| | PAGE |
| Introduction | [1] |
| CHAPTER I. |
| Hydesville | [5] |
| “Mysterious Noises” heard in the House of John D. Fox, inHydesville (Town of Arcadia), near Newark, Wayne County,N. Y.—Statements of Witnesses. |
| CHAPTER II. |
| Hydesville (Continued) | [20] |
| The Last Digging in the Cellar—Mob Antagonism—NobleFriends—Experiences and Theories—Antecedents of theHouse—Franklin. |
| CHAPTER III. |
| Rochester | [30] |
| My First Knowledge of the Matter—Hasten to Hydesville—Rappingon a Canal Boat—Experiences—Mother Comes toRochester—Calvin Brown—Devious Route of ProjectilesUp-stairs from Cellar to Garret—A Death-knell Soundedall Night on the Keys of a Locked Piano. |
| CHAPTER IV. |
| Rochester (Continued) | [47] |
| Ventriloquism—“Proclaim these Truths to the World”—TheCall for the Alphabet—Voices in Raps—God’s Telegraphbetween the two Worlds—An Eviction—Committee ofFive—No Money Accepted—Improper Questions to Spirits—“Done”—Struggleagainst the “Uncanny Thing”—BenjaminFranklin. |
| CHAPTER V. |
| Rochester (Continued), November, 1848 | [57] |
| Light Articles made Immovable—The Coffins—Adieu of theSpirits—Their Return—First Steps toward Public Investigation—“HireCorinthian Hall”—First Committee of Investigation—Second—Thirdor “Infidel” Committee—Behaviorof a Great Dining-table—The Tar and TorpedoMob. |
| CHAPTER VI. |
| Mediumistic Vein in Our Family | [74] |
| Some Family Antecedents—Our Great-grandmother—PhantomProphetic Funerals—Vision of a Tombstone Nine Yearsin Advance, etc. |
| CHAPTER VII. |
| Mediumistic Vein in Our Family (Continued) | [89] |
| Marvellous Writing by a Baby Medium. |
| CHAPTER VIII. |
| Rochester (Continued) | [100] |
| “Repeat the Lord’s Prayer”—First Money Accepted—MuscularQuakerism—Letter from George Willets—Letter fromJohn E. Robinson—Caution against Consultation of Spiritsabout Worldly Interests. |
| CHAPTER IX. |
| Albany and Troy. 1850 | [115] |
| Excursion to Albany—Delavan House and Van Vechten Hall—Rev.Dr. Staats and the Judges—High Class of Minds Interested—PresidentEliphalet Nott—Pecuniary Arrangements—Excursionto Troy—Trojan Ladies—Mob Attemptson Life of Margaretta. |
| CHAPTER X. |
| New York. 1850 | [128] |
| “The Rochester Knockings at Barnum’s Hotel”—Hard Work—OurVisitors—A Poisoned Bouquet—Hair of the EmperorNapoleon I.—Hair of John C. Calhoun—Investigation atResidence of Rev. Rufus W. Griswold, by the LeadingLiterary Celebrities of New York. |
| CHAPTER XI. |
| Return to Rochester | [142] |
| Letters and Newspaper Articles Respecting our New YorkCampaign—Letter from Amy Post—Letters from John E.Robinson—Article from a Sunday Newspaper—From theNew York Day-Book—Letter from Dr. C. D. Griswold—Letterfrom Jacob C. Cuyler—Article by Horace Greeley—Poemfrom the Sunday Dispatch. |
| CHAPTER XII. |
| Buffalo. 1850-51. | [165] |
| Urged to Return to New York—Visit to Buffalo—Attempt by aPretended Friend to Frighten us Away—Thunderbolt fromthe Buffalo Commercial Advertiser—The “Females”—Knee-jointTheory—Our Reply Challenging Investigationof it—The Doctors’ Day—Mrs. Patchen’s Peculiarity. |
| CHAPTER XIII. |
| Buffalo (Continued) | [179] |
| Investigations upon Investigations—A Meeting at the PhelpsHouse—Manifestations with Bells, etc.—Mr. Albro’s Report—ADeath Scene—Letter from Me to the CommercialAdvertiser, and how I forced its Insertion—Article fromthe Buffalo Daily Republic—Letter from Mr. Greeley—Mr.E. W. Capron—Departure from Buffalo. |
| CHAPTER XIV. |
| Buffalo (Continued) | [197] |
| Letters from John E. Robinson and Welcome Whittaker. |
| CHAPTER XV. |
| Extracts from D. M. Dewey’s History | [206] |
| Letters from Rev. Charles Hammond and John E. Robinson. |
| CHAPTER XVI. |
| The Ohio Campaign | [219] |
| Return to Rochester—Attempted Burglary—Summons to Ohio—“Rev.”C. C. Burr—“Toe-ology”—Gold Medals andJewelled Watch—First Public Speech—Committee Investigationsas usual—Calvin’s Illness, and henceforth Mrs.Brown—First Spiritual Convention. |
| CHAPTER XVII. |
| Miscellaneous Letters Connected with the Ohio Campaign | [231] |
| N. S. Wheeler—E. S. Brownfield—Chillicothe Committee—CharlesF. Whippo—M. L. Wright—D. A. Eddy—Extractsfrom the Press—“A Fair Challenge from Mrs. Fish” andSequel—Columbus Committee—D. A. Eddy—M. L. Wright—InterestingLetter from Dear Amy Post—Article fromthe Cleveland Plaindealer. |
