C. C. BURR--"TOE-OLOGY"--GOLD MEDALS AND JEWELLED WATCH--FIRST

PUBLIC SPEECH--COMMITTEE INVESTIGATIONS AS USUAL--CALVIN'S ILLNESS, AND HENCEFORTH MRS. BROWN--FIRST SPIRITUAL CONVENTION. We reached our home in Rochester late in the evening, and, as my housekeeper was absent, we were alone in the Troup Street house that night. The friends had kindly lighted and warmed the house, and were there to receive us. After they left we immediately retired, and were soon lost in sleep. I had not slept long, however, when I was awakened by a voice saying urgently in my ear, "Get up and light your candle, quick!" Supposing that Margaretta had spoken to me, I replied, "What did you say?" but finding her fast asleep, I scratched a match, and had just time to see the form of a man who had got the lower sash raised and half his body into the room. He was, of course, a burglar, and doubtless expected to find a booty in the money which the papers had reported us to have brought with us from Buffalo. My voice and the flash of light made him start back so precipitately that he broke the window-sash while making his exit. The visit was never repeated. I may have mentioned that once before, in my former house in Prospect Street, we had been awakened by a voice bidding us to "Get up, the house is on fire." We found that the wood-box behind the stove in the sitting-room was in flames, which would soon have been communicated to the door, within a few inches of the staircase, which was our only means of egress and safety. On the morning after our return from Buffalo, to my great surprise, mother drove up to the door, having just arrived by the train from New York. Her first words were, "What is the matter? I have been so urgently directed to come to you, that I feared something had happened, or was going to." She and Katie had remained in New York, during the time of our stay in Buffalo, with the friends before named. I may here mention that Katie attended school, all the time she remained in New York, during the day hours, and sometimes united in the séances held by the friends in the evenings. Mr. Greeley often said, on the strength of her childish letters, "Katie, I expect to see you develop into another Margaret Fuller some day, if you will only give your attention to study." We employed private teachers for the children, at the hours not compulsorily absorbed by the public. I gladly stood the brunt of the labors for their benefit in the matter of their education. (See Mr. Robinson's letter of March 12, 1851, p. 203.) After explanations, the upshot was that mother returned the same evening to rejoin Katie in New York, taking Margaretta with her. Soon after our return to Troup Street it became necessary, to my great regret, to leave the house, as the property had to be sold for division among heirs; but I found a much larger and finer house on the corner of Troup and Sophia Streets. The fatigues of moving, following so soon upon the Buffalo inquisition, brought on a serious illness, from which I had scarcely recovered when I received such insisting summons, by letters and telegrams, from good friends in Cleveland, Ohio, that I was compelled to undertake the journey, which proved to be the beginning of what was called "the Ohio campaign." So did events arrange themselves, or so did other influences arrange them, to compel us to widen more and more the fulfilment of the "duty" to "go forth" which had been imposed upon us. Among the telegrams from Cleveland, received when I was on a sick bed, was this one: "Mrs. Fish, we want you to come immediately to Cleveland. It is vitally important." To which Mr. Post replied, "Mrs. Fish is not well, and we think it would be dangerous for her to leave." Then came another, saying, "Burr is here, slandering you and all who believe in Spiritualism." Still, my friends insisted on my waiting until I was stronger, when a letter came containing a partial explanation of the "Rev." Burr's villanous conduct toward me. He had slandered me so grossly that my friends would not allow him to go unpunished. They had arrested him in my name, and it was necessary for me to be there in person. I also received the following letters from a valued friend: "CLEVELAND, April 25, 1851. "MRS. FISH: "DEAR LADY--There are _many_ reasons why you should visit our city. One is, we are anxious to witness the Spirit manifestations, and another reason is, that the world-renowned _cheat_, C. Chauncy Burr, will soon be here to expose the Rochester rappings and the mediums. I wonder if he will succeed as well as Flint, Lee, and Coventry did in Buffalo! All this and more, makes it desirable that you should come at once. "Very Respectfully, "M. L. WRIGHT." "CLEVELAND, May 1, 1851. "MRS. FISH: "DEAR FRIEND--Yours of the 28th inst. is at hand. We are glad (as you see by the _Plaindealer_ which we have to-day sent you) that you have concluded to come. You have many friends here who will make your visit pleasant, and not disappoint your expectations. As regards Burr, his tongue is no slander where he is known. We have decided the Dunham House (for many reasons) is the best, as you can have a first floor parlor with three rooms attached, and the house is as respectable as any in the place, though perhaps not quite as large as the Weddell. You will be much better accommodated. The table is first-class. Telegraph the day you will start so that we may know when to expect you, as every one feels anxious to meet you. "With kind regards, yours truly, "M. L. WRIGHT." All this decided my course and I went. And as my mother and the two girls, Margaretta and Cathy, were in New York, my married sister, Mrs. Smith, and her dear little boy Charlie, and Calvin Brown, accompanied me. Imagine our surprise when we arrived at Cleveland. A party of our true friends escorted us from the boat to the hotel, where they informed us they had arranged for a drive to a water-cure resort some ten or twelve miles in the country. As soon as we had breakfasted and prepared ourselves, we started on our excursion. There were several carriages, and I think not more than two persons in the company whom I had ever met before. Soon after our arrival, the ladies took us into a beautiful grove and carefully explained to me the nature of the slanders the Rev. C. C. Burr had reported against me. I think they were somewhat surprised at the indifference I manifested. Atrocious as his slanders had been, I could not work up my mind to deem them worthy of my stooping to notice them. I said to them, "If you ladies had passed through one half the abuse I have, for