The Missing Link In Modern Spiritualism Part 19

As soon as we had breakfasted and prepared ourselves, we started on our excursion. There were several carriages, and I think not more than two persons in the company whom I had ever met before. Soon after our arrival, the ladies took us into a beautiful grove and carefully explained to me the nature of the slanders the Rev. C. C. Burr had reported against me.

I think they were somewhat surprised at the indifference I manifested.

Atrocious as his slanders had been, I could not work up my mind to deem them worthy of my stooping to notice them. I said to them, "If you ladies had pa.s.sed through one half the abuse I have, for the past two years or more, you would not wonder that I am personally quite indifferent to what all my enemies may say against me." However, it was well that they had prosecuted Burr, as they put him under heavy bonds, and compelled him to keep the peace, and hold his slanderous tongue.

Mother and the girls returned to Rochester about three weeks after I left for Cleveland. The children, Maggie and Cathy, were persuaded to go to Cincinnati with a lady friend of ours from Rochester, Mrs. Kedzie, who had conceived the idea of a western tour of mediumistic exhibitions, and knowing that I was in Cleveland, they stopped at our hotel to see us. Maggie could not be persuaded to go further. Cathy, too, thought it would be much more pleasant for her to remain with us at Cleveland, but inasmuch as Mrs. K. had come with them, expecting to go on to Cincinnati, I argued that having come with her, they should fulfil their engagement. Finally it was decided that sister Maria should accompany Cathy, with her little boy and Mrs. K., to Cincinnati, and Maggie remain with Calvin and myself.

I found out that the girls had left greatly against mother's wishes, and I telegraphed her to come immediately to Cleveland, which she did.

Mrs. K. and my sisters remained in Cincinnati about three weeks, and stopped at Columbus, expecting to remain there some time; but when they had been there about a week little Charley was taken very ill.

His life was despaired of for several days, during which time all business was suspended, and Mrs. Kedzie returned to Rochester. My sister Maria's husband arrived about that time and found the child--as was thought--hopelessly ill.

I was greatly distressed, and my friends gathered around to condole with me. Every hour brought a despatch saying, "Charley still lives." I could do nothing but walk the floor and cry in my despair. I had been the means of bringing him from home, and I blamed myself, knowing the effect it would have on my brother-in-law and sister, if they should lose their only child, after having already lost three dear little boys. In our private room we called on the Spirits to advise us what to do. They directed us to telegraph at once to Columbus to "bring him here" (to Cleveland). We followed their directions. They started immediately, and when they arrived the child seemed in a dying condition.

I took him in charge, and _with the aid of Spirit advice_ soon found him convalescing. As soon as he was able they returned home.

Floods of letters summoned us to all parts of the State. I had even to hire other persons to help in the labor of answering them. Nor shall I now undertake a narrative of our tour. As a general rule, so far as it was possible, we followed in the tracks of our arch-enemy, the "Rev. C.

Chauncy Burr;" and it was often announced that when he should have concluded his course of lectures, the Fox family would succeed him and afford the public the opportunity of judging for themselves. As the Buffalo doctors had gone in for their theory of knee-ology (with what success the reader has seen), so the Burr theory may be called that of _toe_-ology; for he had conceived the brilliant idea of producing a sort of low raps, inside a _wide_ boot, by striking his great toe upon the sole, as any one may do upon the table by pressing and over-lapping the middle finger by the index and suddenly releasing the latter. His brother Heman was the one who thus operated, while he himself figured as the lecturer. The head-waiter of the hotel at which Burr stopped, told me how his toes were inflamed and b.l.o.o.d.y from this exercise, and how many a poultice he had had to supply him with. The difference was always manifest between the mere underfoot uniform sounds, yielded by this miserable trick, and the variety of the "knockings" on tables, floors, doors, walls, and ceilings--now faint, now approaching the thunderous--to say nothing of the identification of the Spirits who were rapping to us, through the recognized significance and truth of their communications. Burr was at last almost hooted and pelted out of the State; and at the court-house of Painesville we were taken to see the marks of the showers of shattered eggs and muddy pieces of turf which remained to attest the reception he had received the day before.

Our progress was a course of triumph. I might fill a page with the names of the friends in all quarters of the State, including its best men and women, between whom and myself arose friendships which time will never obliterate from my heart. I will only name one who was to us in Ohio what Greeley was in New York, John W. Gray, the editor of _The Plaindealer_, and his wife, one of the loveliest and best of women.