| CHAPTER XVIII. |
| New York City, from January, 1852 | [250] |
| Competing Claims upon Us—Decision in Favor of New York asResidence—Death of Calvin R. Brown—Remains Removedto Rochester for Burial—Personal Friendships—Alice andPhœbe Cary—Course of Test Experiments at Dr. Gray’s—TheMonday Evening Circle—Rules of Séances. |
| CHAPTER XIX. |
| New York City (Continued) | [269] |
| Our Brilliant Success with the Superior Intellectual Classes—Whiskeyat Washington—Cognizance of Domestic Secrets—Discomfitureof Anderson, “the Wizard of the North”—RemarkableExperience with a very Notorious Person. |
| CHAPTER XX. |
| Phosphorus | [282] |
| Spirit Lights Visible at Dark Séances—Private Circle in JerseyCity in 1857—Solid Granules of Phosphorus Appearing inEarth which I had Touched—Surprising and DistressingLetter—The Good Spirits and Daniel Underhill to the Rescue—BenjaminFranklin—Marriage to D. Underhill, November2, 1858, and Close of my Public Mediumship—AnalogousPhenomena in Private at Home. |
| CHAPTER XXI. |
| Boston and the Harvard Professors, 1857 | [297] |
| Agreement for an Investigation by a Committee of HarvardProfessors—Expulsion of a Student from the DivinitySchool for the Crime of Mediumship—Professor Felton—Agassiz—Varley,the Electrician of the Atlantic TelegraphCompany. |
| CHAPTER XXII. |
| Boston and the Harvard Professors (Continued) | [312] |
| Disinterested Judgments upon the Sham Investigation—OurPart in the Proceedings—More Fair Investigation by theCollective Representatives of the New England Press—Investigationby a Body of Unitarian Clergymen—OurTriumphant Return Home—Theodore Parker. |
| CHAPTER XXIII. |
| Robert Dale Owen and Professor Felton, President ofHarvard College | [326] |
| Masterly Letter from Mr. Owen. |
| CHAPTER XXIV. |
| Experiences of Robert Dale Owen through the Mediumshipof the Author | [339] |
| Moving a Ledge of Rock on the Sea-shore—Raps on the Water,and in the Living Wood—Seeing the Raps—Moving PonderableBodies by Occult Agency—Crucial Test—A HeavyDinner-table Suspended in the Air by Occult Agency. |
| CHAPTER XXV. |
| Experiences of the Author with Robert Dale Owen(Continued) | [348] |
| CHAPTER XXVI. |
| Spirit Cures—Mr. Capron’s Wife | [361] |
| Statement by E. W. Capron—Wife of General Waddy Thompson,of South Carolina—Wife of Mr. Davis, of Providence,R. I. |
| CHAPTER XXVII. |
| Miscellaneous Letters | [368] |
| J. Heddon—S. Chamberlain—John E. Robinson—A. Underhill—GeorgeLee, M.D. |
| CHAPTER XXVIII. |
| Miscellaneous Letters (Continued) | [386] |
| E. F. Norton—John E. Robinson—Governor N. P. Tallmadge—PaulineM. Davis—Same—John E. Robinson—Prof. J.J. Watson. |
| CHAPTER XXIX. |
| Some Observations on Mediumship | [403] |
| Mysteries of Mediumship—To Prove the Immortality of theSoul—Passivity and Harmony at Séances—Honest andCandid Scepticism—Imaginary and Self-induced Mediumship—DeceptiveCommunications—Cautions—Rappings—Spiritsmade Visible—Beware of Fraudulent Mediums—Notall Spirits Reliable—Cabinets. |
| CHAPTER XXX. |
| Miscellaneous Incidents | [415] |
| Felicia Hemans—Spirit Dictations of Music. |
| CHAPTER XXXI. |
| Miscellaneous Incidents (Continued) | [421] |
| Crowd of Spirits made Visible by Lightning—Scarcely Crediblebut True—A Game of Euchre—Margaret’s Dream—MistakenNames Corrected by Spirits—An Unwilling Convertmade Grateful and Happy—A Spirit Knows betterthan the Postmaster—Opening of a Combination Lock—AVisitor Magnetized into a Medium Himself—Curious Storyabout a Mutilated Limb—Disturbance in the Troup StreetCottage—A Caution against Cruelty to Orphan Children—Mrs.Hopper’s Mysterious End—“Touch Samantha”—“Ifelt my Handkercher Tied Tighter every Minit”—“NoBrimstone yet”—Kitchen Work by Night—‘Sich a Gittin’up Stairs’—The Death of Isaac T. Hopper—William M.Thackeray—“Witch Stories”—George Thompson—AChild’s Letter—Extracts from D. Underhill’s Minute Book—PracticalJokes Performed and Rebuked—A PropheticDream—James A. Garfield—“Incident” Related by theEditor. |
| CHAPTER XXXII. |
| Action of Spirits through the Mediumship of a Five-month’s-oldInfant | [464] |
| Various Manifestations around the Baby—Writing in Greekthrough his Hand. |
| CHAPTER XXXIII. |
| “The Missing Link” | [471] |
| Finale | [475] |