A SPIRIT PEELS A BANANA, AND EATS SOME OF IT, AND DIVIDES THE REST IN FOUR
EQUAL PARTS--REPORTS OF CINCINNATI ENQUIRER ABOUT SPIRIT SEANCES AT MRS.
GREEN'S.
I desire to speak of a recent manifestation, which baffles my ability to
understand, and proves that spirits by some chemical process are enabled
to operate upon material substances and cause them to vanish. I only give
one instance, and leave the reader to his own reflections and to adopt his
own theory. I shall simply give the fact as it occurred.
I have a little grand daughter, Julia Muth, in the spirit world. When in
the form she was partially fond of bananas. On the occasion of the recent
anniversary of her eighth birthday, the 13th of July, 1882, I went to Mrs.
Green for a seance, taking with me a large banana. These slate-writing
seances, as has been heretofore explained, take place in the full light. I
sat, as usual, opposite to Mrs. Green, with the small stand between us. I
placed the fruit on a slate, with a short letter of greeting, and put it
under the covering of the stand, while Mrs. Green held another slate of
her own. The spirits, after writing on Mrs. Green's slate for about an
hour, wrote as follows: "Grandpa, take your slate from under the stand,"
which I immediately did, and on the slate was written, "I peeled the
banana, and ate some of it, too; your little Julia Muth."
We removed the cloth covering from the stand and found the peelings on
the floor, and on my slate the banana divided in four equal parts after
the end piece had disappeared. We searched diligently, but without our
effort being rewarded by the discovery of the missing portion of the
fruit. Whither had it gone?
The _Cincinnati Daily Enquirer_ is a leading as well as an extensively
circulated paper, published at Cincinnati, Ohio, and, in October, 1881,
Mrs. Green was visited by a reporter of that paper, who was present at two
of her trumpet seances. Although probably not a believer, he turned out to
be a fair minded man who would not allow his prejudices, if he had any, to
interfere with an honest account of what he saw and witnessed. In three
issues of that paper, to wit, October 16th, 18th and 21st, 1881, appeared
his report of a visit to Mrs. Green, and two seances he attended. They are
here inserted, in the order of the dates given.
Issue of October 16th:
"In a neatly furnished suit of rooms over No. 309 Longworth street lives
Mrs. L. S. Green, a spiritualist medium. Upon her last evening a
representative of the _Enquirer_ called. He was cordially received by the
lady's husband, being tendered a seat in a parlor in which was a piano, a
pretty set of furniture; while an old-fashioned kerosene lamp threw its
brightest rays over the room from a mantel-piece. Seated in a
rocking-chair was Mrs. Green, plainly dressed, of a modest and retiring
disposition, and features that stamped her as a faithful and loving wife.
The mission of the newspaper man was quickly explained. Her husband
replied that as a rule mediums avoided reporters, as they were liable to
distort and ridicule their statements. But where the thing is conducted
honestly and openly, 'I can not,' he said, 'see what we have to fear from
publication.'
"In reply to a question, Mrs. Green said that she was about thirty-eight
years old, and had been a clairvoyant since 1868, her first mediumistic
inclinations having developed that year. Her history since that time as a
spiritualist has been quite full of interest. Previous to her becoming a
medium she was a member of the Christian Church, and was as great a
skeptic as one could find. So, in fact, was her husband. While a member of
the Indiana Legislature in 1867 he attended a seance, where he received a
message from his dead mother. At a subsequent one, another spiritual
letter came to him, telling him that his wife possessed the powers of a
medium, and asking him to bring her to one of the circles. After some
persuasion he finally gained her consent to go. She there saw her first
spirits, that of an uncle of the medium of the assemblage, who had his
head cut off by a train of cars. From that time her powers began to
develop, showing themselves in messages that she wrote on paper or beheld
in the air. Spirits as high as five hundred a day presented themselves to
her view. Her continued increase as a medium so worked upon her that she
lost her health, and she was compelled for the time being to abandon the
business. About twelve months ago she resumed her writing--this time on
slates. Messages Were written on the inside of folded slates, and often,
after a seance, a fluid would be found on the outside of the slate, which,
unless washed off then, could never be removed. This had been taken to
chemist after chemist for analysis, and one and all had failed to make any
thing out of it.
"One evening a small lock of hair was found in the corner of the slate, in
the center of which was a small lead pencil. At that time this was
believed to have been placed there by some one in the circle. It was
folded in a piece of paper to be retained, but the next day it
disappeared. From this time out Mrs. Green's materializing abilities
began. She had great success in her seances, and frequently described
catastrophes which, on the following morning, were found to be exceedingly
accurate. She foreshadowed the explosion of the steamer Pat Rogers, and
graphically described the collision of the United States with the America.
The details of a fire at a neighboring place one evening were recited by
her. The next day it was learned that the hour and facts were most
wonderfully correct.
"While the reporter and his friend were talking Mrs. Green called their
attention to two spirits who were standing besides them, one a
brother-in-law of the first-named, and the other a friend of the latter
who died twelve years ago. Both were accurately described, much to the
surprise and astonishment of the two skeptics. Mrs. Green, in explaining
her power, said that she was entirely controlled by one spirit, and that
when she first began to work it was shown by slaps on the hand, by shocks
in her arms, etc. She did only as her influence compelled her to act, and
while writing, etc., she knew not what she did, much to the surprise and
astonishment of the two skeptics. Many startling results of seances were
recited, such as the sounding of trumpets, the ringing of bells, singing,
and the appearance of different spirits were detailed."
