Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-12-31
Account Of the Kstfc King" Expos.
uFe In Philadelphia.


That /" Katie King az preseuted for
tie last year at the Holmes' seances in
this city, was being Of flesh and blood,
has been ascertained beyond q doubt,
but who she was, how she was secreted
in the houses, afterward introduced into
the cabinet, and SO assisted rs to leave
il without being detected, has as yet been
more or less q mystery. E"Katie King"
or, rather, the young woman who per-
sonated her, Is q widow with child, and
o mother depending upon her for sup
port. Mr.. and Mrs. Nelson Holmes be-
came acquainted with her at boarding
house, where they lived for some weeks
subsequent TO their advent in Philadel-
phia.. About the time the Holmeses
took possession Of No. 80 North Ninth
street Katie King" flor reasons herein
after to be stated we will not publish her
name) became unable to pay her board,
and was finally reduced to such an ex-
tremity that she was absolutely penni-
less, and almost without clothing. Find
ing that this was the case, her host sold
what few effects she had left, and turned
the woman into the street. In this con-
dition she was promised assistance by
Mr.. and Mrs. Holmes provided she would
enact the part of materialized spirit
in their cabinet seances. Although the
proposition was revolving she was forced
to accept it, or see her child and mother
suffer from hunger. The cabinet, which
had been placed in one corner of a
second-story front room, with one side
against door which opened into q bed
chamber, was easily arranged SO as to
admit of ingress from the bedroom. The
boards were all fastened with screws,
and battins were placed outside and in
side about two feet from the floor. 1t
was an easy matter to take out one Of
the boards and put in its place dupli-
cate so divided at the battins that the
point of juncture could not be seen.
The upper part of this board was firmly
secured, but the lower portion was loose
ly fastened with two screws, while the
other screw-heads were dummies"
When 1t was thought strict examination
of the cabinet would be made the divided
board could be taken out and the origi-
nal put back in its place. When the
Katie King seances first began the gentle
man who afterward became 80 promi-
nently connected with them, DR.. Child,
OF this city, was permitted to examine
every nook and corner Of the house. AS
he was for time very skeptical on the
question of naturalization, the investi-
cations were very thoroughly conducted.
The visitors would then be congregated
in the front room with the cabinet, and
the door would be locked. Katie King"
would soon after enter the house from
the street, make her way to the bedroom,
assume her white dress, and with small
screw-driver take off the lower portion of
the divided board. These preparations
could not be heard on account of the
singing and music box noise, which was
kept up. To enter the cabi-
net was then an easy task for Katie, and
with stool she could reach the rather
high aperture The disappearing and
part of the phenomenon was
accomplished by gradually lowering a
black cloth over herself, and at the same
time crouching back into the corner. The
semi. darkness of the room, combined
with the complete blackness of the in
side of the cabinet, made this seeming
feat very simple. The levita-
ton manifestation, or the suspension of
her body in the air, was done by means
AS it was impossible to distinguish any
stool was, of course, invisible, and by
stepping upon it very deliberately and
gradually raising herself the young lady
was enabled to present the appearance
of being lifted from and suspended above
the floor At the close OF the seance
there was always delay of about
ten minutes between the time of the
last appearance of the alleged spirit
nd 10 xrhtc cin HaI
that no more were coming. During
this time Katie" would slip through
the hole in the cabinet, screw on the
Had the cabinet been taken apart at such
a time the trick would have been dis
covered. 1t was taken to pieces after a
similar seance but by some means the
Holmeses suspected that this would be
of ten gathered in the room on this oc-
casion and Mrs. Holmes complained that
she was feeling 80 unwell that her me-
diumistic power was very weak, conse
quently it would be necessary to hold
dark seance first. This was consented
to; the lights were extinguished not
the dark seance began. AS the divided
DOhN udo oCCA lIOn thC CdulutI
1t was impossible for Katie to enter in
the usual manner and she consequently
came in through the door. This she
could do under cover Of the darkness,
and, as all hands were clasped, she safely
crossed the room during The ringing of
bells and the twanging of guitars and
other accompaniment of dark seances.
Once within the cabinet she had only to
arrange her white dress, put on little
extra powder and she was ready to be-
gin. A lamp was then dimly lighted
and the usual manifestations were gone
through with. Had the seance closed in
the ordinary manner Katie would have
been found in the cabinet, but John
King" through Mr.. Holmes, stated that If
they would turn out the lights again for
a few moments 1t might give him
strength to do some extra materializing
The lights were accordingly extin-
guished, thus enabling "katie King" to
come out of the cabinet and leave the
room by the hall door. After Katie"
had made her escape John King" again
asked for light, and for several moments
all waited patiently for the manifesta-
tions promised. None came, however,
rs Mr.. king" explained that conditions
were not right, and SO the light was