"Rapping" in the 19th Century

Spiritualism refers to the theory that certain gifted people, who are called mediums, can communicate with the dead, or spirits. These spirits are believed to reside on a higher spiritual plane than humans; therefore, they can guide us in both spiritual and worldly matters. Communication typically involves the séance. In a séance, a small group of people joins hands around a table in a darkened room and asks questions of the spirits they believe to be present. The medium goes into a deep trance in which he or she directly communicates by "channeling" a spirit.

In the early days of the Spiritualism movement, séances involved what was termed "typtology." Typtology referred to a series of raps or knocks that would correspond to 'yes' or 'no' answers to questions. Alphabetical typtology substituted letters of the alphabet for a prescribed number of knocks or raps. Sometimes the séance table would rock or tilt, a phenomenon known as "table-turning," and sometimes spirits would materialize out of "ectoplasm." Another method of communication method was the "talking spirit board," which later became better known as the Ouija Board.

The Modern American Spiritualism movement traces its beginnings to 19th-century Hydesville, a rural village in upstate New York, where the Fox family had recently moved into their new farmhouse. The family heard strange knocks and raps on the wall in the bedroom where two young sisters, Maggie and Kate Fox, slept.

On March 31, 1848, the girls claimed that, by knocking on the wall themselves, "something" would respond in a corresponding fashion. They believed it was the spirit of a young peddler, Charles Rosna, who allegedly had been murdered several years before because he was romantically involved with the former owners' maid. The girls developed their own code of knocks and raps to communicate with this unhappy spirit. Their father summoned the neighbors to witness this extraordinary method of communicating with the dead. Initially skeptical, the neighbors were astounded when, through the Fox sisters, they received correct responses from the spirit to questions for which only they knew the answers

Word spread quickly throughout the Rochester area, drawing the attention of Isaac and Amy Post, ex-Quakers who were deeply committed to women's rights and the abolition of slavery. The Posts traveled to Hydesville to witness the phenomenon for themselves. Convinced of its authenticity, the husband-and-wife team formed a small group that met weekly to communicate with the dead. These séances, in which the Fox sisters acted as mediums, were often attended by influential social reformers. Eventually, the girls were welcomed by such famous celebrities as newspaper editor Horace Greeley, writer James Fenimore Cooper, and circus showman P.T. Barnum.

Almost from the beginning, however, there were questions about the credibility of the entire Fox family. Isaac Post, who eventually became a recognized medium himself, staunchly defended the girls against accusations from such skeptics. Suspicious citizens in Rochester demanded an exhibition of the girls' mediumship. In November 1849, the sisters set up a demonstration at Rochester's Corinthian Hall. They invited skeptics onstage to prove any fraudulent activity, but none was detected.

The Fox sisters continued their séances and demonstrations in public venues well into adulthood. Huge audiences flocked to see them, and many paid highly for the privilege. Maggie and Kate hired their oldest sister, Leah, to act as their manager. They were soon booked on extensive tours throughout the country and became extremely popular. Their séances became more elaborate than the previous "table rappings". Soon, the séances involved tables levitating, spirits materializing, and objects moving about the stage. Skeptics routinely accused the women of fakery and fraud, but none was ever discovered.

Unfortunately, both Maggie and Kate suffered from alcoholism in adulthood. Both women were plagued with family tragedies and losses and suffered deep depression and mental problems.

On March 21, 1888, Maggie took the stage at the New York Academy of Music and denounced Spiritualism as a total sham. She "confessed" to her audience that she and Kate had originally fooled everybody at the Hydesville farmhouse by cracking the joints of their toes. Critics gleefully exclaimed that they had been right all along, while devoted Spiritualists claimed that Maggie's confession was the result of years of drinking and loneliness. Many people believe that the confession was merely an attempt to embarrass their oldest sister, Leah, who had respectably married and turned her back on the pair. It was later discovered that a reporter had paid Maggie the sum of $1,500 to "confess" that she and her sister had engaged in fraud and deception.

Meanwhile, Kate denounced her sister's confession and continued as a medium until her death in 1892. Maggie, who would die one year later, completely recanted her confession in 1891. If Maggie and Kate had lived until 1904, they may well have felt a sense of vindication. At that time, the Hydesville farmhouse was discovered to be hiding the skeletal remains of a young man within its walls. All indications point to the probability that he had indeed been murdered.