Year: 1874




week ago, at an evening scene General
Bledsoe, as one of our familiar appari-
tons calls himself, lifted the curtain of
the aperture and beckoned ME to him.
On my approach he said: There is a
spirit bere desiring to speak with you;
but sit down and wal, a moment. The
small circle present were singing. L
waited in expectation of seeing some
one who had known me in his or her
earth life. Very soon youthful, un-
familiar face appeared. Drawing near,
l perceived that it was the face of a
young man, aud one that might be
taken for eighteen or twenty years of age.
He requested me to invite Mrs. Mott
forward to hear what he had to say to
me. She came and stood by me, hear
ing al that l heard from the lips of the
apparition. 1t was sad story of love
and suicide. He told US who his parents
were. Said they resided at St. Louis;
that he had brought greet trouble upon
them by the rash act Of taking his own
life; wanted to see his mother; wished
me to telegraph to her to come. Dur
ing the narrative his voice at times
grew so feeble that 1t was difficult to
catch his words; but keeping our ears
to his whispering lips We lost very little
of the story. In effect he said about
this:


HIS SAD STORY.


81 loved unwisely. Ny father and
mother thought the girl unworthy OF
me. But so bewitched was | that L
could think only Of Annie. My brain
at last so turned that l behaved insane
ly. Annie began to treat me unklndly:
The last time / saw her we had hard
words. / told her would go down
myself and then come back aud haunt
her. l kept my word. Going down
Pine street to the river, | filled my
pockets with pieces Of rock and brick,
that l might the more readily sink in
the water, for was determined to make
a sure thing Of the drowning. My body
washed ashore near the foot of Plum
street. The only regret feel about 1t
is that it distressed the family so. Moth
er can't Get over it, nor father; and poor
sister nearly went crazy about it. |
must see mother. Will you, right
away, let her know that am here and
wish to see herr" The next morning
wrote to friend OF mine in St Louis,
stating what had been told me by the
apparition, and requested him TO show
the letter to the persons whom the ap.
partition claimed for his parents, and
told him to let me know whether there
was any truth in the story. He did So
The lady whom the apparition told Inc
to write to came. She is now in Mem
phis, and has attended, perhaps, SIX oil
seven seances, and on every occasion
has seen and talked with the apparltior
who processes TO be her son. Now LET
me proceed to state briefly the ground;
on which stand her belief that ne is
really her son. In the first place, who
who but her son could have told so wei
the story of his sad fate ? And who
but her son could have insisted on hel
making a journey of several hundred
miles 10 see him? And then Gle looks
like my lost son, and talks like him,
she says.


THE MOTHER AND HER SPIRIT son.


But it may be more satisfactory tt
have description ofthe first meeting
between the parties, and what was sale
and done at the several seances in re
spcct to this particular case. AT the
first seance attended by the lady th'
apparition came TO the aperture weep
inc, and was for sometime able to sa,
but little, hut before the seance endet
became more composed and talkec
feebly, beginning every sentence Will
MA! MAJ" habit the lady says he
son had when anxious to arrest her at
tention at once. He repeated to he1
the story of his melancholy death, an'
much to say of Annie, protesting to low
her still; claimed watch the lady ha'
in her pocket, and asked tor it. Sh
gave it to him. He disappeared witt
it. The lady rcsuming her seat, sai'
to me-: "The watch is not running
I've tried to open it but failed Direct
! ly the apparition held out the watc
open. | took it from his hand, glvln!
it to the lady. She shut it aud requeste
him to show her how he opened it. Ii
took il, held it close 10 her eyes, an
touched a spring she had not discover
ed; the watch flew open. The lady
face now began to light up with hop
and ioy at this evidence Of his identity
"He certainly knows his watch, eA
claimed she. He had the watch in hi
! pocket when he threw himself into tn
river.


TIE SPIRIT INSANE.


Strange 10 say, at the very neI
seance, the apparltion blasted for
while the sweet comfort which the firs
interview had awakened IN the bosor
of her who had acknowledged him he
son. lie became wild, fighty, an
talked insanely. Said he did not drow
himself, but was murdered and throw
into river. Made a Jest of his death
told of the disappointment of a catfisl
which, running bis head into his Coz
pocket, found brickbat. This ur
looked change in his manner and col
versation fell upon the lady's heart, wit
cruel, crushing weight. 1t saddened .
all. When the circumstance was tol
the medium after he came out Of tn
trance, it grieved him terribly. He d'
clined having seance the followin
evan;po Rnt the lady i'm compan