RETURN TO ROCHESTER.
LETTERS AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES RESPECTING OUR NEW YORK
CAMPAIGN--LETTER FROM AMY POST--LETTERS FROM JOHN E.
ROBINSON--ARTICLE FROM A SUNDAY NEWSPAPER--FROM THE NEW YORK
DAY-BOOK--LETTER FROM DR. C. D. GRISWOLD--LETTER FROM JACOB C.
CUYLER--ARTICLE BY HORACE GREELEY--POEM FROM THE SUNDAY DISPATCH.
Such was our first campaign in New York, through all the hot months of
that summer of 1850. Toward the close of September our friends, as
well as ourselves, recognized the necessity for us of some rest and
recuperation, and we decided to return to Rochester. But before being
allowed to do so, our kind and devoted friends, Mr. and Mrs. Greeley,
insisted on our spending a fortnight with them at their home in
Nineteenth Street. We also spent a week with other friends at
Greenpoint. But this did not afford much relief to our overwrought
brains and bodies, because Mr. Greeley's hospitable house was a centre
of visiting to the literary circles of New York, and Spiritualism and
its manifestations, for the satisfaction of their visitors, were almost
as much the order of our days as had been the case at Barnum's Hotel,
among countless more. Bayard Taylor was at that period very earnest in
his investigations, and was a daily frequenter of the house. At last we
were suffered to tear ourselves away from New York; and ah, what sighs
of relief we breathed when we got back to our dearly beloved Rochester,
where we resumed our former happy domestic life, in which we all
divided our days, going at pleasure to and fro, between my house on
Troup Street and the farm, the homestead and father's house, now a sort
of adjunct to the latter; every one of which dwellings was always an
open house to any one of the family.
This affords a convenient point at which to introduce a few out of the
many letters from valued friends referring to our time and experiences
in New York. I give the first place to one from that best, sweetest, and
noblest of women, Amy, wife of Isaac Post, friends in the double sense
of intimacy, and the denominational one, for both she and her husband,
who were all but second parents to me, were, as they still are, perfect
specimens of the ideal Quakerism.
"ROCHESTER, N. Y., May 30, 1850.
"DEAR LEAH: I have very often thought of you since you left our goodly
city, and have as often desired to communicate with you, but I hardly
know where to direct a letter to find you; though I might have known
that your movements would be slow, for strange, indeed, it would be if
you did not find people enough, in every place you visited, interested
in the remarkable phenomena that attend you, to keep you a long time. It
is almost useless to say that we always rejoice whenever we hear of
your prosperity, either temporally or spiritually; and while we do
exceedingly miss you and feel your loss, we are thankful that you are
affording _others_ the privilege of witnessing what we have so often
enjoyed. When will you find a stopping place? Sometimes I think _not
this side of Europe_, but perhaps my ideas are too boundless. You, and
the good angels that are with you, can better tell; but wherever you
may go, my heart and good wishes go with you. John E. Robinson kindly
read to me some parts of thy letter. I was very grateful for thy kind
remembrance of us, and much pleased to hear, from thy own pen, of your
comfortable situation, company, etc.
"Please present my love to thy mother, Calvin, and both the dear girls.
Willet says, 'I want to see Leah and Margaretta.'
"Thy affectionate friend,
"AMY POST."
* * * * *
The following two are from a true and lifelong friend (also in the
twofold sense), John E. Robinson, of whom I could not, with either
justice or truth, speak in terms any less strong than those above
applied to my beloved Amy and Isaac Post.
LETTER FROM JOHN E. ROBINSON.
"ROCHESTER, Friday, June 21, 1850.
"DEAR FRIEND LEAH: Your anxiously looked for letter came to me Thursday
morning last, and gave me a great deal of pleasure in the reading. It
was worth more than all the newspapers I have seen in a twelvemonth,
because it gave me an interior view of your temporary home, and a sketch
of several things which I wanted to know something of. It was all of
interest to me, from the top of the first page to the last line of the
tenth; and I promise not to scold you any more, for I observe much of it
was written during late hours of the night, when you could not help but
be worn with fatigue. The only wonder is that at such time you could
find room in your memory for me.
