Experiences with Spiritualism
By H. E. Sawyer
When the Fox girls first began their manifestations through rappings and table movings, my brother James was teaching school nearby, and he visited these girls to learn further about the performances. When he came home, being ignorant that it was the working of Spiritualism or anything out of order, he also went through the same performances of table-raising and moving about the room. The table was first placed on pieces of broken glass, and we all sat around it, with our hands placed upon it. As near as I can remember, only one member of the family seemed to be under the influence, and she could cause the table to rise, move around, or do anything else with it. Shortly after, a man came to father's, and he mesmerized this same person. She was blindfolded and would go to another room and get some hidden article. She seemed to be possessed with unusual strength so that no one, except the one who did the mesmerizing, could open the door while she was on the other side.