The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-01-14
The Mysterious Manifestations q
LIo...k .anLNa Hall

.t4 H0fn9took's 'AhHs rep I'D
Judging from the large audiences that
have assembled nightlyatl HOEpbroolSs
Hall during the past week, the citizens Of
Wheeling haSebeen considerably intefest'
ed in the performance Of Mr.. Ellis aad
his daughter Miss Laura, and their a.
tendant spirit, or Intelligence" as Dir,
Ellis prefers TO call that pnsubstantiGl per-
sonality. The general opinion is that
there Is something very extraordinary In
the performances, and not a few, we sus.
pect with that proneness Of the human
mind to explain unfamiliar phenomena by
means OF supernatural agency attested
by all history, are ready to, II
they have not already allowed the
preposterous claim Of Mr.. Ellis that a dis
embodied intelligence is concerned in their
working. They take place in dark
closet and consist Of certain tying and un-
tying Of knots In strips Of cloth placed
around Miss Ellis neck, wrists, the latter
behind her back, waist and ankles; beat
Ing a sheet iron drum; rapping the inside
Of the closet with stick placing q ring
on any given finger or in her ear, and
finally cutting with pcnknile tho banda.
ges with which she is bound. Its proper
to state that after the performance Of
each trick, some Of which took place
with extraordinary quickness, the
fastenings were examined by com-
mittee appointed for the purpose,
and in each case, SO far as we are cogni-
zant, with a single exception when aban-
dage round tho wrists was slightly loosen,
ed, were found secure.
Considered as ieats Of legerdemain and,
possibly, Of yentriloquism, the mysteries
Of the dark closet are surprising, but they
would DO much more SO wcte the young
lady able to perform them in tue glare Of
gaslight Tho latter, VIC, understand, she
declares herself unable to do in conse'
quence Of some evil influence which light
casts upon the Intelligence" attending
her. Uniriendly light, and very unsatis.
factory reason. The feats Of the so called
magicians men who have no hesitation
in acknowledging the trickery Of their
performances, who set up no claim to su-
pernatural assistance, and who do not
need dark closet TO conceal them, arc
equally Il not more wonderful than those
Of Miss Ellis, What shall we say about
the Indian jugglerss
But as Mr.. Ellis claims that an "intelli-
gent power" takes hand in the matter,
It is proper that we should consider the
supernatural aspect Of II. In that
light It seems 10 US so absurd and ri.
diculous as to render grave discussion
out OF place. From Mr.. Ellis intro
ductory address We gather that this
" intelligence" once existed in the body
Of q young man called Black (why not
Jones, or Brown, or Smith y who lived in
tho town Of Meriden, Conn.,, and This Mr..
Ellis gravely assures his audience he has
himself verlled,) at the breaking out Of the
late war enlisted in the Union army; was
wounded and taken prisoner at the battle
Of Bull Run, and afterwards died in the
hands of the rebcls-since which unlortu.
nate piece of business this unhappy ghost
Is condemned to follow Miss Ellis round
the world, and by the exercise Of that
supernatural power with which disem-
bodied spirits are popularity supposed to
BIO gifted, enables her and her father TO
gain a livelihood.
We say unhappy ghost; for what the
anguish Of this ETHEREAL bcing-rclned,
sublimated, purified of all grossness-
must be when forced 10 take part in per.
formances SO unworthy the spiritual ma
turc, only spirits can know. Even their
fast friends, the mediums, cannot lathom
1t. What repentance for n misspent youth
should DO his when, trying To put the
ring in Miss Lauras rosy little ear,
he exclaims, ]" Hold your head stiller !"
How silly, not to say cheap, must
he feel when he utters IN tolerably
deep chest voice, remarkably resembling
the natural voice Of Miss Laura herself
"Mr. Ellis, you're such funny man" 1t
really sounds like the Sprightly remark Of
young lady tickled with the iacetious.
ness of her beau, What anxiety, when,
after having heard what he is expected 10
do, his memory, as human mem
ories arc apt to do for their
possessors, fails him and he is
obliged to ask, "What do you want me to
do, Mr.. Ellls?" And no W his gorge must
have risen when he volunteers this ex.
quisitc bit Of advice, "Mr. Ellis, you'd
better blow your noscE Prospero
managed matters better. The gentle
Ariel was never put to base uses; but
Caliban, that monster Of grossness -!
If VIC were bold enough we would sug:
gest to Mr.. and Miss Ellis and the 'intel!
ligcut power" who lackeys the latter, to
revise and refine their stock Of phrases,
lest ridlcule and disgust together should
compel reputation Of the whole spiritual
world. ~
The old time "intelligcuccs" were
made Of the right metal; nothing daunted
them; no enterprise too difficult
,"The spirits tell me they can dry The sea,
And fetnh the treasure Of all foreign wrecks,