"By the way, Leah, what think you Mr. Jones told me? a bit of gossip
about you and a millionaire, somewhere about Troy, or Albany. He told it
as a special secret, and left me to make the most of it. It is capital.
When do you _go off_? I shall be expecting a delicate note on satin
paper, addressed to me, tied with a love-knot of matrimonial ribbon,
stating when you will be 'at home.' Very well, do as you think best.
It's no use for me to cross your path when you get fairly 'on a train,'
and, so far as my advice is concerned, I think you are smart enough in
such matters, and can only say to you, as the lawyer said to the young
man who taught him a lesson in roguery, 'You need no lesson from me.'
"I was pleased with the account of your ramble in Hoboken, but wish you
had taken some other day for the excursion, as the one in question
always brings there such a crowd of the 'lower ten.' I hate crowds!
though even in them there is a difference. Commend me to a mass of
Sunday-clad peasantry rather than a crowd of the lower strata of New
York--or the equally unpleasant sham aristocracy of Rochester.
"I remember those shaded walks of Hoboken. They are among the beautiful
things and pleasant places, the memory of which is stored away in my
attic story. I suppose you will see all the points of attraction before
you turn your steps homeward. You will not go further eastward, I
suppose. If you should go to Boston, go by way of Newport, and visit its
beach. That famous beach, at the hour of early morning or just at
evening twilight, is one of the grandest sights I ever looked upon. I
won't attempt to describe it to you; but, if you _can_ see it, the
memory thereof will not die out from your mind. The eye and the ear have
kindred offices. They are, both of them, organs through which the soul
within us takes cognizance of beauty. The magnificent stave of music
which has once trembled on the tympanum, is forever prisoned in the
spirit--'a thing of beauty;' and so each glorious form of nature on
which the eye has rested, while the spirit drank in its inspiration,
remains 'a joy forever.' And _this_ we call Memory. Why do we call it
so? Because it is one of those mysterious powers of the human soul for
which we have no other name.
"But I am forgetting what to say to you.
"Your particular mention of a number of your visitors is very agreeable
to me. What a pity I cannot accept your invitation, and spend a week
with you. You must remember everything you see and hear, and tell me all
when you come home. I am very glad you like Mr. Hopper. He is a queer
fellow--when he has a mind to be. He can veil the greatest amount of fun
under the most serious face, of any one I know. He carries a 'band of
music' under that Quaker physiognomy of his. I have often been talking
to him seriously, and stopped short to tell him I could not read him. I
did not know whether his thoughts were mine or exactly the opposite. His
remarkable father, Isaac T. Hopper, is one of the noblest-hearted beings
in this wide world. His whole life has been marked by acts of most
perfect benevolence and devotion to the cause of Truth and Humanity. I
was pleased with N. P. Willis's article in _The Home Journal_, though
written in his peculiar vein, and regret to learn that he has been
subjected to such an outrage at the hands of the actor Edwin Forrest. I
know nothing of Willis's morals, but should suppose him above anything
mean, or what would render him justly amenable to the censure of those
who have long admired him as a leading journalist and charming writer.
It is a sad, sad day for a man or woman who have made for themselves a
home in thousands of hearts, and ministered to us in our holiday hours,
when he or she stoops from that admired eminence, and becomes a thing
for scorn to point its finger at. I will not believe _this_ of Nathaniel
Parker Willis--the author of a thousand gems of thought which he has
scattered up and down in my memory like spring flowers.
"Our daily press is just what it was. You cannot expect anything else
from papers with little talent, and no courage, at the editorial helm.
"If you come across such a man as Horace Greeley will recommend as one
of his own stamp, tell him Western New York wants a journalist who is
up and dressed and afraid of nobody; and if he will come out here, and
pitch into 'em, he will make his fortune and serve the country. I've a
thought in my mind, and will give it to you for what it is worth.
"Soon after the meeting at Doctor Griswold's, I saw in the N. Y.
