Observations placeholder

EXPERIENCES IN SPIRITUALISM WITH MR. D. D. HOME. BY VISCOUNT ADARE, [Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin 1841-1926] WITH INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE EARL OF DUNRAVEN. [Viscount Adare's father]  [1869]

No.42.-seance at No. 5, Buckingham Gate, December 20th

My dear Father,-Last Tuesday we had a seance at No. 7 Present: Home, Charlie Wynne and his wife, Augusta Gore, the Master of Lindsay, Arthur Smith Barry, and myself. There appeared to be great difficulty in making manifestations ; indeed, the spirits said that Home was ill and therefore that they had no power. We felt strong vibrations of the table, which was moved about. Augusta's couch was moved, (no one touching it) as was the screen, at the head of her couch, (no one touching it.) The spirits also answered, and gave messages by rapping on the couch; altogether it was not a bad seance for convincing sceptics.

Arthur was touched, as was also Augusta, and the latter told me afterwards, that she had seen spirit forms in the room. Home was taken possession of, his hands and arms became partially cataleptic, and he made passes in this condition over Augusta for some time, then stooping down he made passes under the couch ; which Augusta said she felt distinctly.

Charlie Wynne, Lindsay, Arthur and I, adjourned to Ashley House, to smoke a cigar. We sat for a short time in the little room, and had manifestations, but Home was too weak for anything very wonderful. He was elongated slightly (I think), and raised in the air ; his head became quite luminous at the top giving him the appearance of having a halo round it. When he was raised in the air, he waved his arms about, and in each hand, there came a little globe of fire (to my eyes, blue) ; the effect was very pretty; Adah Menken and Dannie Cox were the only two spirits that I recognized by Home's manner.