CONFESSIONS OF A SPIRITUALIST (Scotsman.)

Otago Witness, Issue 930, 25 September 1869, Page 11

CONFESSIONS OF A SPIRITUALIST (Scotsman.)

Some most amusing confessions of a spiritualist have been made public. A gentleman lately residing in London details how he cajoled some of his friends into believing him to be a medium. He , got his reputation very cheaply indeed. He convinced tho inmates of his house 1 that he was in communication with the spirit world by making hideous noises in his room at midnight ; and \y , turning a table with hid foot, and attributing the " manifestations " to unaeen agency, he removed all doubt from the minds of the most incredulous. He soon became the talk of the neighbourhood, and by and by four friends of his — an artist, a surgeon, a member of the Civil Service, and a candidate for Holy Orders— sought to have a s ana, from him. He consulted to give them one, and fixing the day, occupied the meantime in making all kinds of inquiries. He obtained admittance to the lodgings of one, discovered the baptismal register of another, unearthed the "secreta" of the third, &c." He prepared a round table for the occasion, so that it easily produced raps, and bought a very small musical instrument. His friends, on the night when the' manifestations were to be made, first treated the matter as a joke : nor were they convinced when the table spun round, and a few (to them unmeaning) raps were heard ; but when the questions they put were answered, and those not answered skilfully parried, they began to wear grave faces, and to think there might be something in tho matter after all. The rest of the story is best told in the words of the so-thought Spiritualist himself — " The answers wore procured by my repeating the alphabet, and on the repetition of certain letters, I would press the table, which would return a knock, and the letters being put together would form the answer. ' Spirit,' I said, addressing the table, ' who and what are you V I put my foot under the table, lifted it off the ground suddenly, and brought it down with violence. My friends were alarmed. * Oh,' I replied, ' they are angry with us because of asking that question. We must conciliate them.' ' Spirits,' I said, again addressing the table, 'are you angry?' The reply was given in music, as if a harp was being played. I had placod under my foot the musical instrument, and attached two strings to two keys ; by pulling one music would be tho result, by pulling the other the music et-iisod. After a minute's breathless pauso, I secretly pulled the string, nnd tlio playing stopped. My companions wore all now thoroughly convinced, and 1 thought the time had arrived whon tlioir excitement would allow me to make more dangerous experiments. I said, addressing the table, ' Spirits, if there are any unbelievers here, please convince them by further manifestations.' The room in which this occurred is small, and I had attached to several articles in the room fine threads of silk, so that by pulling these strings I could displace the things to which they were attached. The gas, which abutted from tho wall, was turned on low that I might bettor carry on my deceptions, and by pulling o, string which hung from tho gas tap I could easily extinguish tho light. Iv answor to tho abovo request I pulled threo Btringa, and two articles foil off tho mantlesheli, and a book moved on an adjoining tablo. I continued agitating tho strings, and moved a picture on tho wall. Tho surgeon aroso from hia .seat to examine tho picture moro closely, whon I polled tho string attached to the got* pipo and extinguished thro light. The scene of confusion which followed it in impossiblo to doacribo. My companions all ran to th© door, whioh I instantly locked. I then made the musicbox play; I sprinkled water ovor iho frightonod, screaming group; I rnbbod phosphorus ovor my hands, and moved it about in the dark ; I mode tho most hideous noiaos ; and finally, with a walk-ing-stick, thrashed thorn indiscriminately. Thoir loud sbrioks aroused some noiglibours, and whon I oonsidorod that I had carried tho joko far enough, I roloruod thorn. After this I became famous as a Spiritualist, and ouch of my frionds «ont along aoconnt of his experionco to tho Spiritualists' Socicy. One states ' that ho believes in Spiritualism with tho sAtno faith that ho has in his existence.' Tho surgoon writes ' that tho spirits, deeming that ho had offended thorn, «avo him such a thrashing at to loava him still a ntf. foror,' and oflbre to aliow the wound* in ovidonoo to any ■oeptic*! Didymui."