Let us look at some newspaper accounts of spiritual manifestations, accounts different from those in my earlier post "Newspaper Accounts of Spiritual Manifestations." Below is a newspaper account of spiritual manifestations from 1867. We read of mysterious rap sounds that seemed to be able to answer questions correctly.
"The people of our neighborhood have been for a week past very much excited by spiritual manifestations in a house at the Springfield Furnace Mine Bank. The inmates of the house are persons of integrity and good standing. An orphan girl, a member of the family, who was the special medium or victim of this phenomenon of spiritual communication, also bears a good character. The rapping always commenced about nine o'clock in the evening, and continued until after midnight. Before appearing each night, the medium experienced a dullness beginning at her feet and extending upwards. Then a low tapping was heard over the floor, like some one walking, growing louder as it approached the girl, ending in loud knocks, like the stroke of a mallet. One moment, it was overhead, then under the floor, on the wall, &c. It would respond by distinct raps to every question. It was asked how long since Mr. Lincoln died, and the number of years was immediately given. So in regard to the lapse of years since Stephen A. Douglas died.
A member of the family becoming vexed at the noise and confusion, remarked, 'I am not afraid of you, my trust is in God,' when there was such a succession of 'thundering knocks' that a portion of the plastering fell from the wall. People came from a distance to investigate the matter, believing it to be collusion or trickery, and went away firmly convinced that it was an intangible, unsubstantialspirit, and found that 'there are more things in heaven and earth than were dreamed of in their philosophy.' The rappings continued one week. The girl had several convulsions, after which she
sank into a partial trance and the noises were heard no more."
You can read the account here:
N. P. Tallmadge served two terms as the US Senator from New York and served as the governor of a US territory. A newspaper account from 1853 has a letter by Tallmadge. Tallmadge describes a seance in which there were communications claiming to be from the then-deceased US senator John Calhoun. He describes movements and levitations of a heavy table, which very many respectable witnesses claimed to see during this period. Tallmadge states this:
"During the above communication of Calhoun, the table moved occasionally, perhaps a foot; first one way and then the other. After the communication closed, we all moved back
from the table, from two to four feet—so that
no one touched the table. Suddenly the table
moved from the position it occupied some three
or four feet, rested a few moments, and then
moved back to its original position. Then it
again moved as far the other way, and returned to the place
it started from. One side of
the table was then raised, and stood for a few
moments at an angle of about thirty-five degrees,
and then again rested on the floor as us
usual.
The table was a large, heavy, round table, at
which ten or a dozen persons might be seated
at dinner. During all these movements no person
touched the table, nor was any one near it.
After seeing it raised in the manner above mentioned.
I had the curiosity to test its weight
by raising it myself. I accordingly took my
seat by it, placed my hands under the leaf, and
exerted as much force as I was capable of in
that sitting posture, and could not raise it a
particle from the floor. I then stood up in the
best possible position to exert the greatest
force, took hold of the leaf, and still could not
raise it with all the strength I could apply. I
then requested the three ladies to take hold
around the table, and try altogether to lift it.
We lifted... and did not raise it a particle. We
then desisted, fearing we should break the table. I then said, 'Will the spirits permit me to raise the table?' I took hold alone, and raised it without difficulty. After this the following conversation ensued:
'Q,. Can you raise the table entirely from
the floor? A. Yes - '
'Q. Will you raise me with it? A. Yes;
get me the square table.'
The square table was of cherry, with four
legs, a large size tea table. It was brought out
and substituted for the round one, the leaves
being raised. I took my seat on the centre;
the three ladies sat at the sides and arms resting upon it. This, of course, added to the weight to be raised, namely, my own weight of the table. Two legs of the table were then
raised about six inches from the floor, and then
the other two legs were raised to a level of the
first, so that the whole table was suspended in the
air about six inches above the floor. While thus
seated on it, I could feel a gentle vibratory motion as if floating in the atmosphere. After being thus suspended in the air for a few moments, the table ... let down again to the floor....
I was then directed to put the guitar on the
drawer. We were all seated as before, with
our hands and arms resting on the table.
