E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Table-Turning.
The presumed art of turning tables without the application of mechanical force. Said by some to be the work of departed spirits, and by others to be due to a force akin to mesmerism. Jackson Davis (the Seer of Poughkeepsie), a cobbler, professed, in 1848, to hear “spirit voices in the air.” (See SPIRITUALISM.)
