, 1864-05-12
From ths New York Herald, Maybl
Tho Davenport Rrotatr4-n9orc Won
Gerfuf E1Rn1eAtAEtong-Th yFi1co


Flour Tosr, &c.
The performances Of the Davenport Broth
er5 at the Cooper Institute continue to At
tract general attention and large audiences
Last evening there WAS a very full and fash
ionable house, and the manifestations we're
unusually satisfactory.
At the suggestion Of Mr. Lacy. who said
that there had been some talk about wires
and electricity, glass tumb1ers were placed
under the feet Of the stools upon which
stands tbs magic cabinet or closet The
closet was carefully examined inside and out,
and IVES found to coutainnothing and to hare
10 visible connection with any apparatus.
Tie Davenport Brothers-two very intellf-
gent md gentlemanly .persons-then cams
forward, and were warmly welcomed. These
gentlemen were securely tied, hand and foot,
BY the committee, and fastened to the seats
In the closet. Tho committee reported
themselves pcrfestly satisfied thus far, and
than that accomplished by the Fir6 Marshall
The lights were turned down. Halfa dozen
musical Instruments guitar, banjo, tam
borinc, violin, trumpet and bell-WeEe placed
in tho clnict BY the. committee. Ths two
iocked-alss BY The Nessrb Baker. Then
he centre door WAS pushed to, and in less
tran \ second It Was bo1ted upon the inside
en1 the trumpet thrown violently out OF the
1ole in the door. The committee rushed to
the closet tho lights wcrc turned up, and
there sat the DaVenporta, bound al before,
Imagined. Tho5e who were Bkcptics mo-
uent ago now began to doubt thefr.own CON
cluslons md Joined in the general applause.
The Manifestations then followed in the
regular. orde-, the audience remaining very
quiet and watching everything critically and
inteIligentlJ. The committee seemed to be
extremely impartial, and briefly reported the
results OF their examinations. 4 full chorus
Of instruments playing d jig was heard inside
tic closet. The doors were hastily opened,
aud the Dayenports had not moved. Spec
tral bands and arms appeared at the closet
ri: dow. The do0za were opened, and the
Dayenports were still bound. While the
do,rs were partly open, the instruments were
flu: z out and hand WINS seen to strike Fire
Il karsha1 Baker. SIN the Davcnports 1erc tied,
TLen the doors being closed for three mioutes,
tie brothers ''Yere discovered perfectly IN
bot nd. In four minutes more they we're bound
s: n, better than tho committee could have
b. md them, a these gentlemen candtdly ac-
htWlcdge. Then Judge Baker entered the
cl. set and eat between the DavenpoTts. The
dcors ere shut the manifestations continued;
u d, "hen the lights were again up, the Judge
was revealed with tamborlnc on his head,
and reported that the Davenports had moi
moved 3 muscle. Tho Fire Marshal then tried
tit sa1ne experiment and made tho same re.
| pt,t. All Of the manifestations were repeat
| &c several times, to satisfy the most dlstrust:
| fu1 It Waa especially noted that In eyer}}
| case the inside bolt of the centre door WAS
| htard to shoot into Its socket in lees than a
eecond after the door ives closed. This dc.
stroyed the theory that the D.ycnports unite
| themselves.
By way Of finale Etr. Lacy suggested that
! Wh. at -four should le placed IN t6p hands 81
the sleseEa: Davenport willie they were still
i tightly tied. This was accordingly done by
the committee, and any Of tho -four that had
WINS neatly brushed away. The doors were
then closed for. the last time. and still the
| manifestations continued. Noises were
htard; an open hand was shown at the win
dow, and the trumpet Was thrown ont. The
doors were opened, and there stood the
Davenport Brothers, unbound and holding
the wheat flour in their hands. The com-
mistce failed to find any of the flour about
the closet or upon the clothes of the Daven-
| por:s; and yet they conld not hnvc aYoided
| Erfl1ing some Of it had they unclosed their
hands ever 80 little: For such wonders, and
for those performed ~ Mr. Fay, In the room
| 1uGe1ery does not seem d reasonable explain
! atfon No modern jugg1er has ever per-
formed ezlch deceptions, If they are decep-
tionB, and, during the many years that the
| DaEcnports have appeared in public, no one
not even the professors Of Harvard Col
| ttge-haa detected them In their timpos-
/ fhons," az some people call the manlfesta-
| ticns. The DaTenports, although they are
spiritualfets, we believe, do not announce
/ that these phenomena are spiritual They
simply produce the manifestations, and ask
others to explain them, reservlng their own
| thtory, whatever 1t may be, as their private
DrDDeftY.