John M. Todd of Portland Maine a Spiritualist
I was born April 8, 1821 in Durham, Maine. My father informed me that it was a. backward spring and there were four feet of snow on the ground that eventful morning. he walked two miles and a half upon the crust and it bore him every step. he went after a nurse, I was the seventh child, and mother told me that I was the most unwelcome child she ever brought into the world. My parents were very poor, Mother has informed me since that she had nothing to cover me with but a blanket and that had holes in it, and I could see through it.
Father had been a sea captain, and in the War of 1812 he was driven ashore by an English man-of-war and lost all he possessed. When I was three my parents moved into the town of Brunswick. I was reared under the shadow of Bowdoin College. In the spring of 1825, when I was but four years of age the great and famous class of Bowdoin graduated, with its Longfellow, Hawthorne and Cheever, and other members who became famous throughout the world. My sister, a few years older, held me in her lap as she looked out of the window and seeing Longfellow approaching, said, “There comes the dandy’.’ I cried out, “Let me see the dandy.” I remember it as though it were yesterday, and in after years, whenever I saw him or met him, I would always think of him as he appeared to me that day. I worked on a farm until I was thirteen years old. Then I went to sea four years and a half, came home, learned the horse shoeing and blacksmith’s trade, carried on the business in Bath, Maine for two years; then laid down my hammer, and worked sixty-two years in a barber shop.
I came to Portland in 1844. In 1848, when the Rochester knocking or spirit rapping’s occurred I took no notice of it. One day, in 1850, Captain Littlejohn, a brother skeptic, called upon me and said, “Todd I want you to go with me to see a medium who lives on Smith street. I was knocked out in the first circle, and I come to you because you do riot believe in this superstition called religion.” I said what bothers you Captain he said “A few years ago, I lost a man overboard; he was a Swede and spoke very poor English. As I entered the house of the medium I said to her husband, I don’t care to have you know my name.’ ‘We don’t want to know it; we can find that out soon enough.” I took a seat at the table
In a few minutes she was entranced and, reaching out her hand to me, and in broken English in the very voice of the sailor, said, “How are you, Captain Littlejohn?” I said ”Who are you?” “You know” was the reply “No I don’t,” said I. The Medium threw her arms over her head and, in the same broken English, said, “For God’s sake, Captain, save me.” Those were the very words the sailor uttered when I threw him a rope as the ship passed him, and he missed catching, it. John, I am puzzled.” I laughed at him and told him of my experience in Bath with mesmerism. “She only read your mind, that is all.” I said. “I have no time to fool away.”
Soon after that one night in a terrible storm and dark as pitch, I started to see the medium. It was such a night a child might understand the devil had business on his hands, as Robert Burns said. I knocked at the door; a tall, gaunt man, six feet three inches in height stood looking at me. I was speechless for a minute and didn’t know what to say. Finally, I said, “Is this the house where they entertain Ghosts? “He laughed and replied, “Yes, come in.” I said, “I don’t wish to give my name.” “We don’t wish to know your name, we can get it quick enough.” he led the way to the sitting room, and there sat a woman of sixty or sixty-five years of age, and of very pleasant appearance. She smiled and said, “I don’t care to know your name.” I took a seat opposite her. Soon the table began to move and loud raps were heard. I was greatly interested, moved back from the table and looked under it.
She went into a trance, took a pencil from the table and wrote, John Todd. The husband spoke and said, “A spirit friend of yours.” I, to mislead them, said, “That is my name.” He said, “That is it? That is all right then.” She threw the pencil upon the table with some violence, and with her eyes closed, turned her head as though she was scanning my every feature and thought, took the pencil from the table and wrote under the words “John Todd” the words “John M. Todd.” She looked at me sternly and said, “John, whose name is that?” pointing at the John M. Todd. I replied, “That is mine” “Well, whose was that?” pointing at the other name. “That was my fathers.” Then the medium said, “John, deal honestly with the medium and I will convince you that I live, and that there is life after what you call death.” I began to question him of my childhood experiences and conversations I had had with him when young he seemed to remember all.
Then I began to question him on theology and about what he had learned over there. He said he had not been there long enough to have learned much. And while on the earth he had not made theology a study; the passage over Jordan had taught him but little. That I had read much more upon that subject than he, but if the medium was willing he would bring a spirit who would give me the information I wished. I made an appointment with the medium to meet her at two o’clock. I was there.
The medium was entranced, and the controlling influence purported to be Williarn Elridge Channing, the great Unitarian preacher. I commenced to question him, and every question I had ever asked in early life of clergymen was answered. he did not put me off with :You must not ask such questions,” as I had often been told by ministers, but he encouraged me to ask many, and every one I asked was answered. I said to father, “if this is true that you have survived the shock of death, I must take up the Bible again and I cannot do that.” had been fighting it so long that I did not see how I could accept its teachings. He replied, “Not necessarily, for you are in no condition to be benefited by so doing. Do you fully realize, John that there is no one in this city, who has used the word orthodox bigot for years as often as your self, and are you aware that there is no greater bigot in Portland than you are? For a man can be as bigoted in his negation as in his belief.”
