The Express.
London, England, 1864-10-14 00:00:00

TRICKS OP TRAVELLERS,

(From the Builder.)

' Under the heading of "The Brothers Davenport,"
• party of adventurers from America, five in number, here
to exhibit certain " manifestations," have bean so fortunate
se to obtain such prominent notice by well-known writers
in leading journals as will doubtless nod aurabers of per-
sons to them. Written with candour and describing, we
have no doubt, truthfully what occurred, the unquestionable
inference so be drawn from the notion' nevertheless is,
that the writers believe they witemed an exhibition
of some unknown intelligence and force, "ac anni-
hilation of what are called material laws," and the
notices are thus calculated to do much mischief.
A week ego the writer was present at a seance
with the party in question, in the private house of • distin-
guished potions ; lord; ladies, naval catains, poets,
artists. and public writers, formed, the circle; two of the
mediums--not the Davenport brothers, by the way, to
whom the power was at first attributed, as one of them
being unwell had his place supplied—were tied to their
chairs in • manner that seemed quite secure, and then very
complete darkness being produced, guitars were strummed,
bells were rung, and individuals touched; while, ou the
candle being lighted, the two mediums were seen
still tied in their chairs. Other acts followed, such
sa have been described is the riewspapers • thus
the out of one of the performers was whisked off
(in the dark), and a lone coat, opportunely in the room,
was whisked on. Again darkness, and the removal of the
cords was beard, oeteotatiously grating, and a light showed
the performers unbound in their chairs, to which afterwards
the) were agate tied op by "an unknown force!" When
we say that half the eminent persons in the room professed
themselves thoroughly seamed that other than ordinary
agencies had been at work, it will be supposed, and rightly,
that the tricks were cleverly played. The whole aft:,
however, is too gross and preposterous to stand • moment's
refection. Only admit that one of the two medium so
contrives, when being tied, that he can free his hands, and
all else is perfectly simple. The whole proceeding is not
half so difficult to comprehend as some of the pro-
femioul 000jerors' tricks, and it might be thought
we were waiting space in thus stepping beyond
our province to denounce the impositioa ; but
when it is found that • Master of Art, more than
hints that these adventurers belong to a quiet society, "the
silent heralds of • social revolution, which must shake the
world'"—and we know the extent of the "colossal self-
deceit," which permits bull to be made stronger by such
exhibitions—it becomes the duty of every man who can
obtain a bearing, to mist in exposing the injurious impos-
ture. By what carious shuttle; up of the reason intel-
ligent wee and women can bring themselves tobsline
that those cords were noisily pulled through the loops
into which they had been twisted, and wen after-
wards put round the performer, and tied clumsily
to the table, !without hands, it is difficult to say :
Just reflect on on of their sanctions, that unless a circle
is formed by the spectators, if people in the dark can be so
called, bolding each other's hands, nothing can be don;
and that if broken some one's head will be so too; and
recollect that, after all, it is no circle at all,
only • part of a circle, and it must surely suggest
that this threat is merely to prevent detection.
If she writer, when his own hand was pinched by •
bullish thick had with very tangible nails, recognised
with tolerable certainty as that of one of the mediums, had
sprung out and seised hold of the arm beyond, he would
probably have received • blow on the head with a hand.
bell or guitar, but the trick would have been made obvious
to thou who were willing to be conirineed. The eater-
Moment clued by the table rapping out the
word " Retire," much as they say ' Farewell "
in coloured fires at the close of • pyrotechnic
exhibition ' • but the slovenly manner in which this
was done by the operator showed in what contempt he held
the 00111000 sense of his audience—running rapidly on with
the alphabet when the letter sought was at the end of it,
and pawing when he came to the letter Itself, so that it
positively did not need the raps, which were nee or twice
in the wrong plain, to make out the weed that was desired.
These presidiums wen cased oat of Camila, scowling to
• most circumstantial statement in Toronto papers ; one of
, them, it is asserted, wee formerly is the employment of the
Viisard of the North ; and the whole affair will doobtless
be blown in England presently ; but in the meanwhile they
are aiding an evil delusion which is much more widely
spread than some believe, and will walk off sowatiegly
joiceful with pockets full of John Bull's &new