And I may here say that, inasmuch as Electricity and Magnetism seem to play some part in the machinery of this intercommunication, it is not surprising that the Spirit on the other side who seems to have been the principal initiator, not to say the inventor of this new development in the evolution of Humanity, was the great man known to earthly fame as the father of electrical science, as he was one of the great fathers of American liberty; he of whom it has been grandly written that he snatched the lightning from the sky, and the sceptre from the hand of the tyrant: the immortal BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.
LIGHT ARTICLES MADE IMMOVABLE--THE COFFINS--ADIEU OF THE SPIRITS--THEIR RETURN--FIRST STEPS TOWARD PUBLIC INVESTIGATION--"HIRE CORINTHIAN HALL"--FIRST COMMITTEE OF INVESTIGATION--SECOND--THIRD OR "INFIDEL" COMMITTEE--BEHAVIOR OF A GREAT DINING-TABLE--THE TAR AND TORPEDO MOB.
All this could not have gone on very long in a western city (as it then was) like Rochester, with its 70,000 inhabitants, without leading to a state of feeling and opinion which made it impossible to keep the matter confined to the limited number of persons who, from time to time, got access to séances (at our house) held under the auspices of the committee of five persons previously named.
Mr. E. W. Capron, of Auburn, had been introduced to us by friends of long standing. He was at that time a sceptic in almost everything relating to immortality, but he was an honest man, and soon became thoroughly convinced of the truth of Spiritualism. We still hoped to suppress the manifestations, and mother consented to let Cathie go home with Mr. and Mrs. Capron, imagining by that means to put a stop to further disturbances. For a few days there seemed to be a change for the better, and again mother thought she had accomplished her object; but all this while the Spirits had been actively employed, as they soon convinced us by more powerful demonstrations than ever. They had redoubled their forces and paraded themselves through every part of the house, standing guard at all the apertures, thus to prevent any two of us from coming near each other to confer on any matter, however important we deemed it to be.
During the winter of 1849, scarcely a day passed that we did not have some new and wonderful exhibition of the power and intelligence of our strange visitors. At times things would fly through space, above our heads, when there was no human form to be seen. The chairs, tables, and even small articles, would suddenly become so heavy that no strength that we could exert could move them. It became a common saying in our house that "the Spirits are holding them down," when we would have occasion to lift any light article from one place to another. It was constantly repeated to us that we had "a mission to perform," and we were directed to "make ready for the work." My mother declared that we would never yield to any such directions again; but the Spirits said, "You have been chosen to go before the world to convince the sceptical of the great truth of immortality." It was in vain that we opposed to this a strenuous resistance, and argued that we had already done enough, and more than should be required of us. But the constant burden of their declaration was that we must "go forth and do our duty."