_Evening Post_ (what was very proper--so far as it went, because it did
not charge _you_ with originating these phenomena, but only disclaimed
belief in their Spiritual nature), a sort of disclaimer evidently by
one of the persons present who took the privilege of speaking for the
others (or most of them). Now the fact is that, if anything which has
engrossed a large share of public attention is really worthy of serious
investigation, the _result of such investigation_ is equally worthy to
be made publicly known. And as the prominent minds in New York can most
effectually do this, they, or those of them who have had the opportunity
to arrive at fair conclusions, ought to be willing to state that result
in explicit language, over their proper signatures. It would be but a
simple act of justice to you; a satisfaction to the multitudes who
are prevented, by a thousand considerations, from seeing you; and no
dishonor to them. Before you leave, if it meets the approbation of
your best friends, I would have it done. It would give you a _vantage
ground_, from whence you could all look down upon the miserable
scribblers who have been eking out _their_ existence by abusing _you_.
Write soon, and tell me what has transpired since your last letter.
"My love to you all.
"Yours truly,
"J. E. ROBINSON."
JOHN E. ROBINSON.
"ROCHESTER, July 28, 1851.
"DEAR FRIEND LEAH:
"Your welcome letter came to me last Tuesday. I have been very anxious
to hear from you. You write so seldom, and I am always anticipating your
letters long before they reach me. I am sorry to learn that you have
been afflicted, but frequently wonder you are not all sick from the
effect of continued application to the duties which devolve on you. I
sympathize with you often in your thousand and one perplexities of mind
and body. It gives me pleasure to know that the friends stand by you
through all trials; and you will, I doubt not, find in your mind that
appreciation of them that will secure a pleasing recollection when you
shall have left them.
"You say that 'you all wish to come home, and will probably return
_soon_.' Now, I wish I could believe that word has any significance in
such connection; but it has become such a misnomer, in Spiritual things,
that it is a great sinner.
"Sometimes I shut out the reality of things around me, and fancy you all
here again. For the moment, I am pleasingly deceived, and again I stand
within the charmed circle of the Rochester Seeresses. I hear your bursts
of laughter, and look deep into your dark eyes to read what manner of
thought is passing behind the Spirit windows. You are glad to see me.
Maggie and Kate also give a like evidence. But I am only dreaming; you
are away, and as far off as you were two months ago. I have little
expectation of seeing you in less than two months; there are reasons
which will keep you away so long, notwithstanding you speak of coming
home. But I don't wish to hasten you. You know what is best, and will
act accordingly. I should be sorry if you should do anything that you
would afterward regret.
"The most familiar Spiritualists--if that term is proper, now hold
weekly sociables here. We have met but twice as yet, but design
continuing them each Sunday evening. The last Sunday and this we met
at the house of Mr. Granger, and passed the hours very much to our
satisfaction. There were present Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Mr. and Mrs.
Post, Mr. Hammond, Mr. W. A. Langworthy, Mr. Jarvis, Mr. Edward Jones,
George Willets, Mr. Rich, and the writer of this. The design is to have
these meetings tend to the mutual improvement of those present. They
partake more of a social and conversational than what would be called
a religious character; opportunities for the interchange of views in
reference to Spiritual things. It is similar to the association in
Springfield, which Mr. Munn alluded to when here. By the way, Mr. Munn
has sent me the prospectus of a weekly paper--_The Spirit Messenger_, to
be issued at Springfield next month. His motive is not speculation, as
any one may well judge who knows what an up-hill business the advocacy
of advanced truth is in this our age. You and your friends in New York
must send on to him a list of subscribers. I hope it will be sustained
by the many who are seeking for light on this and kindred subjects of
deep interest. If, as intended, it covers the field heretofore occupied
by the miraculous, it ought to be sustained.
"Your house on Troup Street has been closed so long it will require
seeing to before you go into it. You ought to send word several days
before you reach here, in order that it may be properly ventilated. If
you can do so, some of your friends will attend to it.
"As ever, your friend,
"JOHN E. R."
* * * * *
ARTICLE FROM A NEW YORK SUNDAY NEWSPAPER.
