Glimpses Of The Next State.Pdf - Spiritualists' National Union

Chapter VI.83MANIFESTATIONS AT TOLEDO, OHIOThe Psychic Riddle—I hear some of the same voices as those described by Dr. Funk—Electrical conditions in the United States and Canada in winter—The reason of the success ofinvestigators around the Great Lakes—The Jonsons at Toledo—Opinions of a detective officer ofknown ability—The first sitting—Materialised hands—A Trumpet Séance—First materialisedséance—A spirit addresses me by my full name—Jonson sits outside the cabinet—Medium andspirits in sight together—Cleopatra appears—John Nicholson—An abortive séance—Interestingcommunication by Greyfeather, a N. A. Indian—Second materialisation séance—forty formsappear—Identification—Idiosyncrasies of each spirit form—Sitting with Mrs. Jonson alone—Hypatia—Materialisation séance alone with both Jonsons—Iola fulfils a promise—Viola rises outof the floor—Kitty—Sitting with Mr. and Mrs. Jonson in the cabinet—The illuminated robe—Kittyrenounces her father—McBlin the engineer—The farewell séance—Abdullah—Tim O’Brien—Dissuasion as to the possibility of fraud—Members of the Council of the English Society forPsychical Research find out that there are such phenomena as telekinesis and materialisation—Mrs. Alexander—Etherialisations—Whitesnow—Differences in accent of American and Englishspirits—A new psychic in Toledo, Miss Ada Besinnet—The whistling—Violent movements of thetable—Professor Hyslop’s opinion—Mind-reading no explanation.Readers of The Psychic Riddle, By Dr. I. K. Funk (1907), may be interested in knowing that,through the great kindness of friends in Rochester, N. Y., I was able to sit with the psychicmentioned in that book under the same conditions as those described by its author. Since myfriend Dr. Funk had his sittings, this lady had been at death’s door. She was now in her seventyeighthyear, so perhaps I may be correct in thinking that—as tests—my sittings were as useful ashis, though the first was a failure and the other two were cut short by Dr. Hossack, the mediumscontrol, on account of the weakness of her heart.Much discussion has arisen over this psychic. She is very deaf. How any sane person whohas heard “Red Jacket” or the “Laughing spirit” can imagine that the voices emanate from thisfrail old lady passes my comprehension. Red Jacket talks as loudly as, and more fluently than,John King, the principle control of Cecil Husk.Before I attempt to describe the manifestations at Toledo, Ohio, I must remind my readersthat the atmospheric conditions in the northern part of the United States are different from those inthis country or any part of Europe. For about sixty days in a year, when the thermometer is downto about zero and the air is very clear, it is possible, anywhere between Rochester and Denver, bysliding along the carpet, to light a gas jet with a finger ; I have not yet met an any American, manor woman, who has not done this or seen it done. In this region children play practical jokes ontheir parents by sliding up to them and kissing them on the cheek, when a spark passes, causing thesensation of a pinprick. We are ignorant of the causes of many phenomena, but we do know thatthe vibrations required to give the best results in psychical research are closely allied to those of theelectrical group. It is to this highly charged condition of the atmosphere in winter that the successof investigators is chiefly due ; of this there is no doubt whatever. We must remember, too, thatthe original inhabitants of this vast territory were very near to Nature, and were pure spiritualists ;the earth is strewn with their bones, and their spirits hover about the land that was once theirearthly home. We meet them at every séance, and it is reasonable to suppose that they exert someinfluence and assist the manifestations.In a suburb of the city of Toledo, Ohio (632 Orchard street), there is a two-storied houseowned by Mr. Ben Jonson, a painter and paperhanger. The séance room is a large apartment onthe upper floor, and is approached by a narrow staircase from the back sitting-room on the groundfloor. The cabinet is about seven yards from the top of the staircase, in one corner of the room.The top of the staircase has no door. I do not know the reason of this omission ; but I have beentold by those who frequent Jonson’s séances that one of the band of spirits who habitually frequent