 1921-09-08
ODD INCIDENTS IN AMERICAN
 HISTORY
THE ROCHESTER KNOCKING

It seems almost incredible that as recently as the middle of the past cen tury superstition should have still held it's sway for considerable time. and among people of known intelli- gence, as was the case with what is known in history as the Rochester knockings.
 In the early winter of 1S48 the family of John D. Cox, consisting of himself, his wife and two daughters, living in Hydeville. Ontario county, New York, were startled by nightly rappings on the floor of the bed room of the youngest child. That she made the raps with her toe admits of no doubt, Using the letters of the alpha bet, sort of communication was es- tablished ages of members of the family were asked and correctly giv- en, and the announcement made that the rapper was the spirit of a mur- dered peddler.
 From Hydeville the two girls went to reside with a married sister at | Rochester. Thither the rapper follow ed and there, in the summer of 1919 modern spiritualism was founded. A public exhibition was given in a, hall 1 by the sisters, communication was held with dead relatives of those present, ] and with the spirits of eminent men, 1 and the fame of the Rochester Knock ings spread over the country. Many came to see, Spirit Circles, were formed, and new media, who | could induce spirits to move sofas, ta- i bles and chairs, ring bells and play musical instruments, were discovered ] In 1850 the Cox sisters had became | such adopts that they made bold to move to New York city and gave ex- | hibitions in a house OF corner of l Eighth avenue and Ninteenth street and later in Barnum's hotel.
 Crowds visited the sisters. E,mi- nent men, Cooper, the novelist; Ban- croft, the historian, Bryant, the poet Dr. Hawkes., Dr. Francis Griswo1d an6 many more, were often among the 1 spectators.
 The Rochester Knockings now be- came even nr--e a matter of popular interest than mesmerism had been ter years before. Kakirs hastened tc Lpractice it; media appeared by scores spirit circles increased and multiplied and new phenomena were discovered A minister at Stratford in Connection wrote that he was disturbed by knock. ings of which no one could discover the cause, but which he attributed tt bad spirits and the devices of Satan
 At Syracuse a house occupied by man and wife, son and three daught
 CTS was fairly infected by spirits Communications were held with tn dead, thoughts of persons far ava
 were disclosed, guitars and piano
 were played, and tables, chairs ant
 other articles moved about the room 1 of their own accord.
 Tales such as this served but to ex
 cit the credulous and superstition
 and the craze spread orapidly tha
 in 1852, conventions of spiritualist were held in Cleveland, Boston an Worcester. The "Spiritul Telegraph.
 a weekly journal was founded i New York to spread the faith, and tn "Anthropologist, journal of the Mes , merists at Milwaukee, came ou ? strongly for spiritualism.
 Spiritualism now invaded the edito
 rial office and one rapper offered t 9 write spiritual communications fore l telling the lection of Pierce. Anothe ., rapped out the opinion of Calhoun 0
 the Isthmian canal. Even the pulp
 did not escape. A Wisconsin news 2 paper declared that divines were de , livering sermons of spirit origin i which it was announced that the Nil lenium was at hand, that baptism wa
 wrong, and that water not wine, shoul
 be used at the Sacrament.
 The Cox sisters, meantime, wer travelling over the country. At Cir ! cinnati, where large audiences me
 them, Madame Pulasky of Kossuth
 suit had an interview and was muc f impressed by correct answers in tE S Hungarian language. At St. Louis the O appear, it was announced, with COT
 sent of the spirits.
 On the feeble-mipded the effect il spiritualism was much the same { = Millerism had been. Hundreds wei crazy. An Ohio editor saw in the Il . natic asylum at Columbus tWent
 persons whose insanity was direct
 traced to Spiritualism.
 8 Neglect of business neglect of fan o fly, scouting of Christianity spiritu ;e wireism, were some of the evil e
 feets of the new craze. So bad did u
 craze become in the East that in IS
 the Legislature. of Massachusetts r e commended it's committee on educatie it to consider whether legislation W. ;e needed to suppress the imposture B. spiritualism, and if so to report Wh
 should be done. was many years b :. fore the fallacy of the whole thil ,a became thoroughly rooted out.
 (Tomorrow-Our First Washington .l B1rthday.)