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THE AB+Ug. SaTPBPAT. MlFUST SUIT BAITING.Heard at Hjrdesrille, N. Y., Forty-nine Years Ago.THE 8TOBT OF THE FOX SISTERS.Almost unnoticed by the general public, prominent spiritualists recently held a convention at Rochester to oommemorate the forty'ninth anniversary of the “Rochester rapping*. Noted believers from all over the ooontry were in attendance, and Fits-hagh hall waa tbe sczne of materialisations and spiritual manifestations of manydays of sptott rappinga has RodwlAT b«te in tbs throe* of sorb vriM and |wl excitement. Dnrlng that first year it took a degree of moral and physical courage to bea spiritualist.In 1S50 tho Fox girts gave aespora in New York, and the altrgcd spiritual manifestations becamo the subject of extensive discussion. Mediums sprang »P all over the country and woo multiplied by tboo-SCENE OF THE FIRST SPIRIT RAPPING.kind* Aside from tlic seances and tests, the main business of tbu spiritualists was to start a fund to bo used in erecting a raiAmorial to tho Fox sisters.Rochester has tho reputation of being the birthplace of spirit rapping*, bat this reputotion is not wholly justified by fact*. Tho real birthplace was Hyaesville, a ■mall town near Rochester.The phenomena of spirit rapping* began in March, IMS, In ihe homo of John D. Fox In Hydesvilta. Tho Fox family wore known and respected throughout Way no county. The children, Margaret and Kate, aged 12 and 9 years respectively, were at homo when tho family was startled by the mysterious rapping* that were heard nightly upon the floor In ono of tbo bedrooms and sometime* In other parts of the bouse. A patter of footrtLv* sometimes was heard, and bed clothes often were pulled olT. Both sisters declared many times that cold hands passed over their faces.Tho noises became so pronounced that tho aid of neighbors was colled in. and an effort was made to trace tbo mysterious sounds to their cause All attempts at investigation were baffled, and tbo Fox bouse soon became noted a* being haunted, and many wild stories were afloat af mysterious lights that glimmered weirdly above the rocf and of pale phosphorescences that dnuced about the yard at midnight.Tbe pool near tho bouse was said to be haunted, and many neighbors declared that they bad seen atrang* figures and sheeted Fhapes dancing on ite banks. Children held the place in horror, and even oool headed men hesitated about driving near tbe place late- at night.On tho night of Mnrch 81, when the raps first occurred, little 9-yeor-old Kate Imitated them by snapping her fingers, and the rape responded by the same Dumber of rounds. Kate then said: “Now dostartled the the interestFor year* the Fox eountiy, but a* time in spirit rapping* andgrew gradually lea and finallyto die altogether. One of the Fox sister* married Dr. Kane, the arctic explorer, while the younger sister, Kate, married a Dr. Geueken, a prominent physician.“There should be some memorial of tbe Fox sisters In Rochester,’* aald Mr. Kates, who was chairman of tbe convention, to tbe correspondent of the Chicago Record. “Next year will be the semicentennial of tbe discovery of the rapping*, and we should have at that time some tangible evidence to offer of their birth. I snggeat obtaining possession of tbe Fox oottmge. Inclose it and establish therein a spiritual museum, where nil tbe various manifest tokens* received from tho spirit world, the historical things Indicating the growth of the movement, could be collected. In time a spiritual college might be erected, and it would servo admirably as an annual meeting place. Next year tbe national association will bold the great jubilee, probably In Rochester, and it will be second to nothing of the kind In the history af the movement-’*A WOMAN LED THE OUTLAWSA Story of Harder and Robbery Fran Um Mountain* of West Virginia.Several year* ago Charles Gibson moved from Columbus, O., to Montgomery, W. Va.t a thrifty mining town of 900 inhabitants. Ho was a hardworking miner and brought with him his wife Yirgie. Tho couple were ut that time apparently happy and contented.They had no children, and Mrs. Gibson, being lonely at home, became Infatuated with worldly life. They lived in a rented cottage standing against the side of tbe hill, and the society about there waa rough. In a few months Mrs. Gibaon fell in love with Clark Lewis, a mulatto, and tired of her hardworking husband. She met Albert Vinrs, Wiley Lewis, another negro; Jerry Brown and Wilbnr Slaughter. They frequently camo to her home when Gibson was at work.Eventually these people drifted into petty thieving, and from that they went into balder and more serious crime*. Thero were 10 or 15 of rhe gang who came to Gibson’s, and all of them were shift-less, dissipated people. In time Gibson bccnmo obnoxious to his wife, for be objected to the company she kept. Several times he came homo and, finding hi* wife in bad company, threatened to kill those there.On April 22, 18G6, the boys decided to put Gibson out of the way. They planned it ono afternoon, and Yirgie, his wife, was favorable to the plan. Times bad been dull, end they planned to get Gibson to go up the river to hunt work. They went to “ Johnson’s Tipple,** at Crescent, having Gibson along, and were going to board a freight train. Tbclr scheme waa to knock Gihron off the train. No freights came, and the plan failed, all going home. On April 20 the gang formulated another plan. That night Ylurs, Wiley Lewis, Clark Lewi* and Slaughter went to Gibson's and killed the husband of Clark Lewis’ mlKtress.Two stood guard while Clark Lewis and Albert Vinrs slipped into the house
Newspaper Details
Rock Island Argus
Rock Island, Illinois, US
Sat, May 15, 1897
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Cook M.
IL, USA 30 Oct 2021
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