BUFFALO. 1850-51.
URGED TO RETURN TO NEW YORK--VISIT TO BUFFALO--ATTEMPT BY A
PRETENDED FRIEND TO FRIGHTEN US AWAY--THUNDERBOLT FROM THE
BUFFALO COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER--THE "FEMALES"--KNEE-JOINT
THEORY--OUR REPLY CHALLENGING INVESTIGATION OF IT--THE DOCTORS'
DAY--MRS. PATCHEN'S PECULIARITY.
We all returned to our home in Rochester, but immediately started for
the old homestead (Arcadia, Wayne County), where for about a month we
enjoyed the society of our dear friends to our hearts' content. After
this it became necessary to go back to Rochester, where we received
urgent letters from New York, insisting on our return to that city, now
that we had had what our friends there thought a sufficient period of
repose and holiday. These invitations we refused, whatever might be the
conditions offered; but this soon brought upon us a visit of Judge
Edmonds and others, _in person_, who insisted, in the name of all our
friends, as well as in that of our "duty," that some of the family at
least should return with him to New York. This finally led, after much
persuasion and deliberation, to our consent that Katie, accompanied of
course by mother, should do so, and Maggie remained with me at my house
in Troup Street, Rochester. At New York mother and Katie were to reside
successively with our principal friends in the great city.
We left Rochester for Buffalo the 16th of December, 1850, at the
earnest solicitation of many friends there. It was our intention on
leaving home to be absent about two weeks, but, like the Spirits, we
could not calculate our time. When we had been there about two weeks, we
began to think of turning our steps homeward; but our friends would not
consent to our leaving them so soon, as the crowded séances and the
continued increasing interest seemed to demand our presence still
longer. We remained, and soon found why we were detained. About this
time two of the Buffalo doctors called on us, viz., Dr. C. B. Coventry
and Dr. Charles A. Lee. To my certain knowledge, Dr. Austin Flint never
appeared in our presence until after he had made the wonderful discovery
of "knee-ology," which is fully explained hereafter. Dr. Coventry
appeared gentlemanly at all times and places; but Dr. Lee proved himself
to be a wily, deceitful man. He certainly professed, to us, to be
greatly surprised at what he witnessed in our presence; and I was myself
afterward surprised at the manner and tone of the subsequent attacks
upon us in which he united.
The first intimation we had of the thunderbolt which was being forged to
be hurled upon us by the Buffalo doctors, from what they seemed to
consider as an Olympic height of professional authority, was a visit
which I received one morning from Dr. T. M. Foote, formerly U. S.
Minister to Bogota, and at this time editor of _The Buffalo Commercial
Advertiser_. He professed to come as our friend, and with a gentle
blandness and confidential tone advised me to leave Buffalo at once,
suggesting that the first train would leave in about two hours; that the
whole thing was now found out and exposed, and that he came to save us
from being mobbed out of the city. I suppose now that our oily friend in
his own evil heart imagined us to be really frauds, and that I would
probably be frightened into flight; or, at any rate, give evidence of
conscious guilt in the mode of receiving such a friendly warning. For a
moment or two I scarcely understood his meaning; but then I asked,
with my best haughtiness, what right he had to come to my door, at our
private hours, without sending up his card; and I stepped back into my
room, shutting and locking the door in his face, and at once rang the
bell, more violently than was perhaps lady-like, but so as to bring the
porter very promptly to the door, near which my visitor was still
standing. I told the porter to beg Mr. Rogers, the good and kind
proprietor of the house, to step up, and to him I complained that _that
man_ had dared to come to my door, within my private hours, without
first sending up his card for permission; that he had insulted me, and
that I begged he might never be admitted again under any circumstances.
Of course I knew well enough who "that man" was, for he had often been
at our rooms, and had entertained us with stories of the tricks of
legerdemain he had witnessed in South America. He was here an important
and potent personage, being an ex-diplomatist and editor of an evening
paper. From his other title, I suppose he must once have also been of
the same profession as the three M.D.'s whose attack on us was already
in type in his columns, as I soon afterward knew by the news-boys' cries
of "The Rochester Knockings! Great Exposure of the Rochester Knockings!"