Out of the trunks and boxes of letters, whose contents are beyond my power to explore, I have taken a few, almost at random, with no time for selection, which are given below, and from which the reader may gather some particulars of this period, which will in part supply the place of a narrative of our experiences in this, which I have called our Ohio campaign. But I must mention the interesting incidents of two gold medals having been presented, the one to myself, in Cleveland, when I was about to leave, the other to Maggie, at Cincinnati. To Katie was presented a beautiful jewelled watch and chain. I indulge myself in the pleasure of showing mine to my readers. I am unable to show Maggie's (which was oval) because it has been unfortunately lost in a trunk that was stolen. I say nothing of beautiful presents, in diamonds and other jewelry, etc. from ladies and gentlemen, who often seemed to feel that they could not do too much to show us their grat.i.tude for the certain and realized _knowledge_, received through us, of the great truth that our loved and lost still live and love us, and that "death" is only a brief separation of those soon to be reunited forever.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A Tribute of Respect _to Mrs. Ann L Fish from Friends in_ CLEVELAND 1851.]

The following letters accompanied my medal and Katie's watch and chain.

The substantially similar one accompanying Maggie's medal seems to have been lost.

"CLEVELAND, July 1, 1851.

"MRS. A. LEAH FISH:

"DEAR FRIEND--We the undersigned present you with this emblem as a sincere token of our love and affection.

"You have been faithful and steadfast in all your duties. You have been instrumental in bringing us to a realization of the truth of Immortality.

"May you be blessed with health and crowned with victory, and triumph over your enemies, is the prayer of your united friends.

N. E. CRITTENDEN, M. C. WRIGHT, D. A. EDDY, S. D. KELLY, DR. BIGELOW, ANTHONY M. REYNOLDS, JOHN W. GRAY, A. UNDERHILL, R. L. PAINE, E. HINKLY, _Artist, and DR. UNDERHILL, Designer of the Medal_."

"CINCINNATI, O., July 9, 1851.

"MISS CATHARINE FOX:

"The individuals whose names are hereunto attached, having faith in your integrity, as a testimonial of their regard for you personally, and of the gratification they have enjoyed through you as a Medium for Spiritual communications, desire you to accept the watch and chain which will be presented to you by your friend, MR. E. F. NORTON.

B. URNER, JOHN D. PARK, W. T. COGGSHALL, JAMES GOODIN, CHARLES H. ERWIN, DANIEL GANO, S. H. t.i.tUS, C. J. W. SMITH, RALPH VALENTINE, E. F. NORTON, AUGUSTUS WATTLES."

I will mention one other incident in the course of our Ohio experience, as being the first occasion on which I was compelled, and mustered the courage, to address a short speech to an audience. On an urgent invitation we went to Painesville toward the last of May. We arrived there late in the afternoon. We found many friends, in the parlor of the hotel, awaiting our arrival and prepared to escort us to the Court House, to see the condition in which Rev. C. C. Burr had left it. Tufts of gra.s.s (it had been raining the previous night), bricks, broken eggs, sticks, and tin pans, with which the reverend gentleman had been saluted, were strewn all over the Court House. We advertised through all the papers that, immediately after the Burrs had lectured and entertained the public with their toe-rapping expositions, the Fox family would be forthcoming to give them every opportunity of testing the truth of the real Spirit rappings. We were expected, and everything was done to make our visit there agreeable. The Court House was cleared of all the rubbish, and at precisely eight o'clock Calvin, Maggie, my sister Maria's little boy, Charley Smith, and myself entered the Court House with crowds of friends, amid shouts of "Welcome to the Fox family"

resounding from every part of the room.

Lawyer Tiffany was there to address the audience, but he was not able to make himself heard, but stood and smiled at the demonstration. The audience, with one accord, called out, "Take the platform!" Calvin accompanied us, leaving little Charley with a lady friend, but he was frightened and cried, "Take me too." He was only two and a half years old. Judge Bissell carried the child in his arms, and placed him by my side. He looked up at me and said, "Aunt Leah, will they hurt you?" I told him, "No, dear, they are our friends." The rappings were distinctly heard all over the hall as soon as quiet was restored. The audience would not be content until I spoke to them. My words were few. I thanked them for their kindness, but tears of grat.i.tude soon choked all further utterance. This was my first public speech.

At this point, Mr. Tiffany was allowed to proceed with his lecture, which was very satisfactory to the audience.