the past two years or more, you would not wonder that I am personally quite indifferent to what all my enemies may say against me." However, it was well that they had prosecuted Burr, as they put him under heavy bonds, and compelled him to keep the peace, and hold his slanderous tongue. Mother and the girls returned to Rochester about three weeks after I left for Cleveland. The children, Maggie and Cathy, were persuaded to go to Cincinnati with a lady friend of ours from Rochester, Mrs. Kedzie, who had conceived the idea of a western tour of mediumistic exhibitions, and knowing that I was in Cleveland, they stopped at our hotel to see us. Maggie could not be persuaded to go further. Cathy, too, thought it would be much more pleasant for her to remain with us at Cleveland, but inasmuch as Mrs. K. had come with them, expecting to go on to Cincinnati, I argued that having come with her, they should fulfil their engagement. Finally it was decided that sister Maria should accompany Cathy, with her little boy and Mrs. K., to Cincinnati, and Maggie remain with Calvin and myself. I found out that the girls had left greatly against mother's wishes, and I telegraphed her to come immediately to Cleveland, which she did. Mrs. K. and my sisters remained in Cincinnati about three weeks, and stopped at Columbus, expecting to remain there some time; but when they had been there about a week little Charley was taken very ill. His life was despaired of for several days, during which time all business was suspended, and Mrs. Kedzie returned to Rochester. My sister Maria's husband arrived about that time and found the child--as was thought--hopelessly ill. I was greatly distressed, and my friends gathered around to condole with me. Every hour brought a despatch saying, "Charley still lives." I could do nothing but walk the floor and cry in my despair. I had been the means of bringing him from home, and I blamed myself, knowing the effect it would have on my brother-in-law and sister, if they should lose their only child, after having already lost three dear little boys. In our private room we called on the Spirits to advise us what to do. They directed us to telegraph at once to Columbus to "bring him here" (to Cleveland). We followed their directions. They started immediately, and when they arrived the child seemed in a dying condition. I took him in charge, and _with the aid of Spirit advice_ soon found him convalescing. As soon as he was able they returned home. Floods of letters summoned us to all parts of the State. I had even to hire other persons to help in the labor of answering them. Nor shall I now undertake a narrative of our tour. As a general rule, so far as it was possible, we followed in the tracks of our arch-enemy, the "Rev. C. Chauncy Burr;" and it was often announced that when he should have concluded his course of lectures, the Fox family would succeed him and afford the public the opportunity of judging for themselves. As the Buffalo doctors had gone in for their theory of knee-ology (with what success the reader has seen), so the Burr theory may be called that of _toe_-ology; for he had conceived the brilliant idea of producing a sort of low raps, inside a _wide_ boot, by striking his great toe upon the sole, as any one may do upon the table by pressing and over-lapping the middle finger by the index and suddenly releasing the latter. His brother Heman was the one who thus operated, while he himself figured as the lecturer. The head-waiter of the hotel at which Burr stopped, told me how his toes were inflamed and bloody from this exercise, and how many a poultice he had had to supply him with. The difference was always manifest between the mere underfoot uniform sounds, yielded by this miserable trick, and the variety of the "knockings" on tables, floors, doors, walls, and ceilings--now faint, now approaching the thunderous--to say nothing of the identification of the Spirits who were rapping to us, through the recognized significance and truth of their communications. Burr was at last almost hooted and pelted out of the State; and at the court-house of Painesville we were taken to see the marks of the showers of shattered eggs and muddy pieces of turf which remained to attest the reception he had received the day before. Our progress was a course of triumph. I might fill a page with the names of the friends in all quarters of the State, including its best men and women, between whom and myself arose friendships which time will never obliterate from my heart. I will only name one who was to us in Ohio what Greeley was in New York, John W. Gray, the editor of _The Plaindealer_, and his wife, one of the loveliest and best of women. Out of the trunks and boxes of letters, whose contents are beyond my power to explore, I have taken a few, almost at random, with no time for selection, which are given below, and from which the reader may gather some particulars of this period, which will in part supply the place of a narrative of our experiences in this, which I have called our Ohio campaign. But I must mention the interesting incidents of two gold medals having been presented, the one to myself, in Cleveland, when I was about to leave, the other to Maggie, at Cincinnati. To Katie was presented a beautiful jewelled watch and chain. I indulge myself in the pleasure of showing mine to my readers. I am unable to show Maggie's (which was oval) because it has been unfortunately lost in a trunk that was stolen. I say nothing of beautiful presents, in diamonds and other jewelry, etc. from ladies and gentlemen, who often seemed to feel that they could not do too much to show us their gratitude for the certain and realized _knowledge_, received through us, of the great truth that our loved and lost still live and love us, and that "death" is only a brief separation of those soon to be reunited forever. [Illustration: A Tribute of Respect _to Mrs. Ann L Fish from Friends in_ CLEVELAND 1851.] The following letters accompanied my medal and Katie's watch and chain. The substantially similar one accompanying Maggie's medal seems to have been lost. "CLEVELAND, July 1, 1851. "MRS. A. LEAH FISH: "DEAR FRIEND--We the undersigned present you with this emblem as a sincere token of our love and affection. "You have been faithful and steadfast in all your duties. You have been instrumental in bringing us to a realization of the truth of Immortality. "May you be blessed with health and crowned with victory, and triumph over your enemies, is the prayer of your united friends. N. E. CRITTENDEN, M. C. WRIGHT,