Six months after that event, while talking with him, he called my attention to what I said in regard to my accepting the teachings of the Bible. “I want you, when you go home tonight, to read from the Bible, 1 Corinthians, 12th chapter, where Paul wrote of spiritual gifts. He speaks of the discerning of spirits, healing by the spirits, speaking with other tongues, and other gifts that we spiritualists believe in and practice.” I went home and read it. my prejudice had left me; 1 have studied the book much since and, from Genesis to Revelations it teaches that spirits return.
As Charles Beecher said at the advent of modern spiritualism” it is no use to deny the facts of spiritualism, for it is a Bible doctrine. The Bible is full of it. We should preach and teach that it is the work of the devil, that will frighten the people away from it.” Another proof that ignorance alone enslaves, for were not the people ignorance they would not fear the devil or any of his imps,
On one occasion Postmaster Dunn came in to see me. I was feeling rather cast down, business was dull, and I was heavily in debt, I said, I must give up my research of spiritualism. I cannot afford to spend so much time and money as I have been doing. I must devote myself to the support of my family and to the payment of my debts.” After Mr. Dunn left I thought I would go once more to see a medium and then give it up, at least for the present.
I called upon the medium and we sat down at the table to get communication. In a few minutes the door bell rang and she went to the door. As soon as she left the table the rats came and the table commenced moving rapidly. I never had a table move for me before. Nor any other physical manifestation without the help of a medium and I have never had one since. She returned, and I said to her, “Go into the other room, for I am getting the manifestations under my own hands.” I took the alphabet that was on the table for that purpose. And I had written for me thirty-two pages in that manner, and if I wrote a word or letter that was not right the table would not cease shaking until I went over the alphabet again and corrected it.
The controlling spirit purported to be my father. He told me the conversation I just had with Mr. Dunn at my shop. He told me that I could not forsake nor abandon spiritualism. That from my childhood the spirits had stood by me and often directed my steps, and saved me from evil. And henceforth I must and will do all in my power, to aid them, to forward their cause of the truth of spirit return and thereby strengthen the belief in the continuity of life that the world is so much in need of at this time.
I have a word to say to you in regard to your financial condition. We have heard your complaining and have often pitied you, “0, ye of little faith.’ We know that, from your point of view, the struggle seems hard, but, my dear son, you have always had a bed to sleep on and food to eat; you have never put your children to bed feeling that they had retired with scanty food. as
I have mine—no, nor you never will. But you were born skeptic and a doubter. We have ‘field a consultation and have examined into your case, and have resolved to relieve you. We see you are sinking under your load, and in your state of mind, had you been in job’s -place, you would have taken his wife’s advice and cursed God and died. aid his wife unto him,
Dost thou still retain thine integrity Curse God and die.’ Job 2: 92. 0 my son, I wish you could walk by faith though this valley of sorrow, but we see you cannot, for you have not, yet learned the power and great glory of faith.” I said, “If this is my father speaking or whatever the power may be, all I am saying is, I can not believe that it is in your power to relieve me from my financial embarrassment, though an angel declared it unto me. “He wrote in answer, “Wait and see. “In eighteen months from that time I had paid two thousand dollars of old debts, most of them outlawed.
One day my landlord, Mr. Boyd, came in to see me and said, “John, I have a compliment for you. I was at a large party last evening on State Street, where some of the best people in the city were in attendance. You were spoken of by a gentleman of wealth he said you had paid him several hundred dollars in outlawed debts, at which they expressed surprise. I said, ‘That is what I should have expected of him.”
A gentleman from out of the city, and a man of large fortune, came to me and said, “For weeks past I could riot get you out of my mind. I don’t understand it, for you have never done any business for me. I have a business to do and I want you to do it. I will deposit four thousand dollarsin the Mechanics Bank, President Allen Haines, for you to use, and I want you to attend to it at once. I am going over to leave the money now, and I shall tell Mr. Haines to let you draw upon it as you wish.” I replied, “I know nothing about the business, and I shall lose your money; I won’t touch it. I never could keep my own money, and I won’t be able to keep yours.”
He left the money for me, and I did riot touch it. A week went by. He called and said, “have you done as I wished you to?” “No, I have not dared to.” “You go and do as I wished. I will risk it.” Another week went by and he called again and said, “John, you are foolish in not doing as I wished you to. Now, if you do not, I shall have to get some one else, for the business must be attended to.” I saw Mr. Haines, the president of the bank. He advised me to go ahead. I took hold of the job, and the first three days I made $200.00. That gave me courage. I kept on, and in eighteen months cleared $30,000.
Through the influence of Mr. William E. Wood, the broker, I invested my money in United States five-twenty bonds. My father came to me, mind you, from the spirit world. It was at a spiritual circle, and he said, “John, we are about to strip you of every dollar you possess.” My knees began to shake, as did Saul’s when the woman medium of Endor, read 1 Samuel, 28: 7-18, when she told him his kingdom should be taken from him. “But, my son, you will not feel as you did when you told your friend Dunn you were about to abandon spiritualism, when your faith was waning and you were about ready to sink. Then we reached forth a. helping hand and placed you upon your feet. Now, you know we can help you, an you will no* mourn your loss and will walk bv faith, nothing doubting.” Arid I have seen my houses and land pass away from me, my wife and children depart, but my faith remains unshaken, often cast down but not destroyed, 2 Corinthians, 4: 9.
