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

356 ADDITIONAL CORROBORATIVE EVIDENCEdays after, distinct communications sverc made by a spirit purporting to beDr. Phelps's daughter, who died at the age of twelve years. On beingquestioned, this spirit could not give any evidence of identity.1734. ^^ About the first of May several communications of a triflingcharacter were given. On one occasion the doctor asked if they would betroubled any more as they had been, when they answered by rapping thefollowing1735. "'Be not afraid that they will trouble you more,Though Ave have not quitted Connecticut shore.'173G. ''At another time certain characters were given, which were interpretedby the rapping as follows :' Evil one has gone, and better onehas come.' No communications were made after the early part of May,but some things occurred indicating their presence and desire for mischief.1737. ''At one time, on cutting a loaf of bread, there were found in itnails, pen-holders, small sticks, and tin, under circumstances which showedthat they must have been placed there after it was put on the table andbefore the fiimily were ready for tea. At one time Harry's hat was hidaway, and then his cap, and then another hat. He took his brother's capto use, and that was also taken away. On the evening of the 18 th ofJuly they set fire to some papers in the doctor's secretary, and some twentypapers and letters were burned before they were discovered.Fire was setat the same time to the papers in both the closets, under the stairs in thehall. They were discovered by the smoke. Two or three days after this,when some friends who had visited them were about to leave, their bonnetsand some other articles could not be found, although search was madein every part of the house, until the train by which they were to go toNew York had passed. They were at last found, locked into an enclosedwashstand, in a way that made it morally certain that they could not havebeen placed there by human hands.1738. " On the 29th of July Harry left to spend some time at New Lebanon,N. Y., and during his absence no manifestations were noticed, althoughthey were constantly on the look-out for something of the kind.Anna andher mother left for Philadelphia on the 25th of September, and they hadbeen so long exempt from annoyances that they hoped they had ceasedaltogether.But Harry had the manifestations at New Lebanon, and therewas first operated on, by invisible agency, to produce a magnetic sleep,into which he passed with a sudden shock. He had never been magnetizedbefore, although frequent attempts had been made to do so.In this statehe evinced all the phenomena common to good clairvoyance. On his returnto Stratford, on the 9th of October, the sounds accompanied him almostconstantly ; but they seemed less inclined to mischief than formerly, because,as they said, ' Harry had passed to a higher state, where the lowand ignorant spirits could not communicate with him.'1739. " On several occasions characters of a unique description were