New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-05-04
spIRITUALrsM IN COURT.
,,or,rVr m rnE SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPH CAsh-
MvmER DlsCHARGEp.

audience comprising many OF llo NV, ,.,....t,,s
prtua.ts and lawyers OF this city. besides ue'N,'''
so ,, ober cisscs ~ society. The nttf'cuon p''"N
tle ssnil.rr up OF che Interesting case o' wv
WIN n lllmIrr Atio o'clock Jhslo" having ''N ="
se.t and after tho discussion Of various ieki u'.'
49,, h,t,sap conn.ll Mr. Mumlcr read the following
sintoucuti ,,-.-... -. 81. 81.
s,s,sr ths tiht Of rsilE loaas a,a a. s o.
s,ss fsaa srpsasa m tt la''rwsni 80 e.em.s,n zee
sP,s ~; r.i , en- .,.' ,' G
h'is 'ssa tore s.p,fl g6 W. I'm snT@atst Interested in
,bs tociHae % sprfaal'H' = Ct hsr,a uass' s S,
@ s 5 %. S . i ,, ,..s % r.. ' s s s 20
s,sd suFIs' 'n o.si s's}a,r a%R, Rss ss ,os,
@ h bs bf s ths power b. sh,h ,ss form, produced
tod hna oaiio ss i,e s,g' li. s,,' S.sn S' b 20
s,alo b ne t'epd ne sbsdow OF hIm above IA NO
srpsr,ne q phoosiphy and bad 20 sIpssi
Tsi u.s Of them in nv sTpsueu time 'npy 70 con
unY a What bad seen my friend DO vh. basel sss s Of sew
efa end' whom allowed tie plate made other 1Tp s, S mS
osa business sod deete myself psolegr6y sso,. ip Ss
came lie ee tongue and was o,su9 WIZ people o.
~ astps o taxing and developing the petue for long time
parent however that wne either stop It or es';S 70 sIpgO INTEL
S general thing these sysl' SPs sT'tg ss es thss
mysT material BODY L1ggh.5l ,l hS%ios, s sST
person Who desired picture taken from making ever siiR
patton aqa they Sssg to Hs T om 0 sd fn could have shown
BY ssnte whose ysud have satisfied every enc GI
details Of my while have been engaged taking pictures
9I5 1 D Or chemical or science Of sRy HIND further than
rbi needed to take ordinary peGSsSR . pictures 5 goyT ys
used trick or device or aasd myself o. ss Ge zen
ard ever when they presented without effort sI
P g TRfs soaY .sS S can asa make oath
With him verbally in Writing nor did ever Know s
and bef say that any pictures ksn he must have
oisT have on Chat be cane g ny NJ gallery 'PD'FsS .s
sTsno D8 NY memory i rsrar to Is application 70 th;
form which spgs,r: upon bis picture now " f from tRs nsnosr il
Ing With MS mouth and With the purpose which 'u9,s?o
dearest sympathy With bhset regard conversation with
him e' only q. say s;' G sr a'E ' Toad yPss A. to ny
90 entertain propositions rom toe f,PPona committee p1OO
f omd % Mr. Gu,y 10 take picture. 70, hsm whether
Icy. T' s OF St d he sSs Ss Of ny counsel a.