From that day to this, I have never seen the time that I have wished to have my houses back. I was invited to attend a materializing circle, that is, where the spirits of our departed ones are said to return and make themselves visible to mortals. It was at the home of Mr. George Blake, of the firm of Blake & Jones, flour dealers. The materializing medium, so called, was young man a Mr. Bastion. Before he went into the improvised closet, with no door or window in the rear, no way to get in or out except from the room we were all sitting in, I had examined him thoroughly. The company consisted of about sixteen people, and some of the smartest men in the city. All could be seen, the room was so light we could see to read.
There was a gentleman present, a stranger, and a delegate to the United States medical convention that was being held there at the time. I learned later that he was Dr. walker from New Orleans. Mind you, I had searched this medium from head to foot, turned every pocket. I know there was no clothing about him except the suit he wore, and there were eight or ten persons, men, women and children, who appeared, or, as we spiritualists would say, materialized, all in different apparel as become age and sex,
After several spirits had materialized there was one appeared whom anyone would have taken for a clergyman of the old school with a standup collar and white cravate, black coat and pants, and the bearing of one who was accustomed to meet public audiences. He glanced at me. I said, “Do you wish, to speak to me?” He looked again with an expression on his face that I interpreted as a look of contempt, and as much as to say, “You mind your own business and I will mine.”
Dr.Walker said it was an Uncle of his, a Baptist minister, who used to preach at Albany, NY. The doctor said that before leaving New Orleans to come to Portland, he was told by a medium that he would receive a great test. But he had no thought that he should meet one of his own family face to face, as he then knew that the materialized spirit, was no other than his favorite uncle who loved him dearly and was with him so often in his childhood. Then my father appeared. My friends present, with one voice, said, “Do speak to him Mr.Todd, for it is your father or brother and the very image. of you.” At that moment he vanished from our sight.
The company chided me for not speaking, saying, He looked at you and smiled; he did want to speak to you. I replied, “Why did he not?” It would have pleased me much.” At that moment he again appeared, more distinct than before. “Now, do speak to him, Mr. Todd.” I was about to do so, when he bowed to the audience, smiled, and said ”This is my son, ladies and gentlemen, he knows me.” There were sixteen present, and they all saw and heard him. Then I said, “Father, have you anything to say to me?”
Now came the crucial test, or ,miracle, for his answer was one he had given me many times in my youth. With a smile of affection that he so often had bestowed upon me, he said, “John do right and all will be well.” He emphasized the word will very strongly, much as to say “John, when you were a boy I believed it would be well with us when we passed over, but now I know it is.” Now, for the word “miracle,” I have just written. I should say for that nothing short of that would explain it. Out of a hundred English sentences that naturally might have been given in answer to my question “Have you anything to say to me father?” that an entire stranger should have selected the one most used by my father to quiet my boyish fears in regard to the other life, is something more than a coincidence. Often I would say to further, “good works are not enough,” for I had heard ministers say that the most moral man was the most dangerous man, for he leans upon works, not faith, for salvation, and they never can save. Mr.Charles Blake, the father of George Blake, who lived in the house, then appeared, looking just as he did in life, and was recognized by most of the company. he said, “I am happy to meet you, my children,” using the plural. for there were present two of his sons, with their wives and several of his grandchildren.
There was also present a Mrs. Hopper, who was not a believer in spirit return. her husband, a young sea captain whom I knew, appeared and looked as he did when he left Portland a few months before. I turned to look at her, and she was looking at him very earnestly. He spoke, calling, her by her given name, and said, “This is true and glorious.” She screamed, ”My husband” and, with clasped hands, sprang towards him, fainted, and would have fallen had she not been caught by those beside her.
After she had recovered sufficiently she explained to us the meaning of what her husband had said, for there was a test for her in the sentence he had uttered. A short time before he left here on his last voyage, he said to his wife one Sunday, “How would you like to go to the spiritualist meeting,? I would like, to go, for I have never attended one.” she replied, “I would like to; I read in the paper this morning that a woman medium is to speak there today. Her name, I think, is Axey Sprague and I heard she was a fine speaker.” So they went. After the meeting he said to his wife, I want to go aboard the barque and invite the mate to take tea with us.”
As they were walking down she said, “That was a beautiful discourse she gave.” “Yes,” he replied, and clasping her arm a little firmer, with much feeling said, “My dear, if that is only true, ‘tis glorious.” That is why she was so affected when he gave the truth with out an if for now he exclaimed, It is true and glorious,” for he died at Havana, Cuba. And that was his last voyage, and that was the last walk he had with his wife. She never doubted but that she talked with her husband at that circle neither do I doubt it.
I saw her several years after that event and she told me she still believed she saw her husband on that occasion, and had no doubt but that they would spend an everlasting life together. Remember that there appeared on that occasion eight or ten spirits, all dressed in different costumes, and the medium in a china, closet, and I had searched him thoroughly before he entered the closet and when he came out of it.
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