460 
Relations between 
[August, 
purposely deranged, was opened by Mr. Conklin. The 
person who, after deranging the lock wrote what he con- 
ceived to be the opening word, enclosed it in a seaie 
envelope, but which proved to he wrong m one letter, 
lock was given to Mr. Conklin, the envelope delivered to 
persons who were appointed as judges. The solution .give 
by Mr. Conklin was the correct word, and the lock was 
opened ; the word written in the envelope failed to effects 
purpose. The whole transaction was so arranged that 
was impossible that there could be any tampering eithe 
with the envelope or lock. , . , ... 
Second.— I accidentally called upon Mr. Conklin : wlidst 
with him two gentlemen enquired whether Mr. Conk 
would grant them a sitting. They were introduced, a 
stated that they were strangers in New Y ° rk al ? d had 
arrived ; having heard of the spiritual movement they were 
(if possible) desirous of testing it. Mr. Conklin acquiescing 
I rose to leave (fearing that the visitors might ■ th ^ ^ ie 
possibly might be collusion between myself and the medium). 
Mr. Conklin wished me to stay, the sitters joining in the 
request ; I did so. The seance was arranged : one the 
questioner, asked if it was necessary to frame the question 
in English, or might he communicate in another languag . 
Answer: the language was a matter of indiffeience , t :he 
answers would be in English. The tests were knocks and 
writing. The questions were framed, in number I think 
twelve! As they were written they were p aced, one at a 
time, face downward, before Mr. Conklin : he, being appa- 
rently in a semi-somnolent state, wrote the answers in 
English, seriatim, as placed before him. The answers wer 
stated by the questioner to be exadt answers, and such as 
he should have expefted in a viva voce conversation. 1 he 
questions were written in Welsh, and addressed to his wife 
who had been dead twenty years, with whom he wished to 
communicate. He stated his conviction that he had had 
communication with the spirit of his deceased wde and 
that the questions were upon subjects known only to himself 
^1 must^pologise to the Editor for presenting such matter 
for insertion in his Journal. Viewed as a philosophy, or as 
an analysis of fadts, all objedtion should he waived. Ihe 
narratives are couched in the baldest form, and presented to 
show that by no possibility could they be supposed to be 
mere mind reading— the usual subterfuge of doubters. In 
the first case such an assumption would he ignoied, the 
word enclosed in the envelope being incorredt ; in the latter 