The following is anonymous from a Sunday newspaper, the name of which I
am not now able to give:
"We paid a visit on Sunday last to the Rochester ladies (at Barnum's
Hotel), so celebrated in this world, and in the world of Spirits, for
the extraordinary revelations made to them through the remarkable
knockings or sounds which have excited so much attention.
"They appear to be intelligent persons, and there is little, if
anything, in their manner that looks like simulation or imposture. We
are a perfect heretic in all such beliefs, and never did have faith
in anything that we could not understand. As to ghosts, spectres,
witchcraft, or Spirits from the other world, we have never believed in
any of them, consequently it cannot trouble us if we are occasionally
deceived; and we are seldom vexed at being hoaxed in anything. We have
attained a period of such wonderful discoveries in science and the
arts--we accomplish so many extraordinary triumphs and unaccountable
enterprises in the present age--that our motto is 'nil admirari.' Let us
see all that is to be seen as quickly as possible, before we shake off
this 'mortal coil.' After steam and the telegraph, we are ready to
believe anything. The Spirit who makes knocks for these young ladies
seems to be a familiar one, for it has followed them from Rochester and
knocks in every part of Barnum's Hotel, corner of Broadway and Maiden
Lane.
"The sounds, on the occasion of our visit, seemed to proceed from
several parts of the room, near the table and in the next apartment.
We thought with Hamlet, 'Be thou a spirit of hell or goblin
damned,--Bringest thou airs from heaven or blasts from hell,--Be thy
intents wicked or charitable,--Thou com'st in such a questionable shape,
that I will speak to thee!'
"The first idea that struck us was to inquire of our old friend, Tom
Paine.
"We wrote down his name and the names of several cities, and asked where
he died. The Spirits knocked 'at New York.' We then inquired how old he
was when he died. The familiars knocked seventy times. This was pretty
near. We asked if he voted for the death of Louis XVI.? It rapped 'No.'
The old sinner! This was perplexing and strange, yet it made no
impression upon us. A clergyman whom we have known as possessing a
clear, strong mind, brought in his pocket a family daguerrotype, and
respectfully requested the Spirits to state how many figures were in it,
when the number was rapped correctly. He then asked how many of the six
had died, and the number was again rapped correctly. We saw the table at
which we sat and the door opposite vibrate with the knocks, and yet we
saw none that we could suspect of collusion. It is evident, however,
that the minds of all present must harmonize, and there must be quietude
and union of the nervous fluid to develop striking and wise answers to
questions--particularly of a domestic character. The young ladies moved
about the room, apparently independent, and it was clear that _they_
were not knocking, _whoever was_; and as to concealment and emissaries
in a large bustling hotel, with bells ringing, waiters running about,
chambermaids and lodgers constantly on the move, it is entirely out of
the question. So we came away utterly disbelieving in all supernatural
agency, and, at the same time, unable to say how any human means could
be used without detection. The powwowings and witchcraft which prevailed
so long in New England among our ancestors are now at an end. Our homes
are no longer disturbed with an unaccountable noise, as of old; our
children do not vomit crooked pins and tenpenny nails; nor have we
either magic or sorcery. We no longer have those spirits which the
Rosicrucians tell us inhabit the elements: sylphs, gnomes, nymphs, and
salamanders. Yet, grave and earnest men have, of old, believed in
witchcraft, and many at this day believe in this Spiritual communion
with the dead, as well as in these mysterious knockings.
"We, however, are not of that number; but would not censure or condemn
those who are. The world is curious--these knockings are curious--and
these young ladies are worth seeing, and the mysterious worth hearing.
Then let them pass for what they are worth."
ARTICLE FROM THE N. Y. DAY-BOOK BY ITS EDITOR, R. N. SIMPSON.
"_The Rochester Knocking Girls._"
"O ho! you are all coming into it are you?
"It is somewhat amusing to see editors of papers, distinguished men,
literary characters and others coming into the belief of Spiritualism,
or mysterious knockings; eating their own words and swallowing Spirits,
girls, knockers and all. We say that it is amusing--it _would_ be
amusing, were it not disgusting to see men, who pretend to possess an
ordinary share of intelligence, so completely stultify themselves--as
many of these characters have.
