New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-07-09

she will 10 anybody, salu inc yoaoB wu"NA
.Wel YOU can Try it, said the hostess. The table
w,. Immediately prepsred-the goose set on-the
comnsny all stood around-the grl was Instructed
how TO proceed, and amid the most perfect silence
called on the spirit OF her mother, but she received
no answer; she called again and again bat IN
vair uttering the most violent maledlcaons on tne
whole concern, and declaring that she had sup
posed il 10 be an imposition before, and now she
knew it. She left the house with the greatest Ia
dignation. Soon after she was gone, the spirits
began 10 rap OF their own Accord and wnen qaes'
toned by the hostess, they answered promptly
Iventured to ask if they would converse with me
and instantly received an affirmative answer, which
YVES indicated by three raps. now proposed TO
AJAX several mental questions, the true answers 70
which could be known only 10 myself | did so,
and every answer was wrong but told tbs com.
parry that the answers were perfectly satisfactory,
and so indeed they were, for certainly did not
expect correct answers under such circu instances.
In the course Of the conversation one OF the COM
papy mentioned that the hostess a clair7oy ant
subject snd when mesmeriz ed she could look into the
spirit world and hold converse with its inhabitants
therefore proposed TO mesmerize her and try her
powers After some hesitation abe consented and
was soon apparently aaeep. | asked her II she
was asleep. She said yer l asked her il she
could look into the spirit world. She said yes.
grest many questions were now put TO her, most Of
which abe answered with great ingenuity. But il
was evident 10 me that the whole performance was
deception. REQUESTED the company 10 leave the
room a few moments to give me an opportunity TO
make inquiries concerning some important private
matters which | wished to be keptsecre As soon
as the company were gone said ~ the pretended
sleeper did not wish 10 expose you 10 the CON-
psny nor TO injure your feelings. but mesmehsm is
a subject that am familiar with and of course you
cannot deceive me-now, if you will own up to me
frankly | will not expose you 10 the comp any nor
to the citizens, but if you do not shall explain the
whole farce, not only in private bat in my public
lectures. Will admit that you have performed
YOUR part with wonderful adroitness and skiu-but
don't carry the joke any further" Alter mo
ments silence she acknowledged that IL was all
deception-that she was not susceptible to the
mesmeric influence in any degree-tnat the knock
ings were made by various mechanical tricks and
by the aid of three confederates, one OF whom was
ayoung woman who lived at the next house aud
the other two were young men, her cousni-the
knocking in the middle OF the floor was caused by
board under the floor poised like lever and so ar
raI eed that when she stood near the window she
could step upon peg which was connected with
one end Of the lever and the other end TO rise
and knock against the middle OF the fioor
The knocking on the table was produced in sew
eral ways; sometimes by one Of the confederates,
who had his hand or foot under the table, but In
most instances it was done by deception which
is similar to that often practiced by ventrloquists
thus, the company all sitting or standing around
the table, expecting sound to proceed from u,
will most Of them believe that the sound actually
does proceed from the table although in reality it
Is produced by the rapping Of finger against
chair several feet from the table. II the leading
persons present were shrewd and skepsica, and
manifested disposition to scrutnize the proceed
iDgs too closely, the plan was for the spirits TO re-
fuse to answer until they were gone and their
places supplied by auditors Of a more credulous
character. / ask ed the woman what induced her
first TO attempt such deception. She said she had
become acquainted with the women who Practiced
the same deception in Rochester, and had learned
the art from them. On her return home she tried
her own skill, and succeeded perfectly. Her sue
cess aitonished no one as much g. herself. She
declared that the credulity OF so many sensible
people was to her matter Of Amusement. She
bad no idea at first Of deceiving any one, except
her own family circle, and intended after having
amused herself sufficiently, TO explain to them how
it was done but the very first ex Deriment reused
the whole neishborhood, and in few days she
found herself in such position that she could not
explain without disgrace, and she was, therefore,
obliged TO keep up the farce as well as she could
I1 NV next letter I shall si.o asuuunt or my
visit 70 the spirits at Barnums Hotel in this City
Yours respectfully, J. STANLEY GRIMES.