Observations placeholder

Quoted in Madam Home - D D Home his life his mission

In the Morning Star, in October 1860, appeared a letter from Dr. Gully, of Malvern, who had been present at the séance when the accordion was played, and who fully confirmed Bell's testimony.  Dr. Gully had been introduced to Mr. Home by Lady Shelley. He was not as yet a Spiritualist when he attended this seance.

I held it myself for a short time and had good reason to know that it was vehemently pulled at the other end, and not by Mr. Home's toes, as has been wisely surmised; unless that gentleman has legs three yards in length, with toes at the end of them quite as marvellous as any legion of spirits. For, be it stated, that such music as we heard was no ordinary strain; it was grand at times, at others pathetic, at others distant and long drawn, to a degree which no one can imagine who has not heard it.

I have heard Blagrove repeatedly; but it is no libel on that master of the instrument to say that he never did produce such exquisite distant and echo notes as those which delighted our ears. The instrument played, too, at distant parts of the room, many yards away from Home and from all of us.

…. I may add that the writer in the Cornhill Magazine omits to mention several curious phenomena which were witnessed that evening. Here is one of them.

A distinguished litterateur who was present (Robert Chambers) asked the supposed spirit of his father whether he would play his favourite ballad for us; and addressing us, he added:
‘The accordion was not invented at the time of my father's death, so I cannot conceive how it will be affected; but if his favourite air is not played. I pledge myself to tell you so.'

Almost immediately the flute notes of the accordion (which was upon the floor) played through 'Ye banks and braes o'Bonnie Doon,' which the gentleman alluded to assured us was his father's favourite air, whilst the flute was his father's favourite instrument.

He then asked for another favourite air of his father's 'which was not Scotch,' and The Last Rose of Summer was played in the same note.  This, the gentleman told us, was the air to which he had alluded.

I have endeavoured to show that, as regards the principal and most wonderful phenomena, there could have been no contrivance by trick or machinery adequate to produce or account for their existence.

How, then, were they produced? I know not; and I believe that we are very far from having accumulated facts enough upon which to frame any laws or build any theory regarding the agent at work in their production.