Historically Spiritism emerged from the phenomena of moving objects, observed in different countries in Europe and America.
The framework of such events, however, was the manifestations that took place in the village of Hydesville, Wayne County near New York, United States of America. There lived the Fox family, composed of six children, two of whom lived with their parents. The Fox family settled in the house since 1846.
On the night of 28th March, 1848, raps, taps and knocks occurred, scarring everyone in the family. John Fox began to hear uncomfortable knocks, disturbing the sleep of the family. They were all Methodists. Their young daughters Margaretta and Cathie (12 and 9 years respectively) ran into their parents’ room, frightened by the heavy blows on the wall.
The bumps or "raps" began on that night; they then heard chairs being moved and, over time the phenomena become more complex: everything shook, objects moved, there was an explosion of loud sounds.
The phenomena repeated extensively three nights in a row, preventing the Fox from sleep. Mr. Fox searched inside and outside the house but found nothing to explain the occurrences. On 31st March 1848, Cathie set a challenge to that force that caused these phenomena, saying, 'Mr. Splitfoot, do as I do,' clapping her hands. The sound instantly followed her with the same number of raps. When she stopped, the sound ceased for a short time. Then Margaretta said, in sport, 'Now, do just as I do. Count one, two, three, four,' striking one hand against the other at the same time; and the raps came as before. She was afraid to repeat them. Then Cathie said in her childish simplicity to her mother, 'Oh, mother, I know what it is. Tomorrow is April-fool day, and it's somebody trying to fool us.'
The Fox girls were Protestants and assumed it was the devil and called the beater Mr. Splitfoot; that is, Mr. Goat foot. The family was alarmed. The news of what happened at the Fox home was released immediately; dozens of neighbours and inquisitive individuals came to see the phenomenon.
One of the Fox’s neighbours called Mr. Duesler began to use the alphabet to get answers faster. Upon further inquiry, it was ascertained that the spirit's name was Charles B. Rosna and that he had been a peddler who stayed at the house five years prior to these incidents. Mr. Duesler ascertained that he was murdered by a Mr. Bell for his money. It was also discovered the body was taken down to the cellar, ten feet below the surface of the ground. They searched the place indicated and found lumber, charcoal and lime, and finally hair and bones.
Lucretia Pulver, a servant of the Bells, declared that she saw the seller and described him. She told how he arrived at the house and referred to his mysterious disappearance. Once down to the cellar, her feet buried in a hole. She mentioned that to her boss, who explained it should be rats. He then hastened to make the necessary repairs at the cellar. She saw the man’s travelling box on her boss’ hands.
Arthur Conan Doyle, in his book "History of Spiritualism," reports that it was not until 56 years later that a further discovery was made which proved beyond all doubt that someone had actually been buried in the cellar of the Fox household. The discovery was made by school-children playing in the cellar of the building in Hydesville known as the "Spook House," where the Fox sisters heard the wonderful rappings.
On 25th November 25, 1904, the Boston Journal reported: The skeleton of the man supposed to have caused the rappings first heard by the Fox sisters in 1848 has been found in the walls of the house occupied by the sisters, and clears them from the only shadow of doubt held concerning their sincerity in the discovery of spirit communication.
Several committees were formed at the time of the events in order to study the strange phenomena and expose the fraud attributed to the Fox sisters. It was found that they occurred in the presence of the girls; they attributed the power of mediumship to them. No committee, however, demonstrated that it was fraud. The facts were absolutely true even though the girls were subjected to rigorous and severe tests; sometimes brutal. The church excommunicated the ones who made pacts with the devil. They were accused of being liars; many times physically threatened.
In 1888, once 40 years of the Hydesville phenomena were being celebrated, Margaretta Fox published a report in the New York Herald which stated that the phenomena they made were fraudulent. She was deceived by promises of pecuniary favours made by Cardinal Manning.
However, on the following year she regretted her lack of honesty with Spiritism. She gathered the general public in the music hall in New York and retracted her earlier statements, not only saying the Hydesville phenomena were real, but also causing a series of physical effect phenomena in the hall, in front of the big audience.
The retraction was published at the time. It can be found in the American newspaper ‘The New York Press’ from 20th February, 1889. Even today when people want to denigrate the source of modern Spiritism, this confession comes to light. No one talks about the retraction; people also choose to talk about to show that Spiritism can’t be trusted. The details related to the retraction are left aside.