vice pleased 70 say that one Of ias INST ean01s ne
was e 5'9i f0 IB having bsen charged With crime
u The yih gamblers ,1d men Of , That !, t
time arrest % Judge D9sng ad was iP2 1S 70 5'S Of
procdng Mr. ~ eo9uaea: W bad hesa engasta 10 sss
oaa have been the strongest evidence against they not
touched they have stood eyer 'ss " & ,S Who NAV ieesnI
be ssd occupy Court Of Justice sincerely hope that
' townsend on behalf Of the defendant
the Court After an able I'M intT9duSo9 S w bn
appeared the legal aspect OF the case FIRST what
pss was eRs9 P ~ SHsnS pTomdd me picture
~ rSIstye or OF one nearest sympathy with me; ho
Mr. 1Sy nat spirit pictures could not be guaranteed;
that told by Mr. Mumler that ne could take spirit
photographs and that he tumerl progressed TO ne quite
aDguine OF success as he considered Geponent person
he rSt9tes the idea that Mr. Mumer promised spirit
picture. This 10 at most breach OF contract II IN the
enabled TO send messages to Boston but sometimes
failed through want Of continuity and ds0eIeYe or came
mere Would il be fraud would 1t be breach OF contract
But 20 further for argument allow that Mr. Mumer pro-
is no evidence that Munler did not give HIM
spir he pF oTn presented on the plate is not
the nearest IN sympathy with him spirits are supposed
have intelligence. Your Honor may have seen exh
billions where persons have been seen 10 40 absurd
miDd upon mind. spiritualists believe that when the
body is aside the mind has the same power II such
he was there with a falsehood in his mouth
that he attempting an outrage uhuoF inc guise
him evidence Of their presence by presenting the
most yalnous face they could and Il cost hm slO II
spirits really trying TO make themselves seen 10
ssF I nv sofS o Kidd OF spiyt 10
There 10 evidence that Mumler knew he could not give
q spirit picture There is abundant evidence that he be-
Neved he could give a spirit picture. The legal presunp-
tion OF Innocence surrounds him. He presumed be
good moral character and every reasonable doubt OF
s bgH Pe09fi e pc f for s y and Sas
been subjected to critical examnaton over and over
into the evidence given by the respective witnesses for
strange Pace5 on other INSTRUMENTS ana With strange
chemicals The pictures thus obtained have been recog
foSdo oS ana PeIayes Mr. Quay has been present many
times when they were recognized. Judge EdmOnd5
recognized one Here the learned counsel gave synopsis
of the testimony making commentaries as be proceeded
t9ar testimony to fRoe WHO had Been called for the
defense Mr. Mumler has been here bnt few months
Would come Without demand He obtained pictures Of
persons dead who had pictures taken during life. lie
took these pictures sometimes without touching the
camera. He took his pictures through yellow light
with no gas There IS evidence that Mumler pre-
tended do what he knew 10 be false and consequently
the whole element OF the crime Is wanting. MuneF may
he wrong saying he give spirit picture but that
does not constitute a crime, unless lie knew
nc cou9 nov gave one CpUn Vno piV,ICutSo Sod
viii not change believer, prevent one from belev
utmost extremity The ease In Court of Justice should
be looked upon simply OF law. But suppose these
GCTcuses should fail come to our affirmative Defense
namely t, that spirit pictures can be taken IL has
been proved that pictures OF the dead have been taken
G That such pictures have been taken where there was
no picture Of the deceased In existence. These
two things have been distiDctiyely, positively
sworn TO by unmpcached witnesses, and
must control unless has been overbOrne by counter
vang evidence. Now let look ut this countervaiing
eydece III Is proved that shadoWy ghostlike pictures
can be produced by other photographers. Everybody
acquainted with photography knows that 10 be so 1t
has never been denied BY rs; Numbers circular says
tOn III the eae-Can sneh shadowy pictures as pfOducea
by others be the pictures OF the deadt But even against
testimony for the prosecution, which theory,
have direct practical evidence Mr. Hull, their prn,
ctpal witness, selected among others, numbers o. z 10
reflection from negative plate Mr. Gilmore says that
lie warned OF this particular way OF taking them by
Carney, aud watched closely and there was but one
plate when u went into the slide or when was deYel
Oped. And Hull says II could not be developed by yellow
light, which was done. The belief OF all Spirtuass who
see spirits is that they arc governed by their own ghti
that their appearance does not depend at all
npOn our own conditions. They claim 70 see them
IN the dark II so. must they not be
governed by other power Of iuminationf The APP
Pearance Of Moses and Elias and their sudden disappear
IT.,