The Portland daily press., 1874-12-21
7 he "Katie King" Fraud.
How il was Exposed.

The following are the principal parts of the
article of the Philadelphia Inquirer describing
the detection of the Katie King fraud:
This gentleman visited these seances on
several occasions, and was disposed to look at
the matter more from a scientific standpoint
than otherwise. He failed to see how spirits
could cover themselves with flesh and blood; in
fact, to him such thing stands not within the
prospect Of belief, but he was still willing to be
convinced if facts sufficient existed. One eve
ming, when in proximity to Katie he ascer-
tanned she had bad breath, which produced
rather an unfavorable impression.
Things were going on smoothly; money was
flowing into the Golfers of the mediums and
Katie's friends were jubilant at the number OF
converts daily being made to the cause of 'spir-
il materialization; bnt suddenly, without
warning, Katie disappeared. Night after night
her deyotees assembled to welcome her return.
The medium with plaintive voice sang am
coming; am coming;' but she did not come.
Varioas were the reasons assigned. Some said
she was offended at unkind remarks that had
been made about her.
The mediums said that some rude fellows
had entered the cabinet and taken all the mag
netism out; and, furthermore, that Katie had
ascended to higher sphere and exhausted her
strength; others were uncharitable enough TO
say that Katie was on strike. In the mean
time the gentleman who was seeking knowl-
edge under difficulties had been making extra
ordinary exertions to find her daily wherea-
bouts-0therwise her boarding house. Little by
little he quietly picked up information that
enabled him to find young lady whom he
thought very much resembled Katie King.
Using the most detective-like skill, he fol-
lowed his clue up successfully. By certain Pc
culiarities, which he observed in the Katie of
the other world at the seances, be found that
young woman who resembled Katie general
ly and had her pecularities took her meals
with great regularity at a certain house which
he had 'piped off, in detective parlance. He
then shadowed this woman, and found that she
attended all the seances at the Holiness house.
He ultimately concluded TO scrape an acquain-
tance with Katie in the flesh, choosing as an
auspicious time an hour when the lady OF ma
teralzing tendencies had been rendered happy
by good, square worldly meal.
The first interview was q failure; the sup
posed Katie protested she did not believe in
spiritua' a'ism;' declared that she had seen the
manifestations at Holmes but once, and so far
as she knew they were all right These
assertions, however, die not satisfy the earnest
seeker after truth, and various schemes, de-
vices, plans and promises were resorted 70 IN
hope of discovering some of the many pres
ents that had been made to Katie. Through
patience, perseverance and certain considera.
tions one present was produced. This salts
fed the gentleman that he was in the right
place. More patience, perseverance and prom
ises, and out dropped another, and so On until
a small table was covered with rings, lockets,
crosses, beads and robes worn in the different
spheres from which Katie had kindly de-
scended to visit mortals at so much per cap
ita. -...f ..I. ..
The object of the gentleman's effrot was to
so narrow down the evidences of fraud that he
might be able to knock the bottom out Of the
humbug at blow, and here was his object at
tanned. Here was not only the veritabe Katie
weeping, acknowledging her duplicity, but pro-
ducing material evidences of it n the shape
of all those little tokens of regard which she
had been fondly believed to have borne of In
her spirit shape to her abode in the other
spear, as most of the affected term it.. The
presentation of these could not possibly fail to
convince thes persons who bad given them to
the spiritual Katie that the latter had place
of deposit on this planet for her valuables. so
that course was determined upon.
All who are acquainted with Robert Dale
Owen and DIR. Henry L. Child, Of this city, will
not hesitate to say that they are honest, up
right truthful men, but, like the rest of hu-
manity, they were liable to be deceived. The
party who had made the discovery, consulted
these gentlemen, showing them the presents
which Katie had kindly loaned him. They,
having been identified with the manifestations
from the first, were considered, when the fraud
was discovered, the proper parties to denounce
them.
the part of those who had hitherto endorsed
the manifestations, that the 'materialization'
process was most barefaced humbug, the gen.
tie man improvsed a sedlce. Procuring SUIT
able apartment, 10 Wnlcn ne lnViteu nuiooe,
of Katie's friends, the gegtleman prearranged
with the lady, who now acquiesced in his sug-
gestions for her appearance, dressed in the
gauzy fabrics and other trappings she used to
disport herself in at Holmes shows. She did
so, sort of cabinet being hastily improvised,
and the exposure was rendered complete be-
yond chance of cavil or dispute. As result
there are few spiritualists who are better and
wiser men and women, and, as a still better re-
suit, a check was administered to a most dan
gerous excitement, which was beginning TO at.
feet the minds of thousands of superficial
thinkers, as it had already weakened those OF
many men and women who believed all too
willingly in the trickery of designing, greedy
New Workers, of the true Yankee stripe.
Tho woman who personated Katie King has
already returned, as far as. possible, all the
presents she received to those who gave them
die. and if all the facts in the case could be
made public she would be freely forgiven by
those who were duped BY b er aid.