The Spiritualist newspaper > No.318, September 27th 1878

146
THE SPIRITUALIST.
Sept. 27, 1878.
curled up on the chair, eyes staring, looking everyway |
like an “ old hag.” She sat for a time in silence, I
until Dr. Stevens moved his chair, when she savagely j
warned him not to come nearer. She appeared sullen j j
and crabbed, calling her father u Old Black Dick,” and j
her mother “ Old Granny.” She refused to be touched j |
even to shake hands, and was reticent and sullen to all save j I
the doctor, with whom she entered freely into conversation, j
giving her reasons for doing so ; she said he was a spiritual |
doctor and would understand her. j
When he asked her name she quickly replied:— j
r Katrina Hogan.” j
“How old?” I
“ Sixty-three years.” i
“ Where from ?” j
!| Germany.” r!
“ How long ago ?” ! I
“Three days.”
“ How did you come ?” ! j
“ Through the air.”
“ How long will you stay ?”
“ Three weeks.”
After this kind of conversation had proceeded for some ! j
time, she modified her manners, appearing to be a little | (
penitent and confidential, and said she would be honest and j |
tell the doctor her real name. She was not a woman; and j i j
her real name was Willie. On being asked what was her J j
father’s name, replied, “ Peter Canning,” and her own name ;
was Willie Canning, a young man who ran away from home, i
got into difficulty, changed his name several times, and j ] j
finally lost his life, and was now here because he wanted to M
be. She grew weary with answering questions and giving j
details. Then she turned upon the doctor with a perfect I]
shower of questions, such as,, What is your name ? Where i i
do you live ? Are you married ? How many children ? j
How many boys ? How many girls ? What is your occu- J
pation ? What kind of a doctor? What did you come to (I
Watseka for? Have you -ever been at the South Pole? j
North Pole ? Europe ? Australia ? Egypt ? Ceylon ? ]
Benares? Sandwich Islands?” and by a long series of (
questions evinced knowledge of geography. She next in¬
quired after the doctor’s habits and morals by questions like j
the following: “ Do you lie? get drunk ? steal ? swear? use j
tobacco ? tea ? coffee ? Do you go to church ? pray ?” She j
then asked to have the same questions put to Mr. Roff. She j
declined to ask them direct herself, but through the doctor. ! j
When, at about half-past five o’clock p.m., the visitors j j
arose to depart, she also arose, flung up her hands, and fell j i
upon the floor, straight, stiff, and rigid, as I have often seen j
sensitives fall with the “ power” in Methodist revival meet- !
ings, and believing it to be of the same nature, the doctor j J
took occasion to prove it, as he has done on those smitten | i
with the “ power,” by controlling body and mind, and j I
restoring them to a normal and rational state.
The visitors being again seated, he took her hands as they |
were held straight upwards, like iron bars, and by mesmeric I
action soon had the body under perfect control, and was in \
full and free communication with the sane and happy mind |
of Lurancy Yennum herself, who conversed with the grace j
and sweetness of an angel, declaring herself to be in heaven.
In this condition she answered the doctor’s questions with
reference to herself, her seemingly insane condition, and the
influences that controlled her, with great rationality and J
understanding. She regretted to have such evil controls
about her. She said she knew the evil spirit calling itself
Katrina and Willie, and others. The doctor asked her if she
must be controlled if it would not be better, if it were
possible, to have a higher, purer, happier, and more in¬
telligent control. She said she would prefer it if it could be j
so. Then on being advised, she looked about and inquired j
of those she saw, and described, and named, to find someone |
who would prevent the cruel and insane ones from returning !
to annoy her and the family. She said, “ There are a great j
many spirits here who would be glad to come,” and she |
again proceeded to give names and descriptions of persons !
long since deceased; some that she had never known, but j
known to older persons present. “ But,” she said, i
“ there is one the angels desire should come, and she wants j
to come.” On being asked if she knew who it was, she said,
“Her name is Mary Roff.” Mr. Roff being present, said,
“ That is my daughter; Mary Roff is my girl. Why, she
has been in heaven twelve years. Yes, let her come, we’ll
be glad to have her come.” Mr. Roff assured Lurancy that
Mary was good and intelligent and would help her all she
could ; stating further that Mary used to be subject to condi¬
tions like herself. Lurancy, after due deliberation and
counsel with spirits, said that Mary would take the place of
the former wild and unreasonable influence. Mr. Roff said
to her, “ Let your mother bring you to my house, and Mary
will be likely to come, and mutual benefit may be derived
from our former experience with Mary.” Thus by reaching
the sane mind of the girl, and through her the sane minds
of a better class of spirits, a contract or agreement was
made, to be kept sacred by the angels in heaven and
heaven’s agents in the flesh, by which a mortal body was to
be restored to health ; a spirit, unfortunate in earth-life, with
twelve years’ experience in spirit-life to have an amended
earthly experience, a child to be spiritualised and moulded
into a fine medium, an unbelieving and scoffing city to be
confounded, and the greatest truth the world has ever sought
established beyond doubt or cavil. How far the contract has
been kept by the spirits and their faithful co-labourers here,
the sequel will show.
The object of the visit now being attained, Dr. Stevens
asked, “ How long do you want to stay in this heaven ?”
She answered, “ Always, sir.”
“ But you will come back for the sake of your friends ?”
“ Yes, sir.”
“ When will you come back ? ”
“ At twelve o’clock.”
“ But the family will want rest. Can’t you come sooner? ”
“ Yes, sir, I can.”
“ How soon can you come ? ”
“ At nine o’clock, sir.”
“ Will you come at nine ? ”
“ I will.”
And so she did.
After nearly three hours of careful conversation, Mr. Roff
and the doctor retired, leaving the family satisfied that a
new fountain of light, and source of help had been reached.
On the following morning, Friday, February 1st, Mr.
Yennum called at the office of Mr. Roff and informed him
that the girl claimed to be Mary Roff and wanted to return
home. To use Mr. Yennum’s words—“ She seems like a
child real homesick, wanting to see her pa and ma and her
brothers.”
THE LIFE HISTORY OF MARY ROFF.
It now becomes necessary to give a brief sketch of the
life of Mary Roff, the daughter of Asa B. and Ann Roff.
She was born on the -8 th day of October, 1846, in Warren
Co., Ind. The family moved in November of the same year
to Williamsport, Ind., thence in September, 1847, to Middle-
port, 111., where they resided till June, 1857, when they
removed to Victoria, Texas, in search of relief for a sick
child. In March, 1858, they returned to Gilman, and
remained there and at Onarga, 111., till the building of the
Toleda, Peoria, and Warsaw Railroad, when they returned
to Middleport, November 8th, 1859, and built the first house
in the new town of South Middleport, which is now a part
of the city of Watseka, where they still reside.
In the spring of 1847, when about six months old, Mary
was taken sick and had a fit, in which she remained several
hours. After the fit, she became conscious and lay several
days without the family having much hope of her recovery.
In two or three weeks she seemed to have entirely recovered.
A few weeks later she acted, on one occasion, like a child
going into a fit. The pupils of her eyes dilated, the muscles
slightly twitched, but this lasted but a few moments. From
the age of about six months, she had these spells as de¬
scribed, once in from three to five weeks, all the time
increasing in violence, until her tenth year, when they
proved to be real fits. She had from one to three and
sometimes four or five of them within a period of three or
four days, when they would cease, and she would enjoy good
health until the next period approached. At these times,
she lor a few days would seem sad and despondent, in which
mood she would sing and play the most solemn music (for
with all the rest of her studies, in which she was considered