An examination of the envelope marked No. 1, by cutting it open at the
edges, revealed the same story of fraud: three of the seals had been cut
out, and replaced.
An examination of No. 2, in the same way, readily disclosed the reason
why the Spirits had failed to answer, although the question assuredly
presented no greater difficulties than in No. 1. An attempt had been
made to start two of the seals, but meeting with unexpected resistance
in the silk stitches, and finding that further effort would end in
tearing the envelope in a very palpable and mundane fashion, the Spirits
had grown disheartened and taciturn.
We shall meet this Medium again, but for the present we will leave him,
after pausing for a minute over his business card, which, after stating
his terms in prosaic dollars and cents, thus apostrophizes his
clientele:
"From the bright stars,
And viewless air
Sweet Spirit, if thy home be there,
Answer me.--Answer me."
Happily my experience enables me to remove all doubt as to the locality
of the Spirit's 'home,' and to state with positiveness its exact
location. But like the German philologist's example of the remarkable
incongruity in English between spelling and pronunciation, that what was
written 'Boz' was pronounced 'Charles Dickens,' so I cheerfully add to
this list of incongruities that what is written 'bright stars' is
pronounced 'Boston,' and 'viewless air' is pronounced 'Dartmouth
Street.'
I next turned my attention to Mr. R.W. Flint in New York. From him I
received the following circular in answer to my inquiries:
"DEAR
I am controlled by one spirit, purporting to be my guide who is the
scribe for the spirits, delivering (in his own hand-writing) what
is dictated to him by the spirit of communicating.
I am in a normal (not trance) state, but unconscious of the
composition.
My hand is moved to write from right to left (backwards),
independent of my will.
By holding the written side up to the light, the answer can be
read.
The spirit-letters should be SECURELY sealed, addressed to the
spirit, giving his or her name in full, and signed by the writer's
name in full; but no address on the envelope.
When left open they cannot be answered, my agency being efficient
only when my mind is passive, and blank to both questions and
answers.
Put your questions clearly, directly, briefly. The mixed and many
kinds defeat the object of the investigator.
I have my photograph for sale, exhibiting my Spirit Guide's hand
and arm, or form of control; taken while answering a sealed
letter."
[The terms here follow, with honorable notification that the money is
returned in all cases when the letters are not answered.]
It will be noted that this Medium's 'Spirit-guide' requires the names in
full of both Spirit and writer; I was, therefore, forced to select a
Spirit who knew not only me and my ways, but also the high value that is
placed on that skull. Mindful that eminent Spiritual authority had
pronounced this skull to be that of a colored woman, I decided, after
deliberation, to address the Spirit of W---- H----, a colored servant,
who had lived over forty years in one family a faithful, blameless life,
and who, when he died, carried with him the respect and regards of the
entire household, and whose widow and daughters still survive in honest,
humble life, and to whose ears this apparent freedom with their
husband's and father's name will never reach. Accordingly, the following
note was addressed to the Spirit world:
'Dear W---- H----. Can you tell me anything about the owner, when alive,
of the skull here in the Library? You remember how anxious I have always
been to have my ignorance on this score enlightened. Have you any
message to send to your wife, M---- F----? Are you happy now? Your old
friend, Horace Howard Furness.'
This letter was put in an envelope, which was gummed and sealed with
five simple seals, without the impenetrable stitches of silk, and
enclosed with the fee to Mr. Flint. It was received again in a few days
with this note:--'Dear Sir--I gave your sealed Spirit-letter three
sittings and regret to state that I have been unable to get an answer.
My Guide at each sitting wrote and said, the Spirit called upon is not
present to dictate an answer.' The fee was also returned.
An examination of the envelope by cutting at the edges, as in the
previous experiment, showed that the 'Spirit arm' of the Guide of Mr.
Flint had not the nerve of Dr. Mansfield. I was at a loss to know why it
stopped; it was going along in the removal of the seals very nicely; to
be sure the paper was tearing perilously near where the rent could be
detected from the outside, but with only a little more of Dr.
Mansfield's pluck, and the Spirit of W---- H---- would have been
present, and the fee pocketed. However, from whatever cause, whether
fright or repentance, the 'flighty purpose was o'ertook,' and the Medium
supposed that a little mucilage would 'clear him of the deed.'
Next I turned to Mrs. Eleanor Martin, in Columbus, Ohio. Without writing
a fresh letter, I sent her the same letter to W---- H----, which had
been returned to me from Mr. Flint, and the envelope was sealed in the
simple easy way with five seals, but no silk stitches.
To this came the following response:
'Columbus, Ohio, March 25th, '85.
... Please find enclosed your sealed letter, also the messages, and my
terms. I learn from the messages, your letter was written upon the
Spiritual topic. My terms being $1.00. But in your case I find the
messages are at a greater length than many and according to request of
the Spirit "Belle" I paint the little white rose as her nature. Most
truly, Eleanor Martin.
First message, written by one of my Guides in Spirit for the following
persons: