The New York herald., 1922-09-03
By DAVID C. BAILLIE.
SPIRIT rap startled me

shelburn Bay, Lake Champlain.
II had had any doubts Of the gen.
uineness OF the signal, its sequel
would have removed them. In view
Of present and increasing interest In
psychic" matters. it Is worth while
to present q specific report Of this
manifestation. with the connotation
that a well known physician and
surgeon has just said to me: II am
very far from being prepared to deny
that there is an sX' or unknown
quantity in the equation Of life. This
Is a subject which it behooves us to
approach and study with an open
mind"
am a hardened and experienced
newspaper man; and not gullible.
AS a young reporter I chronicled the
investigation In New York at which
Katie Fox, of the famous Fox Sisters.
heroines of the Rochester knockings
which heralded modern Spiritualism
as a cult, pretended to give physi-
cal explanation of the rappings. The
explanation was fantastic and un-
believable; but it brought ridicule
on all ''spiritualist" phenomena; and
I had not bestowed on knocking"
one serious thought, until genuine
rap or knocking was produced with
out physical Intervention in my
friends country cottage, near Bur-
lington, VT.
The old lady of Shelburn Bay is
not a professional psychic interme-
diary; which is the new research way
of saying spirit medium. On re-
cent cleaning / was at my friends
cottage. There was with us Pro-
fessor of Physics (not Psychics-
the very opposite) at great North
ern university.
He told us in simple. straightfor-
ward manner that DIR. Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle and Sir Oliver Lodge
are on the right path, in his opinion;
and from his personal experience
drew examples and instances justify
ing that opinion.
Vermont, should add. is an eerie
State Almost any man with a live
soul will be impressed by the mystic
influences manifest in the poetical
hour of still summer evening; the
hour between the cleaning and the
mirk, in that land of haunted lakes
and pools and fairy folked copses;
land of tradition and romance; land
of known and unknown Indian and
pioneer graves, savage man and "civ-
ilized" man in one red burial blent;
land Of grewsome incidents in the
ensanguined youth of this bitterly
born nation.
The professor departed. leaving us
impressed and creepy; for when the
erudite begin to preach that the era
OF psychic communication among all
the sons of men, ancient and mod
ern, Is at hand, following the era OF
wireless, what shall the less informed
say? / was thinking about demons,
cacodemons and eudemons, friends
and familiars succubi and succubae;
vampires (real. not imitation) ghouls.
freets, jinns, for whom is named the
liquor that formerly foundationed the
rickey; of bogies, kobolds. dwergers.
sprites. oufes, mixes. pigwidgeons,
specters, apparitions, visions, shades,
wraiths, boggarts. banshees and all
manner of supernatural, weird, un-
canny, unearthly, spectral, ghostly
demoniacal, angelic and haunting
things
Unseen Force Arrives.
There was a door behind and to
tho left of the old lady. who was
sitting opposite and to the left of
me; the position OF the door
with relation to me being there
fore at the end of diagonal line
from my right hand. This door,
which led to another room, was ajar,
and was in my view. The back of
my chair was not far from an out
side door, opened full width. leading
to the porch. the doorway being
screened.
The room, furnished in a crowded
and old fashioned way and cluttered
with books and pictures-blessed old