American manifestations.

One reads in the Banner of Light, a New York newspaper, of May 18, 1861:

“Thinking that the following facts are worthy of attention, we have gathered them together to be published in the Banner, and have had them accompanied by our signatures, in order to attest to their sincerity.

“On the morning of Wednesday, May 1st, we asked the medium, Mr. Say, to meet us at the home of Mr. Hallock, in New York. The medium seated himself near a table, on which were placed a tin cornet, a violin, and three pieces of cord. The guests were seated in a semicircle, in front of the medium, six or seven inches from the table; their hands touched one another so as to give each one the certainty that no one left his place during the experiments we are about to relate. The light was removed and the guests were asked to sing. After a few minutes, the light having been brought back, they found the medium seated in his chair, with his arms crossed, his wrists bound with the cord drawn so tight as to hinder the circulation and swell the hands. The end of the cord had passed behind the chair and bound the legs to the crosspieces. Another cord bound the knees tightly, while the third fastened the ankles in the same manner. Under such conditions, it was clear that the medium could neither walk, nor rise, nor use his hands. “A member of the circle placed a sheet of paper on the floor, beneath the medium’s feet and, with a pencil, traced the outline of his feet. The light was removed and almost immediately the cornet, propelled by an invisible force, began to strike rapidly and violently against the table, in such a way as to leave a quantity of marks. From the cornet came a voice that conversed with those present; the articulation of the words was very distinct; the sound was that of a man’s voice and the tone at times higher than in normal conversation. Another voice, weaker, somewhat guttural and less distinct, also conversed with the assembly. They brought the light and the medium was found in his chair, feet and hands bound as we have already said and his feet upon the papers, within the limits traced by the lines made in pencil. Once again the light was removed and the cornet began anew. As above. The persons present were again asked to sing and, almost immediately, the manifestations ceased. The experiments were repeated several times, and in each of them the medium was always found in the same state. This was the first series of manifestations. “Again the light was removed, the attendants sang for a few moments, but, when it was brought back, it was found that the medium was still bound to his chair. They placed a bell upon the table and, the darkness having been made, it began to strike against the table, against the cornet and against the floor; it was removed from the table and began to ring very loudly, seeming to travel an arc of five to six feet with each peal. During this time, the medium exclaimed: I am here; I am here, to show that he was still in the same place.

“With phosphorus, they made a large luminous mark on the violin. The light was removed and soon one saw, by the phosphorescent trace, the violin rise to six or seven feet and make rapid evolutions in the air. One could also follow it by ear, since the strings vibrated in flight. While the violin floated, the medium exclaimed: I am here; I am here.

“A member of the group placed a vessel upon the table, half full of water, and a piece of paper between the medium’s lips. They took away the light and sang for a few moments. The light brought back, the vessel was empty, without any sign of water, neither upon the table nor on the floor; the medium still in his place and the paper dry between his lips. This ended the second series of experiments.

“Mrs. Spence seated herself in front of the medium. A gentleman settled himself between the two, placing his right foot upon that lady’s, his right hand upon the medium’s head and his left upon Mrs. Spence’s head. The medium took the gentleman’s right arm with both hands, and Mrs. Spence did the same with the left arm. When the light was removed, the gentleman distinctly felt the fingers of a hand passing over his face and pulling his nose; he received a slap, heard by those attending, and the violin struck his head, likewise heard by the other persons. Each one repeated the experiment and felt the same effects. With this the third series ends and we certify that none of this could have been produced by Mr. Fay, nor by any other person of the group.” Charles Patridge, R. T. Hallock, Mrs. Sarah P. Clark, Mrs. Mary S. Hallock, Mrs. Amanda, Mr. Spence, Miss Alla Britt, William Blondel, William P. Coles, W. B. Hallock, B. Franklin Clark, Peyton Spence.

Remark. – We do not contest the possibility of all these things, nor have we the slightest motive for doubting the honorability of the signatories, although we do not know them. Nevertheless, we maintain the reflections that we made in our last issue, with regard to the two articles on The mysterious drawings and the Exploitation of Spiritism.

It is said that in America this outbreak has nothing that shocks public opinion and they find it quite natural that mediums should have themselves paid. This is understandable, in accordance with the habits of a country where time is money; but we shall not for all that cease to repeat what we said in another article: absolute disinterestedness is an even better guarantee than all material precautions. If our writings have contributed, in France and in other countries, to discredit self-interested mediumship, we believe that this will not be one of the least services they will have rendered to serious Spiritism. These general reflections were in no way made with Mr. Fay in view, whose standing before the public we do not know. A. K.