"More than six months ago these knockings commenced in Rochester, and a
committee, composed of the most respectable citizens of that city went
into a thorough examination of the cause of them, and reported to the
world the result of that examination. In that report they tell us all
and more than we have heard or seen since the girls have been in this
city, and conclude by exonerating the girls from practising deception or
fraud in any of their exhibitions.
"After reading that report, the writer of this went to Rochester and
visited the girls: the result of that visit he published in the
_Day-Book_ with just as much expectation of his statements being
believed as if he had said that the cars ran off the track, or that he
crossed Seneca Lake on board of a steamboat. What was his surprise to
find that not one in twenty believed a word of them. _The Journal of
Commerce_, _The Courier_, _The Express_, _The Christian Intelligencer_,
and in fact all the papers in the city amused themselves and their
readers by making fun of the whole matter. When we met a friend he would
accost us with, 'Well, you have been to see the Rochester knockings,
have you?'
"'Yes sir,' would be our answer.
"'Well, what do you think of them?'
"'I think just what I have written and published!'
"'Stimson--you don't pretend to believe in that humbug?'
"'I believe that I heard the knockings, and that the girls had no direct
agency in making them.'
"An incredulous stare full in the face, the cheeks filled with wind, and
a sudden bursting into a wild ironical laugh would follow, and the
friend would turn away with, 'Well, Stimson, I am used up; if you are so
easily humbugged as that I have nothing more to say.'
"This manifestation of utter disbelief in the whole thing, we must
acknowledge, nettled us a little, and we concluded to 'shut up,' and
deny that we believed in anything. We began to doubt that we had been
to Rochester at all, and as for seeing the girls or hearing the
knockings, we were ready to swear as bravely and boldly as Peter (and
with the same truth) that we knew nothing about them.
"Well, time passed on, the papers had their fun, and the girls are here.
What say _The Journal of Commerce_ and _The Express_ now? Do they call
it all humbug? O no! some of our great men have been to see and hear for
themselves, and instead of calling it humbug swallow it without gulping.
Of course _The Journal of Commerce_ can't go against the great men, and
_The Express_, never having had an opinion of its own, follows on the
back track as tamely as an ass colt."
LETTER FROM DR. C. D. GRISWOLD, M.D.
_The Rappings in New York._
"_To the Editor of the Evening Mirror_: Now that a considerable number
of 'the wise men of the East,' even of Gotham, have been permitted to
hear the veritable 'rappings' which so confounded the 'foolish' and
'credulous' people of the 'West,' I do not see that they are any more
successful in discovering the machinery, wire-work, or other means of
collusion to which these phenomena have been attributed (by those who
have never witnessed them), than were their western neighbors. All, or
nearly all those who have investigated this matter with any honesty of
purpose, have found it far exceeding their conceptions. There is often a
truthfulness and exactness in these communications which are perfectly
astounding, and when failures do occur they can readily be accounted for
if it is admitted that they are addressed to an intelligence which reads
the most secret thoughts. What is the nature of this intelligence which
tells us our thoughts when sincere, and regards them not when called
for with a trifling or dishonest purpose? Can it be the keen-sighted
perception of the parties interested? Can it be explained by the
principles of mesmerism, or is it supernatural? These are the questions
to be answered. Those who cannot control their thoughts from the
observations of others, may be satisfied with the first; those who do
not take into consideration the physical demonstrations, may consider
the second an explanation; but to explain all, it may be doubted, as
some do, that the power exists in the supernatural world. This is
anything but an age of reason. 'Opinion' has gained the ascendancy and
sits upon 'reason's throne,' and with an assurance incompatible with
everything but ignorance, despises 'facts' and evidence. Strange and
mysterious as this matter is, many of the phenomena are settled 'facts'
which plainly contradict the vague 'opinions' set afloat by those who
know little of what they talk or write about. Take, for instance, a
note--published in _The Evening Post_--by a person who was present at
the interview for the investigation of the subject, at the rooms of
Dr. Griswold, in which he says that 'all the persons present on that
occasion (whom he has since seen) are of the opinion that the phenomena,
or knockings, were electrical, and the answers accidental.' These may
not be his precise words, yet they embody correctly his expression; but
they are incorrect in fact, and in their implication; as all of the
persons then present have not been consulted, far less have they given
an unanimous opinion as above expressed.
