Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-04-28
EXPOSURE OF A MEDIIM.

W. T. Church Found Out-His Juggeries-A
Pupil oT the Davenports-Ihc Swiss Girl
Humbug-The Great Indian Myth.
The st. Louis Republican contains card,
signed by twenty or more OF the most re-
spectacle citizens of Belleville, ILL.,, inclu6-
ing ex-Judges, lawyers and doctors, certify
ing 10 the detection of the great frauds by
which Mr.. w. T. Church has been deceiy,
ing the people of st. Louis and various parts
Of Missouri. The following is the card
The undersigned, citizens OF Belleville,
Ill, on Sunday evening April 23d inst, at
the BelleyiIle House, sat as members Of a
circle for the production of spiritual mani
festations. The medium or conductor was
w. T. Church, of St. Louis, No. formerly
of Springfield, Ill. Many of us had made
a seance with the same Church, in the same
room, a week ago, whereat music was heard
on castinets, ACCORDION, and of BELLS made
by a "Swiss girl;" lights were seen
flashing along the ceiling; an Indian
calling himself Milwaukee, stalked
with heavy tread over the floor, and spoke
in gutteral tones and broken English; and
the spirit of boy, drowned, appeared TO his
mother, who was present as one of the circle,
and touched her on the forehead, producing
an affecting and painful scene. Other man
ifestations occurred of character to shake
skepticism. This was in the dark, a condi-
tion necessary for the materializing of
spirits, and with Church tied in his chair
and fastened TO the floor, as was supposed.
The time was Sunday night, April 18th.
On last night another circle was formed, lar
ger than the first. The medium, with one
Alfred Freming, of st. Louis, made his ap-
pearanoe. Church was duly tied, the lights
extinguished, and all was dark. After much
effort in harmonizing" the circle, the spi-
rits made themselves manifest-the Swiss
girl" first, and next Milwaukee" the big
Indian, said to be seven feet two inches
high, with heavy tread and deeply gutteral
voice. He had not gone far in the first
scene of the first act, when hewas seized and
grappled with by one of the circle, Captain
Patrick; partly escaping from this grasp, he
was seized by Capt. Aundel, who unknown
to Patrick, was cropping in the dark for the
same object. Jerking loose from his second
captor as from the first, who came in col
lision with each other in the dark, "Nim
waukee" fed TO his seat, the seat of Church,
the juggler.
Lights were struck before he could retie
himself and there he sat cowardly and
trembling imposter in his stockings-him
self united with his shoes beside him.
When asked by DR.. Harris how he got them
off, he said, "Nimwankee took them off and
united me-" A search produced from his
pocket the hair of the "Swiss Girl" in two
large locks, and some instruments of his
trade-a prodding bit, screwdriver and keys,
supposed to be for the unlocking of hand
cuffs, g. He had offered TO be handcuffed.
No violence was done him. He was not
even prosecuted for juggling without Ii
cense, but permitted to leave Belleville on
the next train and go on his way.
The undersigned, in making this publica-
ton, do so with no desire to injure the cause
of truth, or of true spiritualism; but with
the hope that every attempt like that Of
Church last night to impose pseudo spiritu-
alism upon honest minds will be met as he
was here, and put down by an honest and
bold skepticism.