We had engaged to go a second time to Cincinnati, as there were many there who had not had an opportunity of visiting Katy's rooms while she was there in company with sister Maria and Mrs. Kedzie, about the 20th of July.

The cholera had broken out in the Burnett House, and we engaged rooms in the Walnut Street House, where we remained during our stay in Cincinnati.

We were frequently invited to visit our friends living in the vicinity of the city, and gladly accepted their kind invitations, as it afforded us rest, change of scene and atmosphere. We spent several days delightfully at the house of Major Gano; and also made many visits at the house of Mr. Longworth, the proprietor and owner of the great wine vaults of Cincinnati, well known to the public, and whose son-in-law, William Flagg, and his wife, were interested in us. We submitted to the examination of many committees in Cincinnati (and other places which we visited in Ohio). We remained in that city until the latter part of August. The weather was extremely warm, and we were all prostrated with heat and fatigue, and we longed to return to our home and friends in Rochester. About this time Calvin was suddenly attacked with hemorrhage of the lungs. Physicians p.r.o.nounced his case hopeless. Mother and I took care of him through that fearful night. The following morning he said to us--taking each one by the hand--"Dear Mother and Leah, the only regret I feel is in leaving you, subject as you are to the persecutions of your enemies." Then fixing his eyes on me he said, "You have been a dear sister to me. The best legacy I could leave you, as a protection when I am gone, is my name. If we were married now, your widowhood would be a great protection from the importunate intrusions to which you are so frequently subjected." Mother wept over him as none but a mother could weep. She fully consented, and left us to decide as we both thought best. We were married September 10, 1851, on what was supposed to be the death-bed of our beloved Calvin, and thus I became Mrs. Brown. Calvin recovered, however, from that attack and lingered in tolerable comfort, until about six months previous to his death, in May, 1853.

The agitation of the subject of Spiritualism resulting from this our "Ohio Campaign," of 1851, led to the first Spiritualist convention in the world's history, so far as I know, which was called for and a.s.sembled at Cleveland in February, 1852, respecting which I find the following letter from David A. Eddy, bearing date of the 28th of that month:

"I enclose to you to-day a Cleveland _Herald_ containing a report of our convention, the first of the kind ever known, and which may with propriety be called 'Spiritual Convention No. One.' It has had some effect in bringing the subject before the people, and calling out investigation. It has thrown the church into spasms. Everything in Ohio is going on as well as we could wish."

CHAPTER XVII.

MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS CONNECTED WITH THE OHIO CAMPAIGN.

N. S. WHEELER--E. S. BROWNFIELD--CHILLICOTHE COMMITTEE--CHARLES F.

WHIPPO--M. L. WRIGHT--D. A. EDDY--EXTRACTS FROM THE PRESS--"A FAIR CHALLENGE FROM MRS. FISH" AND SEQUEL--COLUMBUS COMMITTEE--D. A.

EDDY--M. L. WRIGHT--INTERESTING LETTER FROM DEAR AMY POST--ARTICLE FROM THE CLEVELAND PLAINDEALER.

N. S. WHEELER.

"PAINESVILLE, O., May 7, 1851.

"MRS. FISH:

"DEAR MADAM--Great excitement prevails in our quiet little village at this time. Miss May Cronk has become quite a satisfactory medium. Her development is extraordinary. We think perhaps if you could spend about two weeks or ten days with us, your presence would afford us a fair opportunity to test the matter to our heart's content. I see by the babble of the Cleveland papers that you are expected in that city soon; some say that you are now there. Burr is drivelling out his dolorous tale to large audiences in Cleveland; but whether his cracking joints will endure the torture much longer, has not yet been revealed. I hope for your own happiness, as well as for the successful triumph that awaits you, you may preserve your equanimity and successfully resist all distracting influences.

"We are all anxious to see you here. Come.

"Truly yours, "N. S. WHEELER."

NEWARK, O., May 19, 1851.

"MRS. FISH:

"Although a stranger to you, I take the liberty of addressing you on the subject of Spirit manifestations; also to give you a pressing invitation to visit our town in behalf of a number of our citizens, as well as myself, who are as firm as the rock of Gibraltar in the faith; although a great many of us have not had the opportunity of witnessing the phenomena; and the probability is that many of us will not have the privilege of doing so unless some of our friends, who are more favored than we are, will visit our town and tarry with us a while.

"You could not but be pleased, as Newark is one of the most beautiful towns in the interior of the State; and you will find the people very pleasant and intelligent, if you can visit us. Please answer as soon as you receive this.