The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-03-21 00:00:00

WEYMOUTH.

THE VISIT OF THE DAVENPORT BROTHERS.—The
long expected visit of these brothers, whoee iilt-
traordinary performances have won theft so mach
fame in London lied the provinces, took place on
Wednesday etaning. The lehAbitante et Wey month
hate to thank Mr, Edgar *Cot, pholzigreiphie &Wet,
of St. Mary's-street, for haVihet An oportunity of
seeing the extreordinerY Abilities, he having, at
great expentice eeduied them to give performances in
six teen. In consequence of the interruptions
Which attended the secenma in Hull, Liverpool, and
other places, it was feared whether the Davenport
brothers would make an appeamnee, bet their en-
gagement was carried out to the letter. The aance
took place at the Royel Hotel Assembly Room, and
the attendanee was numerous. The cabinet in
whieh the mysterious performances were accomplished
in the public s'ance, rested on stools, and was an
object of great curiosity. Prior to the perforthatide
it wee moat carefully scrutiniterb but nothing of
fraud could be detested '; it is simply a large cup-
board; in *bleb it is impossible for anyone to be
tieceeted. on after eight o'clock Dr. Fergusson,
ethicist considerable applause, ascended the platform
on which the cabinet was placed, and informed the
audience of the conditions of the séance, and asked
them to appoint two gentlemen who shonld alit al
their representatiVes US etaniine the eitbinet, And tie
the brothers. Dr% Ootieher and ./. Bishop, Esq.,
Were delegated to this task, and after satisfying
themselves that the cabinet was what it purposed
to be, they proceeded to bind the brothers to the
seats in it. Both gentlemen engaged most heartily
in the work, and rope was used ad Libitum, the
brothers' arms and legs being apparently tied in such
a manner as to render it iropeesible td ettrilmth
themselves, Mr. Bethel) into inc the andielloe
that he had Med the 04ebiated l' Tom-tool knot,"
Mid othel knots, And Dr. Coacher added that he
had tied the 'Adhere With all the knoll he knew.
The tying occupied keine coneiderilble Dine, And
although some force appeared to be Ailed lit hearing
the brothers they did not oomplaiii. The committee
apparently felt *Ogled that the brothers could not
eitrieette themselves from their bondage, and when
the Cabinet doors were shut, awaited the result on
the platform. After an interv.l of about a minute
sounds could be heard coming from the (cabinet,
and in another minute the rope could be heard
knocking against its side, . and in four Minutes
the doors were opened and the brothers
, stepped on the platform amidst the applause
of the oompany, They then etitefed the cabinet
again, and after the &ore Were 'hut, the noise of
ropeb knotking to and fro were distinctly heard,
11 And in a few minutes they were found bound
' hand and foot in a most mysterious and complicated
manner. They were then shut tip *glib, sod
magical instruments plastid in the cabinet, when,
eatimmediatelje the inost discordant sounds boned
therefroan in Which could be heard the sounds of a
OW, a violin, a tambourine, and the ringing of
bells. Besides this a naked arm was thrust through
the aperture in the cabinet, and.afteretards attend
•hands could be distinetly Seen. Whiliit theta Wangs
proceedings were beie. etietteC the doors of the
cabinet Wert Oilmen open, and one wourd have
insagieed the brothers would be caught in the very
act, but such was not the case ; there they sat bound
In the same manner as when they were shut up,
and looking as innocent as if they ,knew othing
about it. In order to render the affaif still mole
Waysteriona Dr. CoWillet took hie met lit the cabinet
between the brothers, having hie Arnie testing on
them. His predendr, hoWever, did not cause the
least inconvenience to "the little he" *bid' wgi
Min being indulged in, the
ithe dletiot dt Olinda ollete
I,
heard, and the tnystete White ends Still con-
tithed ex thluat themselves before the gaze of the
public. On the doors being opened, some musical
instruments were found on the person of the worthy
doctor, one of which was on his head. On being
requested by Dr. Fergueson to state WA etiterietice; he
said he was quite certain the brothers did not me.'"
but he had experienced a most unpleasant oe--
Whilst the brothers 'Awe, boded; before
of the eahinet weld be closed, thittipetb Ind _
were hulled With foree through the aperture, and
eten at one time, when Mr. Bishop was in the act
of closing them; a white hand and arm were thrust
through, and he reeeitied a blow on his head. The
door* were thrown open instantaneously, but Ebel.
ti lb* brothers seeurely tied to
ca their Masi Agniii
, 0 cabinet doors were closed, *hen the tuning of •
reicolin WAS heard, accompanied by the "twanging"
on a guitar, the rattling of a tambourine, and other
instrumental "music," after which a lively jig was
"scraped" out on a violin, to which a person was
the "light fantastic" with great animation.
..e midst of the tune the doors of the cabinet
were ieletantesteuely thrown open, bet the result
was the same se on the previous occasion. The
"spiritual" music, judging from the specimens
which we heard, is rather at • low ebb, and it is
certain the performers do not onitivate the acquaint-
ance of the great masters, and if they played in
tune the "ooncert" would be more agreeable. The
last feature in the petblicaddnee was an ettraordinary
one. Whilst the brothers were tied hand and foot,
dour wee placed in their hands, the eabitlet doom
were shut, and in flee Minutes after re-opened,
when the brothers walked out from the cabinet
totally disengaged from their bandage., and
with the flour still in their hands, not a
morsel of which had been upset. The ropes
were then examined, but were not found
to be cut or otherwise r and the audience
were lost in amser- what they

had

I doing
In the

mutilated,
t and i-

wou'der