Spiritualism on Trial in Yakima
A witness defends the authenticity of a recent séance, describing illuminated spirits and physical manifestations in a cabinet séance.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
There has been so much said, pro and con, concerning the late spiritualistic materialization phenomena in Yakima, that I claim the privilege of giving you an abridged account of the circle held last Saturday evening. We arrived at the séance-room fifteen minutes before time to commence. We were requested by the medium to go with her to a private room and examine her attire, which we (and two other ladies) did. We found her clothed as ladies usually are—nothing more or less. We returned to the room, the medium taking her seat in the cabinet—which, by the way, was a bay-window with a cloth hung in front. The medium was dressed in black, and so near us that she could not have moved without being heard. Shortly after she took her seat—the light being turned low—the guide greeted the friends, and the spirits came out all in white, except one Indian giving the name of Blackhawk, who was illuminated and had the gutteral voice and manners of an Indian. There were ten spirits altogether who during the evening greeted their friends with words of cheer about the home over there. We heard the voice of two spirits in the cabinet while Blackhawk was out. He treated six persons for disease and beat and pounded enough to tire out a half-dozen women. The room was frequently light enough to see the medium in her black dress, seated in the chair, as the spirits would part the drapery while passing to and from the cabinet. Mrs. West intends returning to Yakima in the near future to give persons anxious to prove her a fraud an opportunity to do so.
“He treated six persons for disease and beat and pounded enough to tire out a half-dozen women.”
Spiritualism was a massive cultural phenomenon in the late 19th century, offering a way for Victorians to reconcile science with their grief and mortality. While we might view these 'materializations' as theater, they provided a profound community space for those seeking connection beyond the grave.
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