A TABLE RAPPING STORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 131, 14 April 1864, Page 4

A TABLE RAPPING STORY.

The following extraordinary story is told by the Jiriftol 'J inns : —"I)r. , residing in the neighbourhood ot Bristol, had a son educated in liis own profession, who received a medical oppointment abroad. A few months ago the son resolved to return to and sailed fjy a British vessel bound for tile port of London, undertaking to give liis services as medical man in return tor his passage. When, however, tlie ship w;us on its way home, the young surgeon, after a short illness, died. The captain of the vessel, on reaching London communicated with Dr. —, and gave him an account of his son's death, handing him £■22, which lie said the latter had at the time of his demise: he also gave Dr. what he stated was a copy of the chip's log, in which all the circumstances were regularly given. Dr-— was so pleased with the captain's conduct that he made him a present of a gold pencil case as a proof ol his gratitude for kindness to his son. A few months after this Dr. —, who, from being quite a sceptic in spiritualism and spirit-rapping, is a believer of both, was with his wife at a scause of spiritualists in London, when a great agitation amongst the furniture of the room, and other symptons of spiritual disturbance were noticed; upon which the medium, who was a lady, stated that the apartment was full of spiuits, and that the unsefn visitors were evidentally desirous of making a communication to some of the company. The mediun was then asked to request that the spirit or spiriU would give some indication of the person present with whom they wished to communicate. Upon this a large table, without any appareut agency, was violently moved to the other side of the room, falling on its top close to Dr. . The spirit was then required, according to the usual fusion, to state who it was, when it rapped out the name of Dr. ■ 's deceased son, who died at sea, and who, to the terror of all present, intimated that he had died from poison. Dr. ■) wishing to ascertain whether ho was or was not do. ceived, asked the spirit for tome evidence of its reality, upon which the unseen visitor intimated the nature of the present which Dr. had «-iven to the. captain, un<l which he believed could have bees known to 110 one present. Dr. then asked if tlie poison was intentional, and the spirit rapped out that it might or might not be so; a discrepancy, course, noticed by more than one present. The spirit, however, proceeded to say that lie had leftist) when he died, whereas Dr. — oalv got £2-. Other particulars were entered into, and" altogether Dr.— so impressed witli the revelations that he paid a visit so the wife of the captain of the vessel who had remained in London, and from whom it was elicited that her husband hud stated to her that he feared Dr. 's son was poisoned, and that, instead of getting peppermint with some castor-oil when he was ill, lie got prussic acid. A copy oi tlw log was obtained from the owners of the ship, and found it differed most materially fn'" l that handed to him by the captain of the vessel. There were other mysterious circumstances connected with tlie affair, winch we are not at liberty to state; but altogether such strange secrete transpired" and there was something to unsatisfactory about the narrative given by the captain when it became scrutinised, that Dr. , we hear, has induced to consult an eniment criminal lawyer, with a view to ulterior proceedings. Dr. is u mai»of the big^' est professional and personal b-jurne Herald,