The Death-Blow to Spiritualism: Being the True Story of the Fox SistersDavenport, Reuben Briggs
History
The Death-Blow to Spiritualism: Being the True Story of the Fox Sisters
Davenport, Reuben Briggs
Fox, Margaret, 1833-1893; Jencken, Catherine Fox, 1836-1892; Mediums -- New York (State) -- Rochester; Spiritualism
Without commenting upon this blunder of the "spirit," the Commission
encouraged Mrs. Kane to proceed. She took a station at some distance from
the table, her hands resting upon the back of a chair, and "raps" were
heard which seemed to come from a point very near or under her. Again,
when she stood close to a bookcase, "raps" were produced which she
declared to proceed from the glass door upon which Mr. Sellers rested his
hand. The latter felt not the slightest vibration of the glass. Mrs. Kane
then produced written messages, addressed to two persons present, whose
names she might have ascertained with very great ease. The writing was an
irregular scrawl, running from the left, and leaning backward, and could
only be read from the observe side by holding the paper up to the light.
The second séance in which Mrs. Kane acted as "medium" took place at the
same place on the 6th of November, 1884. Dr. Leidy, Mr. Furness, Dr.
Koeing, Mr. Fullerton and Mr. Sellers, members of the Commission, Mr.
George S. Pepper, Mrs. Kane and a stenographer were present. The
experiments of this evening were more lengthy and exhaustive than those of
the previous one. For convenience of narration I shall divide them into
two series: those made while the "medium" either stood upon the floor or
sat upon an ordinary seat in an ordinary position; those in which she was
separated from the floor, either by glass or by some object of
considerable height, upon which she stood; and those in which she produced
writing upon ordinary paper, said to have been dictated by the "spirits."
The experiments did not always take place in the consecutive order in
which I shall note them.
The report says: "The 'spirit rappings' during the evening, aside from
those heard during the test with glass tumblers, were apparently confined
to the floor space in the immediate vicinity of and directly beneath the
table around which the company were seated."
The stenographic report of this part of the investigation proceeds as
follows:
"MR. SELLERS. Is any spirit present now?
"Three raps--faint and partly distinct--are almost instantly audible. The
raps apparently emanate from the floor-space directly beneath, or in the
immediate vicinity of the table. This remark is applicable to all the
'rappings' during the séance at the pine table.
"The 'MEDIUM' (interpreting the sounds). That was 'yes.'
"MR. SELLERS (aside). They sounded like three.
"The raps are immediately repeated with more distinctness.
"MR. SELLERS (aside). There are three, and they are quite distinct. Is the
spirit the same that was present last night?
"Three raps, apparently identical with those last heard, are again
audible.
"MR. SELLERS (aside). It says it is the same spirit. I presume then, that
it is Henry Seybert? (No response.) Is it Henry Seybert?
"Three raps--distinct and positive.
"MR. SELLERS. You promised last evening to give a communication to Mr.
Pepper. Are you able to communicate with him now?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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