University of Virginia Library

9. IX.
SPIRITS.

Mr. Davenport, who has been for some
time closely identified with the modern
spiritual movement, is in the City with his
daughter, who is quite celebrated as a
medium. They are accompanied by Mr.
Eighme and his daughter, and are holding
circles in Hoffman's Block every afternoon
and evening. We were present at the
circle last evening. Miss Davenport seated
herself at a table on which was a tin trumpet,
a tamborine, and a guitar. The audience
were seated around the room. The lights
were blown out, and the spirit of an eccentric
individual, well known to the Davenports,
and whom they call George, addressed
the audience through the trumpet. He
called several of those present by name in
a boisterous voice, and dealt several stunning
knocks on the table. George has

been in the spirit world some two hundred
years. He is a rather rough spirit, and probably
run with the machine and “killed for
Kyser” when in the flesh. He ordered
the seats in the room to be wheeled round
so the audience would face the table. He
said the people on the front seat must be
tied with a rope. The order was misunderstood,
the rope being merely drawn before
those on the front seat. He reprimanded
Mr. Davenport for not understanding the
instructions. What he meant was that
the rope should be passed once around
each person on the front seat and then
tightly drawn, a man at each end of the
seat to hold on to it. This was done and
George expressed himself satisfied. There
was no one near the table save the medium.
All the rest were behind the rope,
and those on the front seat were particularly
charged not to let any one pass by
them. George said he felt first-rate, and
commenced kissing the ladies present.
The smack could be distinctly heard, and
some of the ladies said the sensation was
very natural. For the first time in our
eventful life we sighed to be a spirit. We
envied George. We did not understand
whether the kissing was done through a
trumpet. After kissing considerably, and
indulging in some playful remarks with
a man whose Christian name was Napoleon
Bonaparte, and whom George called
“Boney,” he tied the hands and feet of
the medium. He played the guitar and
jingled the tamborine, and then dashed
them violently on the floor. The candles
were lit and Miss Davenport was securely
tied. She could not move her hands.
Her feet were bound, and the rope (which
was a long one) was fastened to the chair.
No person in the room had been near
her or had anything to do with tieing her.
Every person who was in the room will
take his or her oath of that. She could
hardly have tied herself. We never saw
such intricate and thorough tieing in our
life. The believers present were convinced
that George did it. The unbelievers
didn't exactly know what to think
about it. The candles were extinguished
again, and pretty soon Miss Davenport
told George to “don't.” She spoke in
an affrighted tone. The candles were lit,
and she was discovered sitting on the
table—hands and feet tied as before, and
herself tied to the chair withal. The lights
were again blown out, there were sounds
as if some one was lifting her from the
table; the candles were re-lit, and she was
seen sitting in the chair on the floor again.
No one had been near her from the audience.
Again the lights were extinguished,
and presently the medium said her feet
were wet. It appeared that the mischievous
spirit of one Biddie, an Irish Miss who died
when twelve years old, had kicked over the
water-pail. Miss Eighme took a seat at
the table, and the same mischievous Biddie
scissored off a liberal lock of her hair.
There was the hair, and it had indisputably
just been taken from Miss Eighme's head,
and her hands and feet, like those of Miss
D., were securely tied. Other things of a
staggering character to the skeptic were
done during the evening.