The Fox Sisters: Rappings, Confession and Recantation
The Fox sisters' spirit-rapping story contains both an accusation of coordinated performance and a later repudiation of that confession. An early witness pamphlet, Leah's memoir, Davenport's exposure narrative and an 1889 newspaper reprint preserve different stages; modern accounts disagree over their weight. Allegations about hidden tricks or pressure must remain attributed. A demonstration can show that a sound is reproducible without proving every earlier sitting used it, or deciding the truth of an entire religion.