Volume 7 - Iapsop.com

SPIBI7'U.AL SCIENTIST.
i ngly pale; aDd Perbaps rendered more prominently
80 by reason of the bnll' which Is black
and short.
Some two yel>J'S ago, raps upon a tnble dl­
,reeled the formation of a circle of six, the
, ,hwiband m4king seven. for development.
',. 'ThOse C>iJled ogreed \.0 Bit reguJlU'ly \.0 Bee
IVhat mi~bt b8 obtained. Then came Ule
reguI .... , order j rapo, levitation of the table
slate writing and form manIfestation.. Tbo
intelligence mo9lng the table and writing on
thoi slate gave the directions, and they were
faiihlnlly followed. Of oUler results, of the
manner In wblch tbo fOrms appeared and
wbat the cirele witnessed-tbis will be Ule
subject of a future art1ele.
A circle bevlng been ....ranged for the evening
we were present early and bad every
facility f,or investigation. The bouse w~erc
the circle wail 'beld Is on Charles street, a
. short di9tauee from Lbo villagQ cont,o., It'ls
a two BtOry and a half 8tructure, built alter a
phin quito common, in that section, and designed
for two families. A. gable-roof end
fai:es tbj, street. As it fronts, on the extremo
loft is one entrance, while tbo other Is on the
'rigbt, at tbe end of a piazza, thus giving an
entrance to the rear of WO bouse. It was
erected live years ago, and is owned by Mrs.
l',ckering, wbo occupies the last mentioned
apartment. Tbe circle room i. on tbe lower
1I00r, on a level with and bounded on oue
.iile by' the wall of tho piazza before melltioned,
on the end, and oU tbe second side,
by the partitions separating I: from We oWer
tenemebt. A pair of Iolding doors open in
the second eDd to the reception room of the
houso, whicb is entered by a door from the
pIazza, at a height of seven feet from the
OODr In the £omer of Lbe room, made by three
feet of the piazza side and three feet of the
lI .... t mentioned end, is fastened a slightly
. curved hoop, froID thia hange CUrtaiDII of
black velvet, and the top Is covered by a sin.
gle thickness of the same material. Thns it
will be .een tbat OD two .ides of tbo spac.
enclosed are blanl;t walls, on the the tbird,
the aingle' velvet curtains; above the velvet
covering, beneath a carpeted ftllOr. Tbe base
board was 8i" Inches high, mortised wiLli·a
elear sbarp joint. It continued wbole, On
either elae from the corner to the caIlement
01 D door, where aleo it was joined O·u.b. The'
walle were covered witb clear . light psper,
bavlng a omall figure. It would show quickly
. any cui or IiugcrlDg. Tbere was not a trace
of A CODCCnled cioSllt. To more elf~nclly
guard Qgainst the possibility of' there belng
anything of tbls nature, an eight foot shawl
,was lJIeked to the top of the eabinet above
IU>d \.0 the floor bfoneath, At either end nod in
the corDer. Tbls ebowecl one foot of the
&baIVI projecting beyond the point wbere the
curtain of the eabinet joined the wall, and
would bave qulc:kly Indicated any movement
of the wall Or baseboard. The room was nine
fool. higb. . Tberefore two fegt of the walls
showed between the top or the eahlnet and
ceilinguf the room.
In tho corner of the 1'001II opposite to the
cabinet, In au alcove m~de by the projection
of chimney, stood Mr. Pickering willi a commOn
oU lamp, really to Increase or diminish
its rays, as mIght be dictated. Tbe aitters
were formed In two rows. Tbe. first line of
cbalrs were distant aeven feet Irom the cur·
taine, elgbt Ieet frOID the medium. The sillters
Iii the second' row could by leaning forward
brlDg their faces on a line with those in
the Orst tow. My race was di8tant from seVen
to seven tnd a balf feet from the Cnrta1ns
doring the evening.
There wore fourteen persons io the eirde.
The developing clrde were preseot, also several
skeptics from tbe \.Own and two medl·
urn.. Tbe lalter with IlIree others were
visitors who bad como from a diStance. A
young lady presided at the plano, occasionally
sloging and asilisted by another when a duet
wonld be rendered. Tbe circle did not sing
once during tbo exening Dor were tbey requested
to. Tbe plano at times was silent,
aud 8eldom. played much louder than a music
box..
At 7.GO the IIgbt was lowered and the cir. ,
cle seated. Tbe light was at all tlPle8 bright
enougb for me to see the time by my watch
whlcb I beld In my band. On my knee lay
a note book and with pencil In band I record·
cd the tiI!l,e that each form appeared. Of teD
tbe IIg"bt W!lllld be suffiCiently brlgbt \.0 en·
able me to dlstlnguisb tbe lIgol'!!'ln the carpet
and the outlines of the .ubjcctsof the picture,
that buog on the opposite wall, 10 feet dis·
tant. The lamp It will be remembered was
in the corner on the .ame end and opPosite
tbe cabinet, so that th.. Interveuing space
between myself and tbe cabinet was even
i1llbter'than "herel eat. '
•. 55 tho PlanO having ceased playing there
Was a .lIgb~ru8tling In tbe cabinet and the
deep, beavy breathing of the metUum conld
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