If the Rochester knockings were an imposture, nobody was more imposed
upon by them than myself, and nobody could have had a greater interest
in learning how they were produced. I therefore sent out to buy a copy
of _The Commercial Advertiser_ of February 18, 1851, still damp from the
press, in which I read the following authoritative scientific account of
the way in which, for now nearly three years, my little sisters and
myself had been wearing out our knee-bones to impose upon the world,
our family, and ourselves! And this is what I read:
"TO THE EDITOR OF _The Commercial Advertiser_:
"Curiosity having led us to visit the rooms at the Phelps House in
which two females from Rochester--Mrs. Fish and Miss Fox--profess to
exhibit striking manifestations from the Spirit world, by means of
which communion may be had with deceased friends, etc.; and having
arrived at a physiological explanation of the phenomena, the
correctness of which has been demonstrated in an instance which has
since fallen under our observation, we have felt that a public
statement is called for which may perhaps serve to prevent a further
waste of time, money, and credulity (to say nothing of sentiment and
philosophy) in connection with this so long successful imposition.
"The explanation is reached, almost by a logical necessity, on the
application of a method of reasoning much resorted to in the
diagnosis of diseases--namely, _the reasoning by exclusion_.
"It was reached by this method prior to the demonstration which has
subsequently occurred.
"It is to be assumed, first, that the manifestations are not to
be regarded as spiritual, provided they can be physically or
physiologically accounted for. Immaterial agencies are not to be
invoked until material agencies fail. We are thus to _exclude_
Spiritual causation in this stage of the investigation.
"Next, it is taken for granted that the _rappings_ are not produced
by artificial contrivances about the persons of the females, which
may be concealed by the dress. This hypothesis is excluded because
it is understood that the females have been repeatedly and carefully
examined by lady committees.
"It is obvious that the rappings are not caused by machinery
attached to tables, doors, etc., for they are heard in different
rooms, and in different parts of the same room in which the females
are present, but always near the spot where the females are
stationed. This mechanical hypothesis is then to be excluded. So
much for negative evidence, and now for what positively relates to
the subject.
"On carefully observing the countenances of the two females it is
evident that they involve an effort of the will. They evidently
attempted to conceal any indications of voluntary effort, but did
not succeed. A voluntary effort was manifested, and it was plain
that it could not be continued very long without fatigue. Assuming,
then, this _positive fact_, the inquiry arises, how can the will be
exerted to produce sounds (rappings) without obvious movements of
the body? The voluntary muscles themselves are the only organs, save
those which belong to the mind itself, over which volition can
exercise any direct control. But contractions of the muscles do not,
in the muscles themselves, occasion obvious sounds. The muscles,
therefore, to develop audible vibrations, must act upon parts with
which they are connected. Now, it was sufficiently clear that the
rappings were not _vocal_ sounds; these could not be produced
without movements of the respiratory muscles, which would at
once lead to detection. Hence, excluding vocal sounds, the only
_possible_ source of the noises in question, produced as we have
seen they must be, by voluntary muscular contractions, is in one
or more of the movable articulations of the skeleton, from the
anatomical construction of the voluntary muscles. This explanation
remains as the _only alternative_.
"By an analysis prosecuted in this manner we arrive at the
conviction that the _rappings_, assuming that they are not
spiritual, are produced by the action of the will, through voluntary
action on the joints.
"Various facts may be cited to show that the motion of the joints,
under certain circumstances, is adequate to produce the phenomena
of the rappings; but we need not now refer to these. By a curious
coincidence, after arriving at the above conclusion respecting the
source of the sounds, an instance has fallen under our observation,
which demonstrates the fact that noises precisely identical with the
_spiritual rappings_ may be produced in the _knee-joints_.
"A highly respectable lady of this city possesses the ability of
developing sounds similar, both in character and degree, to those
professedly elicited, by the Rochester impostors, from the Spirit
world. We have witnessed the production of the sounds by the lady
referred to, and have been permitted to examine the mechanism by
which they are produced. Without entering at this time into a very
minute anatomical and physiological explanation, it is sufficient to
state that the muscles inserted into the upper and inner side of the
large bone of the leg (the tibia), near the knee-joint, are brought
into action so as to move the upper surface of the bone just named
laterally upon the lower surface of the thigh bone (the femur),
giving rise, in fact, to a partial lateral dislocation.[10] This is
effected by an act of the will, without any obvious movement of the
limb, occasioning a loud noise, and the return of the bone to its
place is attended by a second sound. Most of the Rochester rappings
are double. It is practicable, however, to produce a single sound by
moving the bone out of place with the requisite quickness and force,
and allowing it to slide slowly back, in which case it is noiseless.
