West Indies.
We publish the following account not without some reluctance. It is not accompanied by any responsible name. We know that many false reports of alleged spiritual manifestations have been made, and, doubtless, many more will yet appear. Hence, it becomes us to exercise caution in receiving such reports as are not well authenticated.
—
The subjoined account of certain strange occurrences, of a recent date, at Gustavia, St Bartholomew’s, (one of the West India Islands, in the possession of Sweden,) I have direct from a gentleman now in this city, who was at the Island a short time since, and was a witness to the facts related. As no notice of these occurrences have appeared in any of the public prints that I am aware of, I send you the following account as being likely to prove interesting just at this time, when the subject of supernatural phenomena, in the shape of mysterious ‘knockings,’ etc., is exciting so much discussion.
The proof of the truth of these facts – that is of their actual occurrence – is abundant and perfectly satisfactory; and any person willing to take the pains to make the necessary inquiries and investigations, can obtain evidence of a convincing character of that hand. The matter is not only one of general notoriety throughout the Island, but there are now several American gentlemen in Boston and New York, who, during the few months, while visiting St Bartholomew’s, saw enough to satisfy them of the facts, whatever theory they may have formed in regard to them, and who will unanimously confirm the truth of this account.
Some six months since, (which by-the-by, is about the time of the commencement of the knockings at Rochester,) a family of the name of Simmons, living at Gustavia, began to be very seriously annoyed by disturbances taking place in their dwellings, at various hours of the day, as well as the night, some of which were of a truly frightful nature. They consisted principally of the throwing of stones about the house, the sudden removal and change of position of articles of furniture, the infliction of blows upon members of the family by unseen hands, and a variety of strange and fantastic doings, some of which would have seemed ludicrous, if it had not been that the utterly unaccountable manner in which they were performed, by suggesting the idea of diabolical or supernatural agency of some sort, gave them a fearful and terrific character.
They continued to increase in frequency and violence, until they grew absolutely insufferable, and could not be concealed, nor prevented from becoming matter of public notoriety. What immediately led to this was an occurrence which rests on the sole authority of the family. Mr Simmons was one day seized, while in one of the rooms of the dwelling, and thrown with great violence upon the floor, by some unseen power. He was so shocked and overcome, rather with horror at the mysterious nature of the shock than from the physical injury which he received, that he immediately fainted. When partially recovered, one of the family offered him a glass of water, which, at the very moment when it was raised to his lips, was dashed in pieces by a stone thrown from the opposite quarter of the room without any visible agency, but which inflicted no further injury. This, of course, if true, or imagined to be true by the family, was not a thing to be concealed, and it was extensively noised abroad. The Simmonses were respectable, though poor, and those who knew them, without supposing that there was anything supernatural about the matter, nevertheless believed that there was some foundation for the story, and that the family were honest in their representations and their fears.
People not only from Gustavia, but from all parts of the Island, now began to visit the scene of these remarkable manifestations, attracted by curiosity and the love of the marvellous. Among the rest, the gentlemen from whom I derive these particulars frequently visited the house, and witnessed, on several occasions, things of the most extraordinary and startling character. The house is rather a large one, and the principal scenes of the disturbances are two large rooms, communicating by a wide door, in the manner of folding doors.
My informant has repeatedly seen stones of considerable size fall from the ceiling of these rooms to the floor, when there was no aperture through which they could possibly have come. He has seen two chairs, standing on opposite sides of a long table, lifted, without any visible interposition into the air, and passing over the table in opposite directions, exactly change their places. He once saw a vase of flowers rise (spontaneously, to all appearances,) from a mantel-piece in one of these rooms, and pass with a slow and even motion through the door into the other room, and deposit itself upon the mantel there. These things, and others of the like character, took place in open day, at from 2 to 5 o’clock, P.M., and were witnessed by many persons, frequently standing promiscuously about the rooms. Sometimes as many as twenty would go together, and was not uncommon for parties of young men to pass the night in these rooms, out of bravado – always, however, taking care to be in sufficient numbers to keep up one another’s courage. The disturbances continued in the same manner, whatever the number of persons present.
I ought, perhaps, to mention as a suspicious circumstance that, immediately upon the removal of the family from the house, everything would become quiet, and continue so until they returned. But when they were placed apart, in a room by themselves, and persons stationed in and around the house to maintain a vigilant watch, there was no abatement or interruption of the manifestations int he large rooms referred to. At length, the authorities thought it time to interfere in the matter, and the Swedish Chief of Police, who regarded the whole thing as a piece of trickery, or by some mischief loving young men of the town, for the sake of the frolic – resolved to look into it.
He accordingly visited the house, and, on entering the large room, called out in a jeering manner that if there were any spirits there, and they had the power, he wished they would throw him a dollar! No sooner said than done – immediately a silver dollar fell at his feet! Not at all disconcerted by this prompt acceptance of his challenge, the imperturbable functionary picked up the coin, and, after pocketing it securely, said that he should like to see the spirits get it back again, if they could. This, however, was either beyond their ability, or they did not choose to be dictated as to the manner in which they should display their power; for the Chief still retains and exhibits the dollar, as a memento of his interview with the spirits. Challenges of a similar kind have often been promptly responded to. And persons expressing disbelief, and a wish that the spirits would throw something at them, have been severely hurt by stones and other missiles coming from the quarter of the room opposite to that where they were standing.
For these facts, and a variety of others of a similar character, I am assured that hundreds of the most respectable inhabitants of Gustavia are ready to vouch.”
Cor. N.Y. Tribune.
Spiritual Philosopher, July 1850.