The Communistic Societies of the United States: From Personal Visit and ObservationNordhoff, Charles
History
The Communistic Societies of the United States: From Personal Visit and Observation
Nordhoff, Charles
Collective settlements -- United States
a lake which was covered with ice, was pursued by some of the ox
teamsters, and carried back to the infirmary. Two men could with
difficulty hold a woman or a child when thus influenced. To prevent
mischief and elopement, we were obliged to envelop their bodies and
their arms tightly in sheets, and thus sew them up and confine them
until the spell was over. Such delirium generally lasted but a few
hours. It would seize them at any time and at any place.
"The phenomena to which we allude was the source of much facetious
pleasantry with the young brethren. One of the infernal spirits had one
evening declared that 'before morning they would have the deacon and
Lupier.' 'Deacon' was an epithet applied to myself, as a token of
familiarity. The tidings of the declaration of this infernal agent were
soon conveyed to me. It happened that my companion of the dormitory, a
middle-aged man, had that evening gone to watch with the mediums, and I
was left alone. I replied to my companions, who interrogated and
sarcastically congratulated me on my prospects for the night, that 'if
the corporeal influence of incarnate devils could be kept from the room,
I would combat without aid all other influences and answer for my own
safety.' I accordingly locked myself into my room, and enjoyed,
unmolested for the night, except by occasional raps upon the door by my
passing comrades, some of whom were up all night by reason of the
excitement, a sound and pleasant sleep. One or two instances occurred in
which a superhuman agency was indubitably obvious. One of the abnormal
males lay in a building at some distance from the infirmary where the
female instruments were confined. Suddenly one of the last, who had been
for some time in a quiescent state and rational, was seized by one of
these paroxysms, which were always accompanied by dreadful contortions
and sudden twitchings of the body, and, speaking for the spirit, said
that 'Old S---- had bound him with a surcingle, and he had left E----,'
one of the male instruments. The physician instantly repaired to the
building where E---- lay, and he was perfectly rational. S----, the
watch, informed the physician that E---- raved so violently a moment
before that he bound his arms to his body by passing a surcingle around
both, and he quickly became himself. At another time one of the females
took a handful of living coals in her bare hands, and thus carried them
about the room without even injuring the cuticle of the skin.
"The phenomena and excitement soon dwindled away by the tremendous
opposition directed against them; and when afterward spoken about, were
designated by the sinister phrase--'The Devil's Visitation.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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