Insertion of October 18th:
"Mrs. L. S. Green, the medium, gave a seance last evening to a few
friends at her house, No. 309 Longworth street. There were five people
present, three of whom were skeptics of the worst kind. The gathering was
seated in a medium-sized; plainly-furnished room. In the center was a
small stand, over which was placed a heavy green spread. As an opening,
the lady took a small slate upon which was laid a bit of slate pencil.
This she held with one hand in under the table, and several messages were
written on it in a clear and distinct hand. Then the cloth was removed,
and on the table were placed a bell, two slates, washed clean, a glass of
water, and a leather trumpet. At some distance from the medium stood a
guitar, leaning against the wall, and a large trumpet, while near the
newspaper man were two small trumpets. The light was then extinguished,
the doors locked, and the seance begun. All took hold of hands, and one of
the party sang. In a few minutes came a gentle tapping on the slates, then
the bell rang violently, seeming to pass through air, returning and
falling on the floor. The various members were touched about the face and
body, and one exceedingly lady-like spirit took occasion to rub her hand
down the reporter's face, testing fully the power of his nervous system.
Singing was continued, when the guitar was heard to play, rising in the
air, apparently passing around over the different persons' heads, hitting
them lightly in the face, and finally landing in the reportorial lap.
"A breathing spell was taken when one of the party varied the programme
with a selection upon the orgamina. The favorite old song, 'John Brown,'
was given, and it pleased the spirits hugely, as a deep bass voice was
heard to join in with an occasional blast from the trumpet. Then the
trumpet took a trip around the circle, announcing its coming with a rap on
the head or shoulders of each one. The bell rose in the air tingling
rapidly and landed this time on the table. The familiar taps on the person
were continued, then there was a tremendous note from the trumpet, and a
sweet voice joined in with Mrs. Green, as she sang, 'Nearer My God to
Thee.' Although the manifestations were quite good, especially to the
reporter, who was continually dodging imaginary trumpets and blows, the
medium said the weather was bad for the most satisfactory work. The
spirits announced that they were about ready to depart by a loud rap on
the table and a sprinkling of those present with water. The light being
turned on, the following communication was found on one of the slates:
"'Good evening, gentlemen. We are glad to meet you. The spirit band of the
medium authorize and request me to thank the representative of that great
metropolitan journal, the _Enquirer_, for the terms employed in reference
to their medium and her gifts in yesterday's issue of that paper. This
treatment, so rare, betokens a spirit of candor and fairness commensurate
with this transcendently important subject. We extend you a cordial
invitation to visit us whenever and as often as it suits your convenience,
and we shall always endeavor to treat you with courtesy and respect.
"'NETTIE.'
"The lines were very regular, the i's and t's are dotted, and the
signature was especially plain, it being the name of one of Mrs. Green's
controls."
The third and last appeared in the issue of October 21st, and is as
follows:
"QUITE INTERESTING--A SEANCE HELD LAST EVENING--SKEPTICS AND BELIEVERS
ASSEMBLE TOGETHER.
"A very interesting seance was held last evening at the residence of Mrs.
L. S. Green, 309 Longworth street. Seven persons were present, including
two mediums. The spirits were unusually frisky, and the manifestations
were particularly gratifying to the believers, and rather dumbfounding to
the skeptics. The arrangements and room were the same as in the others
previously described, except that there were more musicians present. Very
excellent music was rendered by an orgamina, a violin, a guitar, and a
music-box. The selections given were sweet enough to summon the most
bashful friends of the medium from their spiritualistic retreat. The
departed were less inclined to epistolary efforts, and slate-writing was
not conducted with any favorable results.
"During the evening one of the gentlemen sang a Swedish song, accompanying
himself on the guitar. A female voice at one time, and a powerful bass
later, were heard plainly in concert with him. The human singer alleged
quite emphatically that his spiritual aids rendered the air in the same
language he did. The guitar took numerous trips around the room, sometimes
high in the air, again touching those present on the head and different
parts of the body. A huge tin trumpet was blown most furiously, the blast
sounding like the greatest effort of the bass-horn. Then it was pounded
and thumped, creating a most awful din. This was explained as being the
doings of a very powerfully materialized spirit. The statement was
acquiesced in by a skeptic, who received a vigorous whack on the knee,
fully convincing him that muscle, lots of it, too, backed the trumpet.
"A little music-box was taken from the table and wafted through the room,
playing its peculiarly sweet airs all the time as it sailed toward the
ceiling and over those about the table. It could be heard in every corner,
high and low, and if a medium or friend was carrying it, said person must
have been exceedingly lively, climbing over chairs, a bed, etc., without
making any noise. It was claimed that when the box ran down it was wound
up by those who took it through the air.
"Whenever songs were sung, or selections were played upon the instruments,
soprano or bass voices joined in plain to all present. Members were
delicately touched in the face and body. The tolling of a great bell was
most cleverly imitated, and a little one was rung frequently. The spirits
of loved ones were reported as standing at the sides of different members,
some of whom were quickly recognized by the description given. Water was
sprinkled on all, and the goblet filled with this fluid was passed around,
touching some in the face, others on the body. No communications were
received except very brief ones."