"The visible vibrations of articles in the room, situated near the
operator, occur, if the limb, or any portion of the body, is in
contact with them at the time the sounds are produced. The force of
the semi-dislocation of the bone is sufficient to occasion distinct
jarring of the doors, tables, etc., if in contact. The intensity of
the sound may be varied in proportion to the force of the muscular
contractions, and this will render the apparent source of the
rappings more or less distinct.
"We have witnessed repetitions of experiments, in the case just
referred to, sufficient to exhibit to us all the phenomena of the
sounds belonging to the Rochester rappings, and, without further
explanations at this time, we append our names in testimony of the
facts contained in the foregoing hastily penned exposition.
"AUSTIN FLINT, M. D., }
"CHARLES A. LEE, M. D., } University
"C. B. COVENTRY, M. D., } of Buffalo.
"February 17, 1851."
[10] This article was also published in the Buffalo Medical
Journal for March, 1851, with a note saying that the _editor_
had _taken the liberty_ to "correct an error in the account of
the displacement of the joint which produces the sounds." That
correction was of the sentence we have italicized, and the
editorial correction reads as follows:
"Without entering, at this time, into minute anatomical and
physiological explanation, it is sufficient to state that,
_owing to relaxation of the ligaments of the knee-joint, by
means of muscular action and pressure of the lower extremity
against a point of resistance, the large bone of the leg_ (the
tibia) is moved laterally upon the lower surface of the thigh
bone (the femur), giving rise, in fact, to partial lateral
dislocation."
By comparing the portion italicized, in this note especially, it
will be seen that the "doctors disagreed" very materially,
making, in fact, two different statements.
I had been so indignant at Dr. Foote's first intimation to me of what
was coming, that if, when I slammed the door in his face, it had
happened to come in contact with his nose, which he had so impertinently
and hypocritically attempted to intrude into our rooms, I fear I should
not have much regretted the accident; but anger evaporated over the
perusal of this precious scientific performance; which was certainly
enough to make me smile aloud over its absurdity. I saw at once that we
could have nothing to fear from it, even though, at the first blush, its
solemn professional air and tone might impose upon the ignorant and
gratify the bigotry of some hostilities. I knew that the first sincere
investigation, with special reference to this new and comical knee-joint
theory, must at once explode it and cover its authors with confusion. I
published the next day, in all the daily papers, the following card. It
will be remembered that I was now alone in Buffalo with Maggie; mother
and Katie being at New York.
"TO DOCTORS FLINT, COVENTRY, and LEE:
"GENTLEMEN--We observe, by a communication in _The Commercial
Advertiser_, that you have recently made an examination of a 'highly
respectable lady of this city,' by which you have discovered the secret
of the 'Rochester impostors.' As we do not feel willing to rest under
the imputation of being impostors, we are very willing to undergo a
proper and decent examination, provided we can select three male and
three female friends who shall be present on the occasion.
"We can assure the public that there is no one more anxious than
ourselves to discover the origin of these mysterious manifestations.
If they can be explained on 'anatomical and physiological' principles,
it is due to the world that the investigation be made, and that the
'humbug' be exposed. As there seems to be much interest manifested by
the public on that subject, we would suggest that as early an
investigation as is convenient would be acceptable to the undersigned.
"A. LEAH FISH.
"MARGARETTA FOX."
The learned professors, being thus challenged, could do no less than
accept, and a meeting was arranged, which took place at the Phelps
House. Indeed, for the next fortnight we may be said to have surrendered
our whole time to investigations, our rooms being open freely and
gratuitously to meetings of the public, or of committees appointed by
them, consisting of gentlemen selected from "the pick" of Buffalo. The
three doctors had the first evening in their own hands; though there
were present Mr. Rogers, the proprietor of the hotel, and I think two or
three gentlemen friendly to us, and many other promiscuous gentlemen.
