Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-08-15
KATIE KING IN AMERICA.

8 caiieu itself Nate klng, and whlc
had the. appearance of a beautift
| young woman, dressed in white muslin
J This ghost appeared in connection wit
| a medium named Florence Cook, an
the manifestations took place in Pro
Crookes' 8 own house in London, unde
circumstances which seemed to pre-
elude all attempts of fraud. Towar
the latter end of May last Kate King
!, announced that she should appear n
more, as she was about to move I
} higher spheres. /" 1t is somewha