This much travelled, much experienced man of the world was instantly
and irresistibly attracted to the young medium. An acquaintance
was formed and it was not long before Doctor Kane determined that,
regardless of all obstacles, she should be his wife. In spite of the
efforts of his family, he soon made arrangements to educate Margaret,
and she was placed with a tutor in a quiet suburb of Philadelphia,
where an aunt of the doctor’s could have an oversight of her and where
in addition to her other studies she was to be made proficient in
French, German, and Italian, as well as vocal and instrumental music.
Her vacations were spent with a sister of Senator Cockrell. For some
three or four years she was thus sheltered from the world, while the
doctor did all in his power to eradicate from her mind everything
connected with spiritualism and “rappings.” Then came the turn of the
tide.
The doctor became broken in health as a result of exposure in the
Arctic and decided to go abroad. There had been neither civil or
religious ceremony to mark his marriage to Margaret, but just before he
sailed, in the presence of her mother and other witnesses, he declared
that they were husband and wife. His health grew worse in London and
he left there for the West Indies, where Margaret and her mother were
to join him, but their preparations for the journey were cut short by
the announcement in the papers of his death in Havana on the 16th of
February, 1857. Margaret was prostrated by the blow. A long sickness
followed and when she finally recovered it was to face the world, not
only friendless and alone, but penniless as well, for, owing to a
compromise, she did not share in the doctor’s estate. Disappointed,
disheartened, and bitter she went back to her Spiritualism and
“rappings.” For thirty years she wandered from place to place holding
seances. For thirty years she suffered the tortures of remorse and ill
health. She believed she was being driven “into hell.” She loathed
the thing she was, and tried at times to drown her troubles in wine.
For thirty years she lived in constant fear of her older sister. Then
Margaret Kane found a temporary solace in the Catholic Church. But
there were still more months of struggle before she finally found
courage to tell the story of the world-famous “rappings” in a signed
confession given to the press in October, 1888.[3]
“I do this,” she said, “because I consider it my duty, a sacred thing,
a holy mission, to expose it (Spiritualism). I want to see the day when
it is entirely done away with. After I expose it I hope Spiritualism
will be given a death blow. I was the first in the field and I have a
right to expose it.[4]
“My sister Katie and I were very young children when this horrible
deception began. I was only eight, just a year and a half older than
she. We were very mischievous children and sought merely to terrify our
dear mother, who was a very good woman and very easily frightened.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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