Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-05-26
The.iitils spssoh WAS received with hearty

81 SoDe inns was than occapie5 il selecting II
: committee. Fire Marshal Baker was first nrt
y pcsed and un4nimousiy elected Sewers
% nanaes-a stock brokers among them-wef
eummsrily voted down amid loud calls for Wa
8 bridge Alter awhile the Hon. Hiraaa wa
= priog9 was proposed, seeorded And elected
= Aar Haibridge rose from his seat and jeeline,
= 70 serve, on the ground that be hsd eomeet.
tzafca the committee as veil as to ses The Der
ieEmenees. Apparently very much suragisst
tnas the general sko1ld decline snv oea and a,E
enancs q making : speech, ths sudience -
eaivsa ms spoisgy with decided dissDprob1sion
9 Des1liery conversation ensued, and 6nslly Gen
e W sinflsgs usmsd Judge Baker as his substiiuss
: sno the JuGgs WAS unSnimouslY elected This
! eonPietsa shs COMMITTEES, and, after several
bad jokes upon the coincidence OF the i've
Bakers, quiet was restored and the comnittaa
! proceeded TO business
At the suggessiea Of Asr. Lacy. who said that
there had been some talk abous wires and eIae
tfleisy, glass tnmbieTs were placed under the
Ieet Of the stools apen which stands tho magic
cabinet or Closet The closet Was carefully e.
eminsd, inside and cut, and was found "a e1p.
taia aething and 20 haVe no Visibls connection
wifh any apparatus. The Davenport Bsoshers.
two very Intelligent and geatlsmaaiv uefsaas
then came forward, and we've warmly wolcansd
These gentlemen were securely dsd hand sns
foot. by the committee and fsstensd to tas ssass
/ Ii Ihe closet Tbs COMMITTEES reported shem-l
solves perfectly sstisfsd thus far, and certainly
we have DsYeT seen bstteg Tying sbau fhst Sc
coHpiished by the Fra HRsshal Tia fiehts
wers turned down. Hsif dozsn musical IN
ssTuHenSs--s guiiAr- bsqj3, tzmb0Fius, Visiin,
trumpet enc 5s4l--vfzsIs plAeed ia the closss bv
the committee. TIE two side doors Of the cab
met were closed and locked, also By The Messrs.
Baker. Then the center door was pushed "a. |
and in less than second it was boiled uDoa
the inside and The trumpet thrown vioieutly cut
o. tas hole ~ the door. The eoursilses Tushad I
TO tbs closet, the lights were turned up, and /
thsEe sat the DAveDpoTts, bound as befsre The 4
ass0nishment OF the eudisaee may be imsgined
Those who were sksplies q monlsns sg5 now
began TO doubt their ewn coHejusis5s. md
joined in the general applause.
The manifestations then followed 10 shareeu-
lsr order, the aHdleaes remaining very quiet aud
watching everything critically and intsligsntly
The COMMITTEES seemed to bo extremely ihlusr-
tiais knd briefly reported the results OF their sx
smlnetions. A raj chorus Of instruments PLAY
ing jig was heard iGSido the closet the doors
wore hastily opened, aud the DsvenDrss had
not moved. Spectral hands and arms appeared
at the closet window. The doors were opened
and the Dsvenports were still bound. While
the doors were partly open the instruments Eers
sang out and hand was seen to strike Fire
Marshal Baker. Stiil the d 3venports wars fiad
I.a
the brothers were discovered psTfsctly unbouad.
In four minutes more they were bound agsin.
better than the committee could have bound
them, as these gentlemen esn5idiy aeknes-
LEGGED. Then Judge Baker susared the classt
ana sat between tbs Davsrport5. The 5ooEs
were shut; the manifestations eonftued. and, ,
when the lights were sgsil tllrUs5 I'D, ths judge
'Fss revesled with ismboxine en- bis head, and
feporled that the D&genpoEtz had not moved =
muscle. The Ere marzh4I .hen tried TIE same ,
experiment. and msds the same report. All Of
The manifestations were TepeAted several times,
10 satisfy the most dlstrusifui. II was especial.
y noted that IN sVeIy csse the inside bols Of tie
center door was heard 70 shoo. into is socket in
ess than G second after the door was closed. 4
This destroyed The theory that the DAYenporss
mite themselves,
By way Of finale Mr. Lacy suggested that b
Theat h9ur should be placed IN the hands Of the
aessrs. Davenport while they were stu tightly
lsd. T0is was accordingly done by the com p
niiEse, and any OF the haur that had fallen P
within the box during the operation Was neatly j,
brushed sWsy. The doors were then closed for \
1e last tiRe and still the manifestations con. J
inued. Moses were heard; AZ open hand vas '
hoWn at the window, snd the trumpet was
brown cut. The.dOors were opened and there
ood the Davenport brothers, unbound aud L
lolding tho wheat -four in their hands The d
ommis!ee failed TO find any of the Aour about .,
he closet OF upon the clothes Of the D2venports;
nd yet they could not have avoided spiiline Il
0me Of it had they unclosed their hands ever :
o lstle For snch wonders, and for those per p
ormed By Mr.. Fay ia the Toom above, the hy-
Oshesis Of legerdemain or juggleFy does net
eem reasonable explanation. No modern =.
1ggler has ever performed such deeeDions, if IL
hey are decepiions, and during the many years ia
bat the DsvenPofts hsve appeared in public,
% one-not even tbs professors of Harvard col e
sge-has detected them in their" impOsitions,"t
: some people call the manifestations.
the Dsvenporis, although they are spiritual "
It's, we believe, do not announce that these phe- =
onenA are spiritual They simply prodHee Be
be manifestations, and ask others to explain
hsm, rese1ving their own theory, Bhstsver il :,
lsy be, as their private property. In regard 10 =
he term 'humbug," which IS often applied to G.
hess exhibitions, il is enough 70 say that there
70 humbug in Whist the audience see, and no y
ppsTens st!smpa ct humhag on the part of sbe
eifoTmsSs. The wonders are Gadoubtedly "
Torth witnessing, and well worth the money re
1iTed to purchase q ticket Of sdmissi0n. Afsar e
crisicAl examination Of tho phenomens, there K
,re, We are inclined 70 bslievs that TIE greatest
u2bugs about them are the explanations and
xposes given by "msdiesl students ard oEEer
leh geRzy, who sbiak they can clear up in 6 )
agle night the mysteries which have puzzled :
-iser nsa fa1 Yssr5