Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-07-23
MEDIUMISTIC.
Mr., samuel WatsOn's Justification
of the Arhans Medium.
To the Editor Of the Ledger.

To the Editor Of the Ledger;
A friend has Just called my attention
to the following from your issue of last
Thursday:
MRS. Miller, of Arkansas, who dis
played curious mediumistic powers in
Memphis, and whose tricks were ex-
posed by two well known Memphians, 10
astonishing the Chicagoans.
Having written notice of what oc-
Cured when / visited Mrs. Miller, for
the Appeal some months since, | feel
myself indirectly implicated by the par
agraph quoted. You say Mrs Miller's
tricks were exposed by two well known
Memphians." understand this matter.
You have been misled, and have misled
your readers in regard to it. Neither of
these well known Memphians" wrote
the article yeu published in the LEDGER.
1t was written by one who has fondness
for writing upon this aud other subjects
for the Memphis papers. The writer
Miller, but was very anxious to see them,
as he expressed himself in letter ad-
dressed to me, to see her and arrange
for him and few friends to witness
those manifestations which occur in her
presence. When called to see Mr..
and Mrs. Miller for him, the former re-
piled that he had no objections to any
one coming to see them, but the author
of the article you published had misrep-
resented the facts, and that he feared
the Indian would hurt him if he came
there. This was the only reason assign
ed for declining the proposition. He was
not only willing, but anxious for the
other gentlemen to come, and would at
ford them every facility for detecting
and exposing the manifestations. As for
Mrs. Miller being trickster, you declare
what hundreds of the hest citizens
of Memphis know to be injustice to her.
| think she is as incapable of imposture
as any medium ever saw. There are
many of the most intelligent people of
the country who have visited Mrs Mil
Ter who will testify that the most re-
markable phenomena they have ever
witnessed occur at her seances. Among
these have been editors who have pub
lished accounts Of what they have seen,
heard and felt of the most astounding
character. You, however, pronounce
her a humbug upon the authority OF
those who have not the manly indepeRd-
ence to put their names to what they
have written about her, while they are
deprived of reply to the slanderoas ar
ticle, unless they pay for it as an adver-
tisement. She is poor, illiterate and
from Arkansas" and had not the
.meaps 70 pay for her defense. think,
Mr.. Editor, that you have done an inno-
cent woman an injustice that your gal
lantry will cheerfully correct, as jour
nalist who desires facts mot fancies) for
his readers, based upon uHimpeachable
testimony.
/ am rejoiced to know that the press
of this country, including our city pa
pers, are looking at this subject from a
very different standpoint from what they
have done; also that the first scientific
men of Europe and America, after having
devoted years to the investigation of the
subject of spiritualism at their own
houses, under the strictest test condi-
tions, with every facility offered them
for critical investigation, have published
their reports in their scientific periodi-
calls, and they affirm that the phenomena
are as well established as any fact in
science of which the senses are
capable of judging. Those who
keep posted know this to be the truth.
The Religia Philosophical Journal of
Chicago has given Mrs. Miller three edi-
torial notices, and says she is the most
medium he has ever seen.
The political papers bear the same testi-
mony to her mediumship and her hon
esty at Chicago and other places. |
was present when some gentlemen from
Mississippi after witnessing her mani
festations, offered her one hundred dol
lars per week, or five hundred dollars
per month and her travelling expenses,
payable in advance for a year, to go
with them. Though in extreme poverty,
they declined the proposition. They
did not think her a trickster, nor will
you, Mr. Editor, if you will go and see
her when she returns to the city.
/ will be much obliged to you ii you
will give this an insertion in your paper
with any reply you may see proper to
make. / am yours, faithfully,
SAM'L WATSON.
July 20, 1874.
We give valuable space to the above
lengthy reply to a five line local, because
we wish to do justice, knowing that anna
teur newspaper writer's have mott the power
Of boiling down and condensing their
ideas like newspaper men. We do not
believe in Spiritualistic manifestations
or the materializing of spirits, aud al
though present at many seanees, have
never yet seen, heard or felt anything
that was calculated to impress us with
the idea that spirits had anything to do
with the manifestations. Should Mrs.
Miller return, our Ledger Liner will, if
visit her and note these So
called wonderful manifestations where
the big Injun cuts so prominent
figure, and he will nothing extenuate
nor aught set down in malice in his
report of the mysteries of the darkened
chamber. The article referred to by
Mr.. Watson was an expose OF Mrs. Mil
10 seances published in the LEDGER