I remember particularly the presence of two steamboat men (idle, of
course, at that season), Captains Rounds and Walker. This is fixed in my
recollection because of a little incident in regard to which I have
never been sure which of them was the (kindly) guilty party. They both
felt a pity--natural to good and kindly men--for two young creatures
thus baited, as it were by cruel enemies; and as we, Maggie and I, sat
together on a sofa, and after long waiting no raps came, one of them
rested his arm on the back of the sofa and actually, with his knuckles,
made behind me three raps which were not a bad imitation. Perhaps he was
not more than half conscious of what he did, like the boy who denied
that he had whistled in school and said "it whistled itself." But I knew
the raps not to be genuine; while the kindness of heart of the author of
them at such a moment of trial excited in me something perhaps a little
hysterical, for I cried, or rather sobbed out--"O, for pity's sake,
don't do that. If God and the good Spirits have deserted us we will
abide the consequences; but don't let there be any false rapping." Good
Mr. Rogers was so much moved and excited (he had been before wiping
streams of perspiration from his forehead) that he staggered as he
stood, and some friends assisted him out of the room; and I understood
that he actually fainted.
But the good Spirits had inspired me well; for I was afterward told that
it produced the best effect on all present. From this I presume that I
must except the doctors, whom professional dignity and pride committed
to their new theory; and who, probably under the materialistic bigotry
of modern science, were all in arms against us and the Spirits. The
spontaneous genuineness of it was clear evidence that there was nothing
but honesty in us, whatever mystery might be under these strange
manifestations--mysterious to ourselves first and most of all.
It was certainly a severe and cruel ordeal for us, as we sat there under
that accusation, surrounded by all these men, authorities, some of them
persecutors, while the raps, usually so ready and familiar, would not
come to our relief. Some few and faint ones did indeed come--some nine
or ten. The doctors say in their account that it was while they
intermitted the holding of our feet. Such was not my impression, but I
attach small importance to that. It will be seen herein that the first
_Doctors' day_ was followed by many more, in the presence of committees
of all that was highest and best of authority in Buffalo, in which not
only did the raps abound, alike when our feet and knees were held and
when they were not, but other manifestations of the presence and action
of our Spirit-friends which far transcended the significancy of raps.
We are now familiar with the fact that Spirits often refuse to act in
the presence of those who bring to the occasion, not a candid and fair
spirit of inquiry for the satisfaction of an honest scepticism, but a
bitter and offensive bigotry of prejudice and invincible hostility,
which does not really seek, but rather repels the truth, and but little
deserves the favor of its exhibition to them by the Spirits.
Neither men nor Spirits care always to cast their pearls away upon unfit
and unworthy recipients. Our Spirits knew well what they could and would
exhibit on the following days to the public of Buffalo and the world,
through better channels of higher authority.
The three doctors published their account, the animus of which appears
in the one circumstance that we are never mentioned but as "females"--a
small fact, but enough to show how some males may be M.D.'s without
being gentlemen.
The following extracts from their account of it will present the whole
of its substance:
"The two females were seated upon two chairs placed near together,
their heels resting on cushions, their lower limbs extended, with
the toes elevated and the feet separated from each other. The object
of this experiment was to secure a position in which the ligaments
of the knee-joint should be made tense, and no opportunity offered
to make a pressure with the foot. We were pretty well satisfied that
the displacement of the bones requisite for the sounds could not be
effected, unless a fulcrum were obtained by resting one foot upon
the other, or on some resisting body. The company waited half an
hour, but no sounds were heard in this position.
"The position of the younger sister was then changed to a sitting
posture, with lower limbs extended on the sofa, the elder sister
sitting, in the customary way, at the other extremity of the sofa.
The 'Spirits' did not choose to signify their presence under these
circumstances, although repeatedly requested so to do. The latter
experiment went to confirm the belief that the younger sister alone
produced the rapping. These experiments were continued until the
females themselves admitted that it was useless to continue any
longer at that time, with any expectation of _manifestations_ being
made.
"In resuming the usual position on the sofa, the feet resting
on the floor, the _knockings_ soon began to be heard. It was then
suggested that some other experiments be made. This was assented to,
notwithstanding the first was to our minds amply conclusive. The
experiment selected was, that the knees of the two females be firmly
grasped, with the hands so applied that any lateral movement of
the bones would be perceptible to the touch. The pressure was made
through the dress. It was not expected to prevent the sounds, but to
ascertain if they proceeded from the knee-joint. It is obvious that
this experiment was far less demonstrative to an observer than the
first, because, if the bones were distinctly felt to move, the only
evidence of this fact would be the testimony of those whose hands
were in contact with them. The hands were kept in apposition for
several minutes at a time, and the experiments repeated frequently,
for the space of half an hour or more, with negative results; that
is to say, there were plenty of _raps_ when the knees were not held,
and none when the hands were applied, save once; as the pressure was
intentionally somewhat relaxed (Dr. Lee being the holder) two or
three faint single _raps_ were heard, and Dr. Lee immediately
averred that the motion of the bone was plainly perceptible to him.
The experiment of seizing the knees as quickly as possible, when
the knocking first commenced, was tried several times, but always
with the effect of putting an immediate _quietus_ upon the
_demonstrations_.
"The proposition to bandage the knees was discussed. The experiment
was objected to, on the part of the friends of the females, unless
we could concede that it should be a conclusive test experiment. We
were not prepared with appliances to render the limb immovable, and
therefore declined to have it considered such a test.
"This was the experiment anticipated, and one which, we presume, the
females thought would end in their triumph. A bandage applied above
and below the patella, admitting of flexion of the limb, will
probably prevent the displacement, as we have but little doubt had
been ascertained by the Rochester females before an examination was
invited. Should it become necessary to repeat experiments in other
places, in furtherance of the explosion of the imposition, we would
suggest that the bandage be not relied upon."
* * * * *
"Had our experiments, which were first directed to this joint,
failed, we should have proceeded to interrogate, experimentally,
other articulations. But the conclusion seemed clear that the
_Rochester Knockings_ emanate from the knee-joint."
The name of the lady referred to, who had some extraordinary formation
of the joint in one of her knees, was Mrs. Patchen. (At the close of
this chapter the reader will find some letters from her to me.) She
could produce a peculiar, unpleasant, crunching sound by pressing her
knee forward against some resisting object, and then kicking, as it
were, upward her foot by a movement which lifted her dress and was
obviously visible to persons present. But it was with great effort and
very painful to herself, and the consequence of her having exhibited it
to a committee at our rooms was that she was confined for about a week.
The way her peculiar case had come to their knowledge was this: One
night, when her husband had returned late from one of our meetings and
stated the cause of his delay, she told him, in joke, that she could
make raps with her knee-joint, and that he should rather pay her than
us. She could also make them in bed, having a side-board on which she
could press the knee. The next day her husband mentioned this to Dr.
Austin Flint, who happened to be his family physician. The medical
eagerness to rush forth with their address to the public above quoted,
with little if any investigation, is shown by the fact that it was on
the following day that the scientific tirade against us, signed by the
three doctors, appeared in _The Commercial Advertiser_. It is most
charitable to suppose that they never really heard Mrs. Patchen's
peculiar sound, because it was manifest to all who afterward heard it at
our rooms, that it bore no resemblance to the knocking of our invisible
friends, since otherwise there is no escape from a still more
discreditable alternative.
Mrs. Patchen was greatly annoyed at the use to which this rare
peculiarity of hers had been perverted. She came to see me and
expressed her deep regret, even before we recognized each other as old
school-mates; and the following letters, written after she had heard
and witnessed for herself (the originals of which I still possess),
sufficiently speak for themselves. The date of the doctors' attack was
February 18, 1851.
"SATURDAY, March 8, 1851.
"MY DEAR MRS. FISH:
"Can you and your sister possibly make it convenient to come to my house
this afternoon? If not, do come this evening without fail. You will
confer a great favor by so doing. I want to see you both very much.
"Your ever dear friend,
"MRS. PATCHEN.
"P.S. I did not send your little satchel, as I wanted you to come and
see me yourself. Please send an answer by the little boy."
"BUFFALO, March 21, 1851.
"DEAR FRIENDS, MRS. FISH AND SISTER:
"I have been anxiously waiting to see you at our home again.
"The Phelps House is so crowded I could not see you privately for a
moment. I do want to see you very much. I have heard so much of your
'manifestations'--not yours, but the manifestations of the Spirits. They
are very mysterious; it is very singular. My husband was at your rooms
last evening, but he thought it not best for me to come in such a crowd.
I wish you could disengage yourselves for one afternoon or evening as
soon as you possibly can. I never before felt so deeply interested in
the subject. I cannot possibly wait a week. Please send word when you
will come.
"Faithfully yours,
"MRS. PATCHEN."
This is the lady through whom Dr. Flint endeavored to expose us to the
world as humbugs and impostors.