The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1869-05-11
The Spirit Photographer.

Mumler, the spiritual photographer
| has been discharged by Justice Bowling.
| aftor a protracted trial. The proc!
| against him amounted to nothing, since
it failed to show that he had used any
| trick or arti.ice to produce the ghost
pictures. True, it was shown how such
effects can be produced in various ways,
without spiritual agencies how it may
| be done by manipuations of the plates,
| and by mechanical contrivances in the
camera itself, but it was not shown that
Mumler had resorted to any of these
| means. It was once thought he had
been caught when an expert testified
| how mechanical contrivances might be
| introduced into the operation so ingen
iously as almost to Gefy detection; but
as Mumler remarked to the Court on his
discharge, the best evidence of mechan-
| ical agency that could have been offered
would have been his own camera with
which he has operated so many years.
Why, indeed, were not his instrumen ents
seized and subjected to examination in
| Court? 1t does not follow, however,
because Numbers process has not been
detected, that it is what he pretends it
| to be, though he most solemnly stated
that he had no part in producing the ap-
partitions seen in his photographs, other
than he had in taking the picture of q
living person. His statement to the
Court, in detailing how it happened that
he became spiritual photographer, con-
tains some passages sufficiently interest
ing to be reproduced He said:
In 1861, in the city of Boston, while
engaged in business as an engraver, l
was in the habit OF visiting a young man
who was employed in Photographic
gallery kept by Mrs Stewart, on
Washington street. Occasionally l
would experiment with the instrum ent
and chemicals. One Sunday, while en-
tirely alone in the gallery, I attempted
to get picture of myself, and then it
was that first discovered, while devel
oping it, that second form appeared on
the plate; at this time had never heard
of spirit pictures, although I had been
somewhat interested in the doctrine of
spiritualism; at first l labored under
what is now the gen eral 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,
and l SO stated to my employer and
others subsequent attempts, however,
tlauc CIRCUMSTANCES WutCu pre-
clude such a possibility, have confirmed
me in the belief that the power by which
these forms are produced is beyond hu-
man control, and the experts that have
been called by the people have failed to
produce picture made in that manner
Il wish to state that at the time I de-
veloped the shadow or form above allu-
ded to, was a complete novice in the
art of photography, and had no expert
ence whatever in the composition Of
chemicals used in the business and
that my use of them in my experiments
at that time was simply in conformity
with what I had seen my friend do,
while himself engaged in his business.
After getting the form on the plate, at
the suggestion of several friends to
whom showed the plate, made other
attempts, and generally with most re-
markable results. 1 then determined to
leave my own business and devote my
self to photography.
Before long the subject of spirit pho
Biography, and particularly my success,
became the theme Of every tongue, and