I had been so indignant at Dr. Foote’s first intimation to me of what was coming, that if, when I slammed the door in his face, it had happened to come in contact with his nose, which he had so impertinently and hypocritically attempted to intrude into our rooms, I fear I should not have much regretted the accident; but anger evaporated over the perusal of this precious scientific performance; which was certainly enough to make me smile aloud over its absurdity. I saw at once that we could have nothing to fear from it, even though, at the first blush, its solemn professional air and tone might impose upon the ignorant and gratify the bigotry of some hostilities. I knew that the first sincere investigation, with special reference to this new and comical knee-joint theory, must at once explode it and cover its authors with confusion. I published the next day, in all the daily papers, the following card. It will be remembered that I was now alone in Buffalo with Maggie; mother and Katie being at New York.
“To Doctors Flint, Coventry, and Lee:
“Gentlemen—We observe, by a communication in The Commercial Advertiser, that you have recently made an examination of a ‘highly respectable lady of this city,’ by which you have discovered the secret of the ‘Rochester impostors.’ As we do not feel willing to rest under the imputation of being impostors, we are very willing to undergo a proper and decent examination, provided we can select three male and three female friends who shall be present on the occasion.
“We can assure the public that there is no one more anxious than ourselves to discover the origin of these mysterious manifestations. If they can be explained on ‘anatomical and physiological’ principles, it is due to the world that the investigation be made, and that the ‘humbug’ be exposed. As there seems to be much interest manifested by the public on that subject, we would suggest that as early an investigation as is convenient would be acceptable to the undersigned.
“A. Leah Fish.
“Margaretta Fox.”
The learned professors, being thus challenged, could do no less than accept, and a meeting was arranged, which took place at the Phelps House. Indeed, for the next fortnight we may be said to have surrendered our whole time to investigations, our rooms being open freely and gratuitously to meetings of the public, or of committees appointed by them, consisting of gentlemen selected from “the pick” of Buffalo. The three doctors had the first evening in their own hands; though there were present Mr. Rogers, the proprietor of the hotel, and I think two or three gentlemen friendly to us, and many other promiscuous gentlemen. I remember particularly the presence of two steamboat men (idle, of course, at that season), Captains Rounds and Walker. This is fixed in my recollection because of a little incident in regard to which I have never been sure which of them was the (kindly) guilty party. They both felt a pity—natural to good and kindly men—for two young creatures thus baited, as it were by cruel enemies; and as we, Maggie and I, sat together on a sofa, and after long waiting no raps came, one of them rested his arm on the back of the sofa and actually, with his knuckles, made behind me three raps which were not a bad imitation. Perhaps he was not more than half conscious of what he did, like the boy who denied that he had whistled in school and said “it whistled itself.” But I knew the raps not to be genuine; while the kindness of heart of the author of them at such a moment of trial excited in me something perhaps a little hysterical, for I cried, or rather sobbed out—“O, for pity’s sake, don’t do that. If God and the good Spirits have deserted us we will abide the consequences; but don’t let there be any false rapping.” Good Mr. Rogers was so much moved and excited (he had been before wiping streams of perspiration from his forehead) that he staggered as he stood, and some friends assisted him out of the room; and I understood that he actually fainted.
But the good Spirits had inspired me well; for I was afterward told that it produced the best effect on all present. From this I presume that I must except the doctors, whom professional dignity and pride committed to their new theory; and who, probably under the materialistic bigotry of modern science, were all in arms against us and the Spirits. The spontaneous genuineness of it was clear evidence that there was nothing but honesty in us, whatever mystery might be under these strange manifestations—mysterious to ourselves first and most of all.
It was certainly a severe and cruel ordeal for us, as we sat there under that accusation, surrounded by all these men, authorities, some of them persecutors, while the raps, usually so ready and familiar, would not come to our relief. Some few and faint ones did indeed come—some nine or ten. The doctors say in their account that it was while they intermitted the holding of our feet. Such was not my impression, but I attach small importance to that. It will be seen herein that the first Doctors’ day was followed by many more, in the presence of committees of all that was highest and best of authority in Buffalo, in which not only did the raps abound, alike when our feet and knees were held and when they were not, but other manifestations of the presence and action of our Spirit-friends which far transcended the significancy of raps. We are now familiar with the fact that Spirits often refuse to act in the presence of those who bring to the occasion, not a candid and fair spirit of inquiry for the satisfaction of an honest scepticism, but a bitter and offensive bigotry of prejudice and invincible hostility, which does not really seek, but rather repels the truth, and but little deserves the favor of its exhibition to them by the Spirits.
Neither men nor Spirits care always to cast their pearls away upon unfit and unworthy recipients. Our Spirits knew well what they could and would exhibit on the following days to the public of Buffalo and the world, through better channels of higher authority.
The three doctors published their account, the animus of which appears in the one circumstance that we are never mentioned but as “females”—a small fact, but enough to show how some males may be M.D.’s without being gentlemen.