The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-07-24
fnformatioil.


The Feels Not all Dead.
From the New York Observer
For week or two past We have had case il
court in this city illustrating very clearly The
fact that the fools are not all dead.
A man by the name of Mumler was arrested
on charge of swindling the public, by profess
sing to take Photographic pictures of departed
spirits He claimed to be able to produce, with
the portrait of the sitter, the likeness of any de-
ceased friend, and this would be made to appear
on the plate, dimly indeed. as becometh spirit
but easily recognised as the image of the dear
departed.
The man Mumler hsd no difficulty in bringing
up a troop of witnesses to swear that they had
seen on his plates the spirits of their departed
friends, of whom picture was in existence
until Mumler made it. Others had watched
him closely, and knew Tor certain there was no
trick about it. Judge Edmonds actually came
forward in defence of this miserable humbug,
and, with all sincerity, gave his opinion that
spirits do appear in shape. and might cast =
shadow on photographic plates. Only short
time before. spirit had appeared to him in the
Courtroom, and impaired to him valuable in
formation. Men whose names ere well known
in Wall street professed entire satisfaction with
tho spirit-pictures Mumler makes for them, and
their full belief in the theory that spirits do
come and present themselves to the faithful.
witness to prove tina. these pretended spirit
pictures are easily produced by the aid Of other
pictures surreptitiously exposed to the light aud
caught on the same plate with that which IL
taking the sitter Mr.. Bogardus, of Broadway,
one of the best photographers in the city, testi-
fed that he could take the spiritual likeness of
any one that any fool might ask for; he would
use faded pictures, and the imagination would
easily supply ali lack of likeness He had known
- la and
declare it to be that of General Jackson and rice
rsrsa ;: he had known persons to examine y per-
feet picture of relative, and declare that 1t bore
no resemblance whatever to the original; knew
of one case especially. where lady desired to
purchase from his gallery picture which she
declared was that Of her child, whereas it was
the picture of child whom she had never seen.
Exhibits we're shown to Mr.. Bogardus of purpor-
ted ghost-pictures taken by Mumler, on which,
he said, the pretended ghosts were produced by
mechanical means; the reason for this opinion
was that the shadows were on opposite sides of
the picture, showing that the ghost form was not
taken at the same time the sitters was; rs to
other exhibits, he testified that the ghost forms
could not have been taken in front of the camera
when they we're impressed ON the sensitive plate;
they must have been prepared on another plate,
and then transferred to the picture containing
the figure of the sitter.
Other photographers appeared in court, and
showed how these pictures were readily made by
natural means, and how easy it is to impose up
on the credulity of that simple minded class of
people who are deluded into Spiritualism.
OF course, the evidence does not prove that
Mumler cannot wsrk miracle! 1t shows that
all he does any photographer can do without
supernatural aid or appearances. There is no
need of calling in HERCULES to do what can just
as we'll be done without him. And if Bogardus
or Fredericks can produce these Photographic
ghost-pictures as we'll rs Mumler does, there is
no sense in believing that spirits sit for Mumler.
The reason on the subject is absurd. The uni
verse of God may be divided into two depart
ments. matter and spirit: spirit hath not flesh
and blood; . spirit pervades matter; occupies
the place at the same time with matter; is not
impeded in its movements by matter; and can
not impinge upon matter to produce an effect
upon it. A spirits rappiug upon matter is an
absurdity. An angel flying into mans eye
would not make him wink. A spirit could not
cast shadow. When Judge Edmond's halluci-
nation shows him ghost in court room at
noon, as nobody else saw it We may be sure it
was in his eye. And when men of standing, in
tellgence and reputed souudness of mind, assert
that they commune with their dead wives and
children through the medium Of knocks on a
table, we may be certain there is some screw
IoOse III tnelr own ueuJaJ WoCuaulSlu, ana very
large screw loose in the moral faculties of the
medium.
But fools are not all dead. There is no alb
surdity, no delusion, no imposture too gross, too
transparently false. to find believers and defend
ers and prophets in our day. Spirituaism has
been subjected to the examination of wise and
good men, and its own teachers have confessed
that it failed under the simple tests applied. 1t
has been as clearly proved to be delusion md i'm.
posture as any proposition in mechanics or chem
istry has been proved to be true. It's dupes are
indeed many. for fools are not all dead. Many
are sincere in believing that Mahomet was a
prophet sent from God, and Judge Edmonds is
doubtless sincere in his belief that he saw o
ghost in the court room, and that he often sees
them. But his sincerity is no evidence that
the senses of other lost, or that spirit is
visible to the naked eye.
The fools are not all dead men and women
with soft places in their heads, will continue to
run after follies of this sort, and none of us will
live to see the end Of this and similar decisions
But We may do some service to the young and
innocent, by showing them that if Judges and
bankers are weak enough to believe in ghosts,
there will always be Numbers to take the
pictures.
CoRNs-Those devotees of the healing art
known as corn doctors make short work of ex-
tracing corn from your toe and fifty cents from
your pocket, and the Corns make short work of
returning-under the persuasion of fashionable
shoes. As almost every one knows the twinpes
OF these troublesome affections, We copy these
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