The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1869-05-21
NHUTf EEEs.
His statement ;a,ad AcquittaI.

On Monday, the Mumler mystifcation
closed. Mumler was acquitted. We give
his statement below:
In 1861, in the city of Boston, while en-
gagged in business Gs an engraver, | was in
the habit Of visiting young man who was
employed in IA Photographic gallery, kept by
Mrs Stewart, on Washington street. Oc-
casionalIy, | would experiment with the in
strument and cheHlicals. One Sunday while
entirely alone in the gallery, ] attempted to
get picture of myself, and then 1t was that
first discovered, while developing it, that a
second form appeared upon the plate. At this
time had never heard Of spirit pictures, al
though | had been somewhat interested in
the doctrine of spritualsm. At first | labor
ed under what is now the general impression,
that the plate upon which the picture was
taken could not have been clean, and that the
form which showed itself beside my own must
have been left on the glass, aud | so stated
to my employers and others. Subsequent at
tempts, however, made under circumstances
which preclude such Il possibility, have con-
firmed me in the belief that the power by
which these forms are produced is beyond
human control, and the experts that have
been called by the people have failed to pro-
duce picture made in that manner. wish
to state that at the time / developed the
shadow or form above alluded to, | was "a
complete novice in the art OF photography,
and had no experience whatever in tie COM
position of chemicals used in the business;
and that my use of them in my experiments
was in conformity with what had seen my
friend do while himself engaged in business
After getting the form on the plate, at the
suggestion of several friends to whom l
showed the plate | made other attempts and
generally with most remarkable results |
then determined to leave my own business
and devote myself to photography, aud par
ticularly my success, became the theme OF
every tongue, and was overrun with people
of inquiring minds, and obliged to go over
and over again, for their pleasure, the rou-
tine of taking and developing the pictures.
For long TINA | never refused any person
who came to investigate. 1t soon became
| apparent, however, that | must either stop
it or cease to support myself; for, as gener-
al thing, these sAvANs while greedy them
selves for intellectual food, seemed entirely
oblivious to the fact that myself was a ma
terial body. Laughter. However, l can
truly say that L have never refused inten-
ti0nally, any persen who desired to have q
tion or inquiry he choose to make; and had
/ been allowed in this examination to have
produced evidence from abroad could have
shown by scientific men, whose names would
have satisfied every one, that the most care
full and minute examinations have often been
made into all the details of my business
while | have been engaged in taking pictures.
| | solemnly assert here that have now but
comparatively little knowledge of photo
graphy, or chemicals, or science of any kind
further than is absolutely needed to take or
dinary Photographic pictures l positively
assert that in the taking of pictures on which
these forms appear l have never used any
trick or device, or avail myself of any decep
tion or fraud in producing them; that these
forms have appeared in each and every in
stance when they have been presented with
out any effort, except my will-power to pro
duce them. In regard to the testimony o
Mr.. p: T. Barnum, would say that l cal
solemnly make oath that never communi
Gated with him verbally or in writing, no
did ever know that he had written or wa
writing anything in regard to spirit photo
graphy; and further say, that if he had an
pictures taken by me, he must have receives
them from some other person. In regard t,
the testimony of Mr.. Tooker have only t
say that he came to my gallery apparently i
the same way that other strangers were won
to come. As there was nothing particula
to keep him in my remembrance, my memor
in regard to him is stronger in its aplicatio
to the form which appeared upon his picture
which then thought the most villainous