"Before any one adopts the 'opinion' that these sounds are electrical,
would it not be well to show how they can be produced while the three
persons on whom they are attendant are insulated several feet apart; how
electricity can be so harnessed to tables, chairs, and other things, as
to move them about, or hold them in their places so that no human arm
can stir them, or produce a concussion equal to what would require
the force of a strong arm to accomplish and with the aid of a heavy
instrument; without saying anything of the still more wonderful
manifestations indicating intellectual direction. Any one who can give
the rationale of all this, upon electrical principles, will undo some of
the established and known laws, and discover to the world not only the
means for converting this subtle agent into _an intelligent_ motive
power, but also to give it the skill of a masterly engineer.
"The assumption that the correct answers given to questions that
evening--though not remarkable, comparatively--were 'accidental,' bears
absurdity upon the face of it. Such 'opinions' throw no light upon the
mystery, but leave it still more inexplicable to the general intelligent
mind.
"Of thousands who have now witnessed these phenomena, almost every one
at first regarded the idea that these parties were not directly the
operators, as most preposterous. But since what is called a 'public
opinion' has become pretty well established, the rest of the world fall
in, and see nothing very strange in them--after all. And thus it would
be with the next point, or the claim of Spirituality, were it only
understood that the immaculate judge, 'public opinion,' had decided in
its favor. Such is the value of _opinion_ in a large sense. If the truth
is told of other days, mankind valued their opinions, and kept them to
themselves. But not so now. The article is known to be valueless; and
each one seems desirous of getting rid of his stock. At no age of
the world did _charlatanism_ make more rapid strides than it does at
present; so that, it seems, the same traits of character which render us
the subjects of deception, make us slow to embrace truth; and for the
reason, as I conceive, that 'facts' and 'evidence' are less an element
in the 'foundation' of opinions than are prejudices, preconceived
notions, personal interest, and the fear of being laughed at.
"The philosophy of the Sunday Press upon this subject has sustained the
well-known character of those journals; to say the least, they have
been very spirited. Religion which has been arrayed against God, is the
devil's weapon, and _The Herald_ borrowed it for the first onset;
'seriously' fearing that this subject would be made to overthrow the
good results which sound education and true Christian piety might
accomplish. Pray, what would _The Herald_ have to fear from such a
result? Its premises would be exempt from any change by such a
revolution, and it would, no doubt, add to its subscription lists.
"There is one cheerful inference to be drawn from _The Herald's_
position with regard to this subject; that is, that the devil has no
meddling with the matter. By the way, this calls to mind another
distinguished individual--Dr. David Meredith Reese--who has the
advantage of a longer name, if not quite so notorious, the great
expounder of humbugs.
"He has promised to show up the deception upon the first opportunity,
and people would have great confidence in his experience. Come forward,
doctor, and redeem your pledge; or take back your unmanly imputations;
but, for the credit of the thing, do not say that you believe in its
verity.
"C. D. GRISWOLD, M.D."
LETTER FROM JACOB C. CUYLER.
The following is from the editor of _The Albany Express_, before
mentioned in connection with the visit of the judges and lawyers at
Albany.
"ALBANY MORNING EXPRESS OFFICE,
"June 9, 1850.
"MRS. FISH:
"After reading an account of your meeting at the house of the Rev. Dr.
Griswold, in Broadway, New York, accompanied as it was by many very
satisfactory, and I trust convincing, manifestations, I have experienced
a species of gratification which I can call nothing more nor less than
revengeful. Those who have scoffed and scouted the idea of 'Spiritual
communications' were modest enough in their prejudiced opinions to
style me fanatic and chimerical; and some, more unscrupulous than their
brethren, even hinted that no respectable paper would devote its columns
to the dissemination of such doctrines throughout the world. But 'Truth
is mighty, and will prevail.' Choosing rather that time should vindicate
the 'Spirits,' than that our own feeble efforts should act as their
defender, we have waited with some anxiety the result in New York City.
