The Missing Link in Modern Spiritualism. A. Leah Underhill
green room.” At length we were quiet, and all fell asleep and slept until late in the morning.
The sun shone brightly in through the window, and mother exclaimed: “Can it be possible? Is it really true? How can we live and endure it? We cannot much longer stay here alone nights. We must have somebody to stay with us.” Fillmore Grover came to take his lesson, and mother asked him to tell Calvin she would like to have him call and see her. (Calvin Brown’s mother had been left a widow when quite young. She was the daughter of Daniel Hopkins, of Canada West, and belonged to the Society of Friends. She married out of the society, which was then against their discipline. She placed her oldest child, Calvin, in a military school; and when she found herself gradually failing in strength, she wrote to her father, who came and took her home, with her three younger children. She returned once to Rochester, and requested mother to look after Calvin, and care for him as she would for her own child, if she should not recover. His mother died, and he called my parents father and mother; the same as the rest of us.)
He called at about two o’clock. We all sat down and related what had happened and what we had witnessed during the past night. He promised to come and stay there at night; but he advised us to ask no questions, nor give them any encouragement, as he considered them evil spirits. To this we all agreed.
He came that night, and we were allowed to rest quietly until about two o’clock, when we were all awakened by a disturbance in the “green room.” Everything seemed to be in commotion, but, as Calvin was in the house, I felt more confidence in myself. I asked them to please behave themselves. At this, one Spirit walked around, as if on his bare feet. He answered my question by stamping on the floor. I was amused—although afraid. He seemed so willing to do my bidding that I could not resist the temptation of speaking to him as he marched around my bed. I said, “Flat-Foot,[3] can you dance the Highland fling?” This seemed to delight him. I sang the music for him, and he danced most admirably. This shocked mother, and she said, “O Leah, how can you encourage that fiend, by singing for him to dance?” I soon found that they took advantage of my familiarity, and gathered in strong force around us. And here language utterly fails to describe the incidents that occurred. Loud whispering, giggling, scuffling, groaning, death-struggles, murder scenes of the most fearful character—I forbear to describe them. Mother became so alarmed that she called to Calvin to come up-stairs. He came—angry at the Spirits, and declared that “he would conquer, or die in the attempt.” This seemed to amuse them. They went to his bed, raised it up and let it down, and shook it violently. He was still determined not to yield to them.
Before Calvin came up-stairs, and during a short lull in their performances, we quickly removed our beds to the floor, hoping thereby to prevent them from raising us up and letting us down with such violence. Calvin said, as he came up, that we were foolish to make our beds on the floor, as it pleased the Spirits to see how completely they had conquered us. So he laid down on his bed, and quietly waited developments. Mother said, “Calvin, I wish your bed was on the floor, too. We have not been disturbed since we left the bedstead.” Calvin remarked, “They are up to some deviltry now. I hear them.” He no sooner uttered these words, than a shower of slippers came flying at him as he lay in his bed. He bore this without a murmur. The next instant he was struck violently with his cane. He seized it and struck back, right and left, with all his strength, without hitting anything; but received a palpable bang in return for every thrust he made. He sprang to his feet and fought with all his might. Everything thrown at him he pitched back to them, until a brass candlestick was thrown at him, cutting his lip. This quite enraged him. He pronounced a solemn malediction, and, throwing himself on the bed, vowed he would have nothing more to do with “fiendish Spirits.”
He was not long permitted to remain in quiet there. They commenced at his bedstead and deliberately razed it to the floor, leaving the head-board in one place, the foot-board in another, the two sides at angles, and the bed-clothes scattered about the room. He was left lying on his mattress, and for a moment there was silence; after which some slight movements were heard in the “green room.” I had stowed a large number of balls of carpet-rags in an old chest standing on the floor, with two trunks and several other articles on the top of it. It seemed but the work of a moment for them to get at the carpet-balls, which came flying at us from every direction, hitting us in the same place every time. They took us for their target, and threw with the skill of an archer. Darkness made no difference with them, and if either of us attempted to remonstrate against such violence, they would instantly give the remonstrant the benefit of a ball.
The next day was Sunday. We were greatly depressed, and decided to leave things as they were. After breakfast we concluded to visit Mount Hope Cemetery. We returned late, and retired immediately after supper. While sitting on our bed-side (on the floor), deliberating in our own minds what was best to do, we were suddenly startled by a tremendous knocking on the roof of the house. (The raps always appear to be made on the opposite side of the door, or floor, table, etc.) We implored them to stay where they were (as it seemed the noises were outside the house), and let us alone; but no sooner was the request made, than a sound slap was given us each, as if in reproof of what we had been saying. A second slap, as if with an open hand, was administered to Cathie, when she cried out, “O, look!” We all saw what seemed to be the form of a large man, lying across the foot of our bed, breathing irregularly, and apparently in great distress. (The sheet was wrapped around him, muffled closely about his neck.) His gurgling manifestation was terrific, and produced a sensible vibration. We pitied him. He appeared like one passing through the agonies of death. While we were contemplating this figure, another slap came upon Cathie,[4] and she fell to all appearance lifeless. We were greatly alarmed at this terrible manifestation. We knew nothing of Clairvoyance, Magnetism, or Trance Mediums, at that time. We had no one to advise us, and we were nearly distracted. Calvin took a looking-glass and held it close to Cathie’s mouth, but we could discern no signs of life. Finally we were on the point of calling some one in, when a deep groan announced that she lived. We held her hands, but could not perceive the slightest pulsation. After remaining in this unconscious state for some time, she again moaned piteously and raised her hand, pointing at something she saw, and explained to us afterward. We asked many questions which she answered by pressing our hands. She described the terrible occurrence at the Hydesville house, and when the influence left her, she wept inconsolably for a long time.
After she became quiet a holy influence fell upon her, and she repeated twenty or thirty verses of poetry. I can only remember the last line of each verse, which was:
“To be with Christ is better far.”
After this things changed somewhat. We heard the sounds at all times of day and night, variously located in different parts of the house, but in a much milder form; unless some of us attempted to go contrary to their wishes. Often at meal-time the table would be gradually agitated, and Calvin in particular would be more disturbed than the rest of us. Once he arose from his chair and reached across the table for a heavy pitcher of water, when the chair was instantly removed and he sat down on the floor, spilling the water all over himself. He instantly arose and with an execration denounced the whole thing as the work of the devil and his imps. Of course we laughed at his calamity, and he thought we should not encourage such things by laughing at them. He often laughed about it, years afterward, as heartily as we had done.
We had stored our winter provisions in the cellar. Among them were several barrels of apples, potatoes, turnips, etc. From this cellar came the apples, potatoes, and turnips flying across our room, hitting all in precisely the same place every time. It will now be remembered that these articles were in the cellar on the ground floor, and had to come from the rear of the cellar, through the door, into the kitchen, through the kitchen, up the stairs, into the pantry on the second