and through the medium asked that as a test
the name of some prominent person dying that night
should be communicated. The request was complied
with and the name of a Russian dignitary, which we
cannot now recall, was spelled out. This was before
the Atlantic cable was laid, and my friend, anxious to
test the matter, kept watch of the newspapers and fi-
nally, nearly a month after (the time requisite for
Russian mails in those days) he saw the announcement
of the death of the Russian notable bearing that very
name.
Our friend was convinced that Spiritism was not
all a “hoax,” and was anxious for another meeting.
When it took place, in view of the answer at the pre-
vious meeting, the medium inquired, “An there any
mediums present? and, if so, how many ?” The answer
was, “Four.”
The medium asked the spirit to please
indicate which four of those present were mediums,
and as each one called his name the mediums were in-
dicated by a rap upon the table, by some invisible
agent. Our friend was one of those indicated and right
proud he felt of the honor. This occurred in Wheel-
ing, W. Va. Shortly after he came to Allegheny, Pa.,
and visited an aunt, a widow, who with her family re-
sided here. Anxious to display his newly conferred
powers as a medium, he asked his aunt and her daughter
to join him in a “seance.”
They were surprised, and
the daughter said, “Why, are you a medium? I am
a rapping medium also, brother Harry is a tipping
medium and mother is a writing and trance medium.”
Our friend had never witnessed the powers of any bat
rapping mediums, and was very anxious that his aunt
should display the powers of her mediumship, and was