When, therefore, we learned that such men as Mr. Cooper, Mr. Tuckerman,
Dr. Frances, and others of like stamp, had received such demonstrations
as are recorded in the public journals of that city, I took the liberty
of adding some considerable to my diminutive stature. I walked about
with all the assurance of a millionaire, and just at the nick of time,
whom should I come in contact with but the unbeliever Hastings, of
_The Knickerbocker_. Triumphantly I held up before his astonished gaze
the record, and exultingly asked him whether those men were fools,
lunatics, or fanatics? I had him there, and all he could say in reply
was--_Humbug_.
"Well, that was as much as I expected, and laughing at his stubborn
ignorance I left him.
"I see that even Bennett, of _The Herald_, has somewhat changed his
tone, and that he speaks quite favorably of the affair. He will be
compelled to do more than all this, I hope, before long, or many weeks
roll over his head. The press generally in New York, I am happy to see,
are acting very kindly toward you, and I only wish that all may receive
entire satisfaction in their investigations. With us, all remains as
usual. Many who seemed to manifest but little interest in the affair
while you were here have, since your departure, evinced a desire to see
and investigate. So will it be everywhere, and among all classes. The
Switch still speaks of 'Yaupy'[9] and the Spirits with contempt; but I
believe 'Yaupy' suffers nothing from his efforts. He still seems to be
in the enjoyment of health, and although _seldom known to smile_, he can
laugh with more freedom than is his usual custom.
"Do you think of stopping in our city before you return to Rochester? I
hope so.
"I have heard that Margaretta has been unwell since your arrival in New
York, but presume her recovery is complete. Present my kind regards to
your mother and Maggy and Catty.
"Hoping to see you in New York before you leave, I remain
Yours respectfully,
"JACOB C. CUYLER."
[9] Yaupy is Low Dutch for Jacob; the writer of the letter
originally employed it as a _nom de plume_.
ARTICLE BY HORACE GREELEY, PUBLISHED IN THE TRIBUNE.
"Mrs. Fox and her three daughters left our city yesterday on their
return to Rochester, after a stay here of some weeks, during which they
have freely subjected the mysterious influence by which they seem to be
accompanied, to every reasonable test, and to the keen and critical
scrutiny of the hundreds who have chosen to visit them, or whom they
have been invited to visit.
"The rooms which they occupied at the hotel have been repeatedly
searched and scrutinized; they have been taken without an hour's
notice, into houses they had never before entered; they have been, all
unconsciously, placed on a glass surface concealed under the carpet, in
order to interrupt electric vibrations; they have been disrobed by a
committee of ladies, appointed without notice, and insisting that
neither of them should leave the room until the investigation had been
made, etc., etc., yet we believe that no one to this moment pretends
that he has detected either of them in producing or causing the
'rappings;' nor do we think any of their contemners has invented a
plausible theory to account for the production of these sounds, nor the
singular intelligence which (certainly at times) has seemed to be
manifested through them.
"Some ten or twelve days since, they gave up their rooms at the hotel,
and devoted the remainder of their sojourn here to visiting several
families, to which they had been invited by persons interested in the
subject, and subjecting the singular influence to a closer and calmer
examination than could be given to it at a hotel and before casual
companies of strangers, drawn together by a vague curiosity, mere
rational interest, or predetermined and invincible hostility. Our own
dwelling was among those thus visited, not merely submitting to but
courting the fullest and keenest inquiry with regard to the alleged
'manifestations' from the Spirit world by which they were attended. We
devoted what time we could spare from our duties, out of three days, to
this subject, and it would be the basest cowardice not to say that we
are convinced beyond a doubt of _their perfect integrity and good faith_
in the premises. Whatever may be the origin or the cause of the
'rappings,' the ladies in whose presence they occur do not make them.
We tested this thoroughly and to our entire satisfaction.