The guitar was touched softly and gently,
and gave forth sweet and delicious sounds like
the accompaniment to a beautiful and exquisite
piece of music. It then played a sort of symphony, in much
louder and bolder tones. And
as it played these harmonious sounds, becoming
soft and sweet, and low, began to recede, and
grew fainter and fainter till they died away on
the ear in the distance. Then they returned
and grew louder and nearer, till they were
heard again in full and gushing volume as when
they commenced.
I am utterly incapable of giving any adequate
idea of the beauty and harmony of this music.
I have heard the guitar touched by the most
delicate and scientific hands, and heard from it
under such guidance, the most splendid performances. But never did I hear any thing that fastened upon the very soul like these prophetic strains drawn out by an invisible hand from the Spirit World."
The account by Tallmadge has further astonishing details, such as the mysterious production of a line of text, written in handwriting matching Calhoun's. You can read the rest of the account using the link here:
Accounts like the one above were very commonly given by many distinguished witnesses at this time, as you can read about by reading my posts here, here, here, here and here. Accounts like the one above were often the best type of testimony, in the sense that they appeared as newspaper accounts published a small number of days after the claimed observations, accounts signed by multiple named witnesses, often more than four.
The account below appeared in the February 22, 1851 edition of the widely respected anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator. We have an account of events on January 22, 1851, which were received by the newspaper with a cover letter dated January 25, 1851, which means the account below must have been written within a few days of the occurrence of the events. The first sentence of the account implies it was written on the same day as the events reported. We read this:
"We, the undersigned, having witnessed, this day,
at the house of Mr. Leroy Sunderland, (No. 28
Eliot street, Boston,) the following phenomena, deem
it proper, in this way, to make mention of them.
When we entered the room, there were some ten
persons surrounding a table, conversing with the
spirits; and as many more in the room as spectators,
watching the movements of the others. Mrs.
M. Cooper was the medium. There were constant
and frequent rappings upon the table, and responses
to various and ingenious test questions, all of which
were admitted to be answered correctly; and the
company expressed themselves as being satisfied
with the answers given. We saw no motion of the
medium which would indicate that she had, personally, any thing to do with the responses given ; and we think she could not have had. The rappings were made on the table, without exception.
After this circle had retired, we, the undersigned,
surrounded the same table, when the following occurrences were observed:—
1. In answer to the question, ‘If any of our
guardian spirits were present?’ loud and prompt responses were heard
upon the table, the vibrations of
which were distinctly felt by our hands ; and we are
positive that Mrs. Cooper did not touch the table at
all.
2. We then asked the spirits if they would give
us some physical manifestations, and we were promptly answered by raps in the affirmative. The table
was then immediately moved in various directions,
from one to two feet; and, at our request, was, quite
a number of times, turned over into the laps of those
surrounding it. In two instances, it was raised entirely from off the floor, and we are positive that no human instrumentality was employed in producing these results.
For the purpose of varying the experiment, we all
took hold of the top of the table, holding it clear of
the floor in our hands, when it was violently shaken,
while yet so suspended, as if its standard had been
seized by strong hands, and it apparently varied in
weight from twenty to two hundred pounds.
3. Among the test questions proposed and satisfactorily answered,
was one by G. F. Farley, Esq., of
Groton, Mass , substantially as follows: —
‘ What relation is this spirit to me?’
Ans. ‘Your brother.’
‘ What was your given name?’
Ans. ‘Perez' which was spelled out promptly by the alphabet. Mr. Farley then stated, to the astonishment of the company,
that this was his brother’s name, and that he died
some fifty years ago—facts unknown to any other
person present.
[Mr. Farley himself may be referred to for the
truth of what is here stated.]
In the evening of the same day, we met again,
with an addition to our circle. [Mr. Farley, of Groton, and G. A. Somerby, of Wayland, were present
at both sittings,] and in the evening, Mr. George E.
Haskell, Dr. Z. Rogers, Moses Babcock, and Dr. L.
