The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1874-12-31
Katie King.

The Philadelphia Press CONTAINS It full
description OF the Katie King fraud, from
which we make the following extracts:
That Katie King as presented for
the last year at the Holmes seances in this
city was being of flesh and blood, has
been ascertained beyond doubt. but who
she was, how she was secIeted in the houses.
afterwards introduced into the cabinet,
and so assisted as to leave it is without
mystery "katie King or rather the
young woman who personated her, is a
widow with q child and mother depend
ing upon her Tor support. Mr. and Mrs,
Nelson Holmes became acquainted with
her at boarding house, where they lived
for some weeks subsequent to their advent
in Philadelphia. About the time the
Holmeses took possession of No. 50 North
Ninth street, Katie King" (tor reasons
hereinafter TO be stated we will not pub
llsh her name) became unable to pay her
| board, and was finally reduced TO snch au
| extremity that she was absolutely penni-
less and almost without clothing Find
/ ing this was the case her host sold what
/ few effects she had left and turned the
woman into the streets. In this condition
she was promised assistance by MIR aud
Mrs. Holmes provided She would enact
the part OF a matcrialized spirit in their
cabinet seances. Although the proposition
| was revolving, she was forced to accept It
| or see child and mother suffer trom hun
! ger.
TIE TRICK OF THE CABINET
The cabinet which had been placed in
one corner Of the second story front room
with one side against door which open
ed into bedchamber, was easily arranged
50 as to admit Of iDgrGss from the bed
room. The boards were al fastened with
! screws, and battins We're placed outside
and inside about two feet from the -ilor
1t was an easy matter to take out one Ot
the boards, and put in its place dupli-
cate SO divided at the battns that the
point Of juucture could not be seen The
| upper part OF this board was firmly Sc
| cured, but the latter portion was loosely
fastened with two screws, while the other
screw heads We're "dummies.' When it
was thought q strict examination Of the
cabinet would be made, the divided board
could be taken out, and the original put
back in its place
"When the Katie King seances first be-
gan the gentleman who afterwards be-
come 50 prominently connected with them
DR. Child, of this city, was permitted to
examine every nook and corner in the
house As he was for a time verv scepti-
cal on the question Of NATURALIZATION, the
Investigations were very thoroughly con-
Quoted The visitors would tnen BE CON
gregated i'll the front room with tae cabi-
net, and the door would be locked. Katie
King would soon after enter the house
/ from the street, make her way to the bed
room, and assume her white dress, and
with q small screw driver take OFT the
lower portion Of the divided board These
preparations couldnot be heard on account
OF the singing and music-box noise, which
was continually kept up To enter the
cabinet was then an easy task for Katie,
and with a stool She could reach the rather
high aperture
TIE MYSTERIOUS PHENQMENA
Tic disappearing and reappearng part
Of The phenomenon was accomplished by
gradually lowering black cloth over
/ herself and at the same time crouchlng
back In the conner The semi-darkness Of
lhe room, complete blackness Of the cab
net. made this seeming impossible feat
very simple The leyitation manifestation,
or the suspension OF her bodT in the air
. " ~ +lQlc Df lllttIo Il Il slODl- covered
with y black cloth AS it was impossible
to distinguish any color but whito within
the cabinet, the stool wa. OF course, in
/ visible, and by stepping Upon it very dc.
! llDerately, and gradually raising herself,
the young lady was eua5lel to present the
I appearance OF Being lifted from ana sus-
/ pended above the floor At the close Of
the seances there was ALWAYS q lflav or
about ten minutes between the time Of the
/ last appearance Of the alleged spirit and
the knocks, which sgpihed that uo more
/ were coming During this time Katie
would slip through the hole in the cabi-
net, screw on the oosenod board, and
make hel escape Had tile cabinet Been
taken apart at such a time the trick would
havc been discovered"
HIDING FLACI
The writer then explains how Katie"
\ on one occasion was enabled to escape
from the room by ending the performance
with a dark seance, when theusuul trap
was not arranged and continues
1t has been stated that tor a time the
door leading from The front room into the
hall was always locked AS this created
much suspicion, the mediums finally con
| Sentcd 10 have It remain open until the
manifestation first appeared Under suoa
circumstances 1t became necessary to
make change in the manner Of keeping
4 Katie out of sight The bolster Oh the
bed was, therefore, 50 arranged that
/ Katie could creep into it, and in this she
I hid herself before the seance and after it
was concludel. The bedroom was many
/ times examined after the change. and the
Y bed was also inspected but no one ever
thought Of looking into the bolster to find
/ out what il was stuffed with
The bolster was none Of your old-tcsh-
ioued striped ticking bags, pulled up With
down, but instead a wicker cage ingen-
iously constructed and as ingeniously over
laid, in which the charming confederate to
aIl this spiritualistia tomfo0lerv housed her
self until she was To issue like 4 golden
| beauty from q cocoon.
QUITTING SUSPICION.
Kate King during last summer, when
these seances We're being given at No so
North Ninth street, boarded with MIS-
Holmes, and was at first suspected by Dr.
Child, but on several occasions he was re-
quested by Mrs, Holmes TO answer the
violent ringing of the door bell immedi-
ately following the close Of the seances.
! LIZ ~" ~ lut'l4" lls suspecteu lauy WalL-
ing very impatently to be let in, and she
often complained that, as she boarded with
Mrs. Holmes, that lady had no right 10
lock her out. The doctors suspicious
were soon quieted by the ruse, aud the
young lady was seldom afterwards thought
of
THE TENTH STREET, sEANCEs.
In the second-story front room Of the
house at 825 North Tenth street, the cabi-
net was placed in such 4 position that it
stood about eighteen inches from a board
ed-up window. As already described,
this window was arranged in such way
that with the sash taken out there was
room tor person to stand between the
| boards on the inSiHa and the shnttars on