Research source

There was published, several years ago, by Gould & Lincoln, Boston, a little work entitled: "TO DAIMONION, OR…

Date of account: Published 1886
Source: The Salem Witchcraft, the Planchette Mystery, and Modern Spiritualism With Dr. Doddridge's Dream
Reference: The Salem Witchcraft, the Planchette Mystery, and Modern Spiritualism With Dr. Doddridge's Dream · selected passage 50
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-24

Record summary

There was published, several years ago, by Gould & Lincoln, Boston, a little work entitled: "TO DAIMONION, OR THE SPIRITUAL MEDIUM

Published source text

Read the available text below. Archive transcriptions may contain OCR errors; later context is labelled separately. A recorded claim is not a finding that it happened.

Source passage

Source text · mention only

There was published, several years ago, by Gould & Lincoln, Boston, a little work entitled: "TO DAIMONION, OR THE SPIRITUAL MEDIUM. _Its nature illustrated by the history of its uniform mysterious manifestations when unduly excited._ By TRAVERSE OLDFIELD." This author deals largely in quotations from ancient writers in illustration of his subject; and as an attempt to explain the mysteries of clairvoyance, trance, second-sight, "spirit-knockings," intelligent movements of physical bodies without hands, etc., his work has claims to our attention which do not usually pertain to the class of works to which it belongs. "_To Daimonion_" (the demon), or the "spiritual medium," he supposes to be the _spiritus mundi_, or the spirit of the universe, which formed so large an element in the cosmological theories of many ancient philosophers; and this, "when unduly excited" (whatever that may mean), he supposes to be the medium, not only of many psychic and apparently preternatural phenomena described in the writings of all previous ages, but also of the similar phenomena of modern times, of which it is now admitted that Planchettism is only one of the more recently developed phases.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

This is a historical account assembled under the reporting and publishing conventions of its period. It may preserve testimony, hearsay, retelling and editorial interpretation together.

Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

A modern comparison can identify recurring descriptions and possible explanations, but the account is not treated as independently verified evidence merely because it appeared in print.

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