B. Larkin, of Wrentham, were also present. The
circle was formed in Mr. Sunderland’s back parlor,
as before, when the following, among other phenomena, were produced. On holding each other’s hands,
so that no hand was at liberty in the room, a centre
table, around which we were sitting, was raised up from
the floor five times, and let down with considerable
force, so as to shake the floor. Once or twice, the
raps were made, not on the table, but with it, the
table being used by the spirits, as we were assured,
to rap with, on the floor. Five times the table was upset and turned over, so that it fell sideways upon the floor, with violence....
We can only say, that we have been profoundly
impressed with the conviction that no human agency whatever was used in the production of the phenomena we have described.
Signed, Boston, Jan. 22, 1851.
C. P. Kibbee, M. D., Springfield, Mass.
Rufus Elmer,
Nelson L. Elmer,
Theodore M. Smith, Boston,
George E. Haskell,
Z. Rogers, Charlestown,
Moses Babcock"
You can read the full account using the link below:
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84031524/1851-02-28/ed-1/seq-4/
An 1876 newspaper article notes the death of the medium Daniel Dunglas Home. Below is a quote from the article (I'll correct the misspelling of Home's middle name):
"The death of Daniel Dunglas Home, as reported by cable dispatch from Paris, recently, terminates the career of the most famous Spiritualist and medium of modern times. The New York World affects to doubt his departure from this life, as if only the half of what has been told of Mr. Home is true. To suppose him dead merely because he happened to leave his corpse would be as absurd as to suppose so because he happened to leave his great-coat or his umbrella behind him.
He was born in Scotland, and came to this country when a mere child. He made his first conspicuous successes in Springfield and in Boston between the years 1851 and 1853. In this city he was hailed as a prophet by numbers of highly-educated persons, but finally in 1855 he went to Europe. In London he was warmly welcomed by several coteries of the aristocracy, and he made a very strong impression upon the mind of Queen Victoria herself. The Duchess of Sutherland was one of his most open proselytes and believers. In Paris be was made for a time 'the rage' by the undisguised interest which the Emperor Napoleon took in him and in his alleged miracles. He was frequently summoned to the Tuileries, and he gradually acquired a very considerable influence with the Emperor.
He married a Russian lady of noble birth in 1856. She died in 1862, and Mr. Home married a Russian princess. He was a particular favorite at the court of the Czar, and claimed in private to have converted the Czar to spiritualism. The many strange tales of spiritual phenomena contain nothing to rival the demonstrations of Mr. Home. Besides the ordinary phenomena of rapping, table tipping, writing and playing upon musical instruments, they include in his case visions seen by the medium, appearances of hands, arms and spirit forms seen by other persons, 'levitation' or the preternatural uplifting of the medium, elongation and shortening of his body by several inches, and his handling of fire and heated objects without hurt. It has been again and again affirmed of Mr. Home by witnesses of unimpeached character that they have seen him plunge his hands with impunity into a blazing coal fire, seat himself upon heavy mahogany dinner-tables and rise with them several feet into the air, and after floating horizontally head foremost out of the window at a height of many yards from the ground, sail tranquilly around a castle tower and come in again unharmed at the other side."
Home being tested by a leading scientist (in tests described here)
Such was the fame of Daniel Dunglas Home in 1874 that when Scientific American on January 31, 1874 published a summary of the investigations of the eminent scientist William Crookes regarding Home, Scientific American merely referred to "the medium Home," without giving his first name, as if it thought everyone knew his first name. At the time Scientific American was more of a newspaper than a magazine. The first part of the summary is below:
Most of the second part of the summary is below:
The third part of the summary is below:
The items above are all a summary of the book of William Crookes that can be read here, where you can read the details in nice clear type. Crookes (discoverer of the element thallium) said he detected no trickery from Home, who he had subjected to very careful tests. By the 20th century a publication such as Scientific American always showed a complete amnesia about such observations. Its writers never mentioned a word about such matters. It became a taboo to ever mention that one of the leading scientists of the 19th century (William Crookes) had reported observing such wonders as levitation and the appearance of luminous spirit hands floating about.
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