"Their conduct and bearing is as unlike that of deceivers as possible,
and we think no one acquainted with them could believe them at all
capable of engaging in so daring, impious, and shameful a juggle as this
would be if they caused the sounds. And it is not possible that such
a juggle should have been so long perpetrated in public, yet escape
detection. A juggler performs one feat quickly and hurries on to
another; he does not devote weeks after weeks to doing the same thing
over and over deliberately, in full view of hundreds who sit beside or
confronting him in broad daylight, not to enjoy but to detect his trick.
A deceiver naturally avoids conversation on the subject of his knavery,
but these ladies converse freely and fully with regard to the origin of
these 'rappings' in their dwelling years ago, the various sensations
they caused, the neighborhood excitement created, the progress of the
developments--what they have seen, heard, and experienced from first to
last. If all were false they could not fail to have involved themselves
ere this in a labyrinth of blasting contradictions, as each separately
gives accounts of the most astounding occurrences at this or that time.
Persons foolish enough so to commit themselves without reserve or
caution could not have deferred a thorough self-exposure for a single
week.
"Of course a variety of opinions of so strange a matter would naturally
be formed by the various persons who have visited them, and we presume
those who have merely run into their room for an hour or so and
listened, among a huddle of strangers, to a medley of questions--not all
admitting of very profitable answers--put to certain invisible
intelligencies and answered by rappings or singular noises on the floor,
table, etc., as the alphabet was called over or otherwise, would
naturally go away perhaps puzzled, probably disgusted, rarely
convinced. It is hardly possible that a matter ostensibly so grave could
be presented under circumstances less favorable to conviction. But of
those who have enjoyed proper opportunities for a full investigation we
believe that fully three-fourths are convinced, as we are, that these
singular sounds and seeming manifestations are not produced by Mrs. Fox
and her daughters, nor by any human being connected with them.
"How they _are_ caused, and whence they proceed, are questions which
open a much wider field of inquiry, with whose way-marks we do not
profess to be familiar. He must be well acquainted with the arcana
of the universe who shall presume dogmatically to decide that these
manifestations are natural or supernatural. The ladies say that they
are informed that this is but the beginning of a new era or economy,
in which Spirits clothed in flesh are to be more closely and palpably
connected with those which have put on immortality; that the
manifestations have already appeared in many other families and are
destined to be diffused and rendered clearer, until all who will may
communicate freely and beneficially with their friends who have
'shuffled off this mortal coil.' Of all this we know nothing and shall
guess nothing. But if we were simply to print (which we shall not) the
questions we asked and the answers we received during a two hours'
uninterrupted conference with the 'rappers,' we should at once be
accused of having done so expressly to sustain the theory which
regards these manifestations as the utterances of departed spirits.
"We believe it is the intention of the ladies to shun henceforth all
publicity or notoriety as far as possible. They do not expect or wish to
make gain of the 'Rappings;' they have desired to vindicate their own
characters from the gross imputations so freely cast upon them;
believing that, that effected, they hope to be permitted hereafter to
live in that seclusion which befits their sex, their station, and their
wishes. We trust they may be permitted to do so.
"H. G."
A POEM.
The following clever verses (published in _The New York Sunday
Dispatch_) were from the pen of a gentleman who had been a vehement
opponent, but who, being an honest and good man, had not been able to
resist the evidences of the truth of "the Communion of Spirits." In
inserting them, the Editor exercises his prerogative in disregard of the
objections and vain veto of the author who was the subject of them.
When first Leah Brown
Became talked of through town,
And compared to the famed witch of Endor,
I thought 'twould be best
To apply the old test,
And to fagot and fire to send her.
In my zeal orthodox
To trap this sly Fox,
A terrible pit-fall I planned,
But she every one foils,
I was caught in her toils,
And, I own it, completely trepanned.
'Tis no wonder her spell
Should on every one tell,
And worm out our secrets by scores,
Her eye's such a piercer,
I never saw fiercer.
It made me leak out through my pores.
'Twas plain she saw through me,
Though Heaven beshrew me,
If I even myself could divine.
In my visage dyspeptic
She saw but a sceptic,
Her own was the reflex of mine.
For my doubts it was clear
I was soon to pay dear,
To this point all her efforts were pitched,
And I own it with shame,
She has managed that same,
For now I am fairly--_bewitched_.