My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

MESMERISM TO SPIRITUALISM 347I looked pleased and said, " Is it Algernon ? " atwhich he nodded earnestly, seemed very much pleased,shook my hand vigorously, and patted my face andhead with his other hand.These two recognitions were to me very striking,because they were both so private and personal tomyself, and could not possibly have been known tothe medium or even to any of my friends present.In Washington, where I resided several months,I made the acquaintance of Professor Elliot Coues,General Lippitt, Mr. D. Lyman, Senator and Mrs.Stanford, Mr. T. A. Bland the Indians' friend, andMrs. Beecher Hooker, all thorough spiritualists, aswell as many others unknown to fame. With thethree former gentlemen I attended many seances of avery remarkable public medium, Mr. P. L. O. A.Keeler, and both witnessed phenomena and obtainedtests of a very interesting kind. The medium wasa young man of the clerk or tradesman class, withonly the common school education, and with noappearance of American smartness. The arrangementof his seances was peculiar. The corner of agood-sized room had a black curtain across it on astretched cord about five feet from the ground.Inside was a small table on which were a tambourineand hand-bell. Any one, before the seances beganor afterwards, could examine this enclosed space, thecurtain, the floor, and the walls. I did so myself, theroom being fully lighted, and was quite satisfied thatthere was absolutely nothing but what appeared atfirst sight, and no arrangements whatever for ingressor egress but under the curtain into the room. Thecurtain, too, was entire from end to end, a matterof importance in regard to certain phenomena thatoccurred. Three chairs were placed close in front of