The facts mentioned in the last issue of our Spiritist Review and about which we had postponed our opinion seem to have been definitely settled as Spiritist phenomena. A careful examination of the circumstances and details do not allow to have them confused with acts of malevolence or joke. It seems difficult that ill-intentioned persons could have escapade the eyes of law enforcement and in particular act at the very moment when they are been watched, before the eyes of those that are looking for them and that lack no will of having them caught.
Exorcisms were carried out but after a few days of interruption the noises restarted with different aspects. Here is what is found in the Journal de la Vienne, on February 17th and 18th:
“We remember that last January the rapping Spirits made their solemn apparition in Poitiers, establishing themselves at St. Paul St., in a home located near the old church designated by that name but their stayed for a short time with us and we were led to believe that it was all over when the day before yesterday the noises that had agitated so much the population were reproduced now with new intensity.
Thus, the black devils returned to the home of Ms. de O… The only difference is that now they are not only rapping Spirits but shooters that provoke extraordinary explosions. We will celebrate their party on St. Barbara’s day, patron of the artillery. There are always those to long for the restart of processions of curious persons and have the police questioning every echo to be guided by the fog of the other world.
One can only wait, however, that this time the perpetrators of those mystifications of bad taste are caught and that justice may well demonstrate to the explorers of human belief that the best Spirits are not the ones that make more noise but those that know to be quiet or only speak when necessary.”
Piogeard
“We always go back to St. Paul St. without being able to penetrate the infernal mystery. When we question someone that strolls around Ms. de O… house, showing some concern, the answer is invariably this: - I have heard nothing but someone said that the explosions were really loud. This is not but an embarrassment to the solution of the problem. However, it is certain that the Spirits have some pieces of artillery and of large caliber because they say the noise is similar to that produced by small bombs. But where do they come from? Impossible so far to determine their direction. They do not come from the underground since pistol shots in the basement are not heard on the first floor. It is then in the superior regions that they must be caught, however, all processes indicated by science and by experience to achieve that goal resulted useless.
It would then be necessary to conclude that the Spirits can shoot at the sparrows and disturb the rest of the population and not be caught. Such a solution would be too strict. In fact through certain means and by some accidental events effects can be produced that at first sight would be astonishing but that later on surprises people for not having realized their elemental mechanism. It is always the simplest things that escape people’s observations. We are forced to believe, therefore, that the shooters from the other world have the laughter by their side at this point but they are far from being unachievable.
The mystifying persons may rest assured that the mystified will have their turn.”
Piogeard
It seems that Mr. Piogeard struggles greatly against the evidence. One could say that a doubt goes unsuspected in this mind; that he is afraid of a solution that is contrary to his beliefs; in one word that he gives us the impression of those persons that when receiving some bad news say: “No, No. That is not possible. I don’t want to believe it.” They close their eyes to avoid seeing so that they can attest that saw nothing.
In one of the paragraphs above he seemed to raise doubts about the reality of the noises themselves because in his opinion all of those that are questioned say that they heard nothing. If nobody heard anything we don’t understand why such an uproar since there wouldn’t be neither ill-intentioned people nor Spirits. In a third article that goes without signature the newspaper says that it must be the last and finally gives the solution to the problem. If those that are interested don’t consider it convincing it will be their fault and not of the periodical.
“For some time now we have been receiving letters from our subscribers and persons that are strange to us requesting sound explanations about the scenes that took place at the home of Ms. O…We said everything we knew about it; we repeated everything that is said in Poitiers in our editions. Considering that our explanations did not seem complete here you have and for the last time our answer to the questions addressed to us: - It is certain that singular noises are heard every night from six o’clock to mid night at St. Paul St., home of Ms. O… Those noises are similar to the ones produced by successive discharges of a double rifle. They disturb the doors, windows and walls. One cannot see light or smoke and there is no smell. The events were attested by the most dignified persons of faith in that town, through police inquiries and the civilian guard by request of the family of Mr. Count de O… There is an association of Spiritists in Poitiers but despite Mr. D… opinion and that writes to us from Marselle, it hasn’t crossed the thought of any of our citizens, too witty for that, that the Spiritists were somehow involved in the occurrence of the phenomena. Mr. H. de Orange believes in physical causes, like gases that are expelled from a former cemetery on which the O…’s house was built. The house was built on a rock and there is no underground construction that leads to the house. As for ourselves we believe that the strange and still not explained phenomena that disturbed the peace of a respectable family for over a month will not remain as a mystery. We believe in a very ingenious gimmick and hope to see very soon the phantoms of St. Paul St. be sent to jail.”
