Page:The Life of Mary Baker G. Eddy.djvu/54

30 this trance state. "Boston John" Clark experimented with her, putting her into the mesmeric sleep and attempting to trace lost or stolen articles by means of her clairvoyance. Once she tried to locate a drowned body. These efforts were not attended with any great success, but interest in mesmerism and clairvoyance ran high, and any one who could fall into a trance and describe things was sure to be an object of wonder. John Varney conceived the notion of turning this talent of Mrs. Glover's to practical account. "Boston John" was sent for, and Mrs. Glover, at Varney's suggestion, described the hiding-place of Captain Kidd's treasure, which was then a topic of exciting speculation. She indicated a spot near the city of Lynn, Mass. Varney and his cronies set out for the place and spent several days digging for the treasure, but without success.

A few years later when spiritualism swept over the country, Mrs. Glover took on the symptoms of a "medium." Like the Fox sisters, she heard mysterious rappings at night, she saw "spirits" of the departed standing by her bedside, and she received messages in writing from the dead. There are people living who remember very distinctly the spiritism craze in Tilton, and who witnessed Mrs. Glover's manifestations of mediumship. One elderly woman recalls a night spent with Mrs. Glover when her rest was constantly disturbed by the strange rappings and by Mary's frequent announcements of the "appearance" of different spirits as they came and went.

Mark Baker's house was one of those where spirit'séances were held. The whole community was more or less interested and a few went to extremes. One of this number became