Hours with the Ghosts or, Nineteenth Century Witchcraft: Illustrated Investigations into the Phenomena of Spiritualism and TheosophyEvans, Henry Ridgely
Religion
Hours with the Ghosts or, Nineteenth Century Witchcraft: Illustrated Investigations into the Phenomena of Spiritualism and Theosophy
Evans, Henry Ridgely
Blavatsky, H. P. (Helena Petrovna), 1831-1891; Spiritualism; Theosophy
Pierre Keeler's fame as a producer of spirit phenomena rests largely upon
his materializing séances. It was his materializations that received the
particular attention of the Seybert Commission. The late Mr. Henry
Seybert, who was an ardent believer in modern Spiritualism, presented to
the University of Pennsylvania a sum of money to found a chair of
philosophy, with the proviso that the University should appoint a
commission to investigate "all systems of morals, religion or philosophy
which assume to represent the truth, and particularly of modern
Spiritualism." The following gentlemen were accordingly appointed, and
began their investigations: Dr. William Pepper, Dr. Joseph Leidy, Dr.
George A. Koenig, Prof. R. E. Thompson, Prof. George S. Fullerton, and Dr.
Horace H. Furness. Subsequently others were added to the commission--Dr.
Coleman Sellers, Dr. James W. White, Dr. Calvin B. Kneer, and Dr. S. Weir
Mitchell. Dr. Pepper, Provost of the University, was _ex-officio_
chairman; Dr. Furness, acting chairman, and Prof. Fullerton, secretary.
Keeler's materializations are thus described in the report of the
commission:
"On May 27 the Seybert commission held a meeting at the house of Mr.
Furness at 8 p. m., to examine the phenomena occurring in the presence of
Mr. Pierre L. O. A. Keeler, a professional medium.
"The medium, Mr. Keeler, is a young man, with well cut features, curly
brown hair, a small sandy mustache, and rather worn and anxious
expression; he is strongly built, about 5 feet 8 inches high, and with
rather short, quite broad, and very muscular hands and strong wrists. The
hands were examined by Dr. Pepper and Mr. Fullerton after the séance.
"The séance was held in Mr. Furness' drawing-room, and a space was
curtained off by the medium in the northeast corner, thus, (Fig. 25):
[Illustration: FIG. 25. PIERRE KEELER'S CABINET SEANCE.]
"The curtain is represented by A, B; C, D and E are three chairs, placed
in front of the curtain by the medium, in one of which (E) he afterwards
sat; G denotes the position of Mrs. Keeler; F is a small table, placed
within the curtain, and upon which was a tambourine, a guitar, two bells,
a hammer, a metallic ring; the stars show the positions of the spectators,
who sat in a double row--the two stars at the top facing the letter A
indicate the positions taken by Mrs. Kase and Col. Kase, friends of Mr.
Keeler, according to the directions of the medium.
"The curtain, or rather curtains, were of black muslin, and arranged as
follows: There was a plain black curtain, which was stretched across the
corner, falling to the floor. Its height, when in position, was 53 inches;
it was made thus:
[Illustration: FIG. 26. PIERRE KEELER'S CABINET CURTAIN.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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