Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-04-16
numbug crest NTedlumn Exposed.


From the jamestown "a. Y Journal
A fellow has been travelling around the
country under the style and title of III. Mel
vile Fay, the test medium, in company with
young woman he calls his wife, and profess
ing to give tangible and conclusive evidences
OF the presence and performance of departed
spirits here on earth. at twenty-five cents
apiece, ''to detray expenses" (O He hunored
jamestown with visit last Monday and drew
house Of thirty or forty persons. We were
not present. and do not know what he did
except from the subsequent revelations that
came under our observation. The morning
after Mr.. Fay's exhibition he was arrested at
the instance OF a telegram from TtuSvile,
Pa, where he had exhibited the previous
week, and held until his accusers could arrive
by the afternoon express train from Cory.
The train brought down twenty-five or thirty
Of the best. most respectable, and trustworthy
OF the business men of Titusyille, who had
come on to oyertake and expose Mr.. Fay, as
cheat and humbug.
1t seems that Fay had gone to 1itusville
and been Hospitality entertained and introduce
ed and endorsed by Jonathan Watson, Esq,
the great oil dealer, who is Il believer in the
doctrines Of spirituaism. Fay showed his
wonders in that place two nights, and mys-
titled and astonished the people that re-
maj NtUlt anu UBIQUITOUS CueCJ WAS lcII on
the minds of many sober men, disqualitying
them for business. Rev. A. S. Dobbs of the
M. Il. church OF Titusville was much ''excr-
cised' over the demonstrations and after
sleepless nights of investigation discovered
the tricks by which Fay produced the "mln- {
ltestatlOns, and went through with the same
performances III public, showing that ''the
spirits" had nothing to do with the mysteries
OF Fay. Mr.. Dobbs came on with the rest of
the gentlemen Mr.. Watson ncudeD to cor
ner the impostor and expose the imposition.
The trial took place in Jones Hall on last
Tuesday evening. Fay's 0,OdNS operandi was
to have box, or small house, with three doors
on one side, as tall a mans head, and about
SIX feet long. In one end of this he takes his
seat, the doors are all shut and bolted, and the
gas turned down-as he says the spirits will
not work in the light. Presently he orders the
doors opened, and is found tied hand and OF
with a rope previously provided. A commit
tee is appointed to examine and see that he is
fast, and, if they please, tie him down to the
seat A violin and bell are put at the other
end Of the cage, doors shut, darkness pro-
duced and directly the violin twangs, the bell
rings, and things are slammed around quite
"pernscis like" inside--aI by supernatural
agencies, he claims. Opening the box, the
medium is discovered. ''as he was" Other
things are done quite as singularly if it is be-
heved Mr.. L. is securely tied-and many it
seems have been soft enough to believe it.
He pretends to show spiritual hand"
which persons are allowed to touch through
hole in door of the box, the medium be-
ing inside.
After studying on the matter, Mr.. Dobbs
learned 10 do the same things, and on the eve
ming went through with all the mysterious per-
formances III the most approved style, and
could not be detected by the same committee
who had previously seen Mr.. Fay tied, in any
material variations from his preliminaries, and
with no more evidence of the supernatural in
the one case than in the other. Mr. Dobbs
experiments were precisely like Mr. Fay's in
detail and in mystery, and in supernatural APP
pearance. He then explained the whole
humbug-how he tied himself with his hafids
and teeth, by an ingenious complication of
knots, so that by twisting the hands around
after they were tied one OF the cords would so
far sacllen us to allow him to draw out one
hand, with which he could demonstrate" in
any way he chose, and then slip it back, twist
his hands around and over, bringing them
back to position in which the knot would be
very tight and the cheat concealed. He went
through with the whole performance with the
doors open, and the entire audience at once
perceived the humbug. 1t was as clear as
OayllguI TO all. Mr.. Fay. the ''nedlum, was
then induced to enter the box, and ''the spir-
its" tied him, and the committee examined and
tied him to the scat. Mr. Dobbs had the wit
to tie him with a small cord that must be bro
ken if the medium rang the bell himself The
door was closed, the juggling took place, and
on opening the door Mr.. Fay was seen sitting
as calm as a toad in a thunder storm, but
alas, the string UaS broken In the midst of
the excitement that this complete expose pro-
duCed, the unblushing charlatan had the i'm
pudence to claim that the ''sprits told him it
was broken; that they did it as a test Of their
power, &C., that the bell was not rung by
him."
The gentlemen from Titusvile wishing to
give the fellow fair chance, proposed anoth-
er chance, viz: To put flour in his hands and
see if he opened them and scattered it about.
The ADMINISTRATIONS" under this test were
rather weak, but the fellow came out with the
-four all in his hands. Various tests were
proposed, any one of which would have been
final. Mr.. Dobbs offered, if he could be al
lowed to tie the medium himself, to give in
his adherence to spiritualsm if the bells rang,
&c. The fellow would not submit to be so
tied. He refused. He would submit to no
conditions bue those he chose himself, saying
that the spirits considered all others insulting
to themselves. Finally, seeing no real test
would be submitted to, the committee attempt
ed to practice little 1USe on him. He was
induced to enter the box for the usual demon
STATIONS, and the handle of the bell was
Slightly daubed with printers ink. Unlucki
ly the fellow discovered it before the box was