WCP2555

[1]¹

Edenderry House

Shaws Bridge

Belfast

March 20th [18]76

Dear Mr Volckman

I must ask you to excuse my delay in answering your letter which I received on Tuesday. Since then I have been so occupied with visitors that I knew it was hopeless to try to find time to answer your letter as I would wish. I was surprised by your note, [2] not the main subject, which I knew must turn up again soon or later, but at your saying that you had seen my contradiction of Dr Carpenter's² statement. I sent it to the medium but never <saw> it. I have now on three occasions contradicted false statements made with regard to the séances held here in the Autumn of [18]75 but have never till now had an opportunity of communicating directly on the subject, either [3] with Mrs G Volckman;³ or what comes to the same thing, with you so that I never have had the opportunity of going into the whole truth of this matter. I did not feel called upon in communicating with a third person to do any thing more than to contradict false statements, so that when Miss Houghton⁴ in a not very courteous note called me to account for an alleged attempt to poison Mrs Guppy in my house, I did not think it necessary [4] to do any thing more than to satisfy her that no such attempt has been made.

With you it is different and I feel that the proper thing to do, is to tell you all the circumstances, so far as I know them.

In answer to your questions I have to say that there was not any stranger staying in [my] house but what you know of, and the person alluded to by Dr Carpenter was my son. My son <did> send <on> [5] an account of the séance to Dr C. who had requested him through a mutual friend to do so. The <notice> in the <paper> was not written by my son but by one of the company, a person from Cambridge whom I was not acquainted with. Your third question cannot be answered so concisely, and will require a lengthened explanation. I may mention that the circumstances I am about to relate I only know from what I am told, and that neither [6] Mr Brown nor I knew anything of them until after they occurred. My son being a total nonbeliever in Spiritual Manifestations, and being persuaded that flowers were brought by Mrs Guppy from her room, and probably moistened by her with water from the chafing table, put into it a minute quantity of ferrocyanide of potassium a perfectly innocuous chemical. When the séance was over, he tested the flowers and believes that he found the same substance on them, that he had put [7] into the water. Another of the company took some to Dr Hodges of that town who found nothing on them, and the person from Cambridge took some to the chemical mentioned by Dr C (I really forget his name) and he again was stated to have found the ferrocyanide on them. This is all I can tell you about the affair, of which the (to me) ascertained facts are that my son put the chemical substance into the water, and believes that he found it on the flowers. As to the statement [8] made by the Cambridge person I place no reliance upon it[.]

I was sorry for the occurrence as my wish and Mrs Brown's was to regard Mrs Guppy in the light of a guest, while here, not as a Medium, in fact I found that Mr Brown, (who also is a total unbeliever in the Spiritual Manifestations) was displeased at there being any séance at all as it was no part of his intention in asking her to this house, and any hospitality Mrs G Volckman was kind enough to accept from us [9] should make no difference in your way of looking at the transaction.

I am glad to have this opportunity of telling the facts, to the proper person, and feel that I am liable to be charged with want of candour, but that does not trouble me. I have acted as I thought right, which is all any one can do.

If not too troublesome — will you kindly let me [10] know where [perhaps when] you saw my contradiction of Dr Carpenter's statement, which I should have mentioned was no part of the account of the affair given [to] him by my son.

I remain very | Sincerely yours

Ellen H. Brown [signature]⁵