Experimental investigation of the spirit manifestations, [electronic ...

OF THE EXISTENCE OP SPIRITS. 319scratcliiiiL^ of a hard [ingfr-nail on a board, others like the creaking of adoor or window, kc. kc.I have hoard the time and metre of tunes beatenout with the utmost accuracy, and by several rappers in unison—not onlywhile tlie tune was being played or sung, but afterward, without accompaniment.And I am as certain that these sounds were not made by anyconscious mortal agency, as I am of the best-authenticated facts in thecommon transactions of life.1599. *' I have seen tables and light stands of various size moved about inthe most astonishing manner, by what purported to bethe same invisibleagency, with only the gentle and passive resting of the hands or finger-endsof the medium on one of their edges; also, many distinct movings ofsuch objects, by request, icWiout the touch of the medium at all. I havesat and conversed by the hour together with the authors of these soundsand motions, by means of signals first agreed on ;asking questions and obtaininganswers—receiving communications spelled out by the alphabetdiscussing propositions sometimes made by them to me, and vice versa)all by a slow process, indeed, but with every possible demonstration of intelligence,though not without incidental misapprehensions and mistakes.I have witnessed the asking of mental questions by inquirers, who receivedas prompt and correct answers as when the questions were asked audibly tothe cognition of the medium.1600. ''I have known these invisibles, by request, to write their nameswith a common plumbago pencil on a clean sheet of paper—half a dozenof them, each in a dificrent hand. To make sure of this, as an absolutefiict, the medium was required to lay her left hand, back downward, inthe hollow of a veracious person's hand, both open ;when a piece of pasteboardpaper was laid on her hand, a well-examined blank sheet of writingpaperplaced thereon, and a lead pencil on top of that; in which position(the medium's right hand being held up to view,) both the hands, withthese fixtures resting on them, were placed under the leaf of the table, asinsisted on by the writers.After a minute or two, at a given signal by thespirits that they had done, the paper was exhibited with various nameswritten thereon, as above affirmed. This was repeatedly tested with thesame results, under circumstances putting all suspicion of fraud and juggleryentirely at rest.IGOl. "1 have requested what purported to be the spirit of a friend,many years deceased, to go to a particular place, several miles distant fromthat of the sitting, and to bring me back intelligence respectingthe thenhealth and doings of a certain relative well known to the parties. Inthree minutes of time the intelligence was obtained, numerous particularsgiven, some of them rather improbable, but every one exactly confirmed thenext day by personal inquiries made for that purpose.1G02. "I have been requested by the invisibles to speak on a particularsubject, at a given time and place, w^ith the assurance that responses should