Research source

the anaconda standard (anaconda, mont.) 1889-1970 — spirit rapping

Date of account: Newspaper page published 1894-06-10
Location: anaconda, montana, united states
Source: Chronicling America paranormal and anomalous-report excerpts
Reference: the anaconda standard (anaconda, mont.) 1889-1970 · 1894-06-10 · page 05
Rights: public_domain
Language: English OCR
Record updated: 2026-08-24

Record summary

A 1894-06-10 newspaper page contains wording relevant to “spirit rapping”. This is historical reporting or commentary preserved by the Library of Congress; it is not treated as verification that the described event occurred.

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

... hand^Hies up and performs its spirit rapping.^A black silken thread is stretched across^the stage and is held by confederates in^the w ings, who lower it till it touches the^wooden arm, and by pressing down or re^^leasing it tho trick is done. Kay,in her rope lying tricks, w Inch aro^performed with tho lights turned down,^has often been caught in the act hy fho^too close scrutiny of a committeeman.^She explained that it was not her hand^that did it, but her astral hand. She also^muterializos spirits, but that trick has^been very much discouraged by a Boston^committee w hich strewed tucks all over^the stage. When tho materialized spirit^walked on them she jumped so high that^her head struck tho roof ...

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

This OCR excerpt may mix reporting, humour, folklore, syndicated copy, editorial comment and witness claims. Newspaper title, date and original page remain available for source-critical reading.

Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

Lattice can compare reported features across periods while preserving uncertainty, OCR limitations and the possibility of conventional explanation, exaggeration, copying or satire.

Investigate related details with Anomaly Graph’s account-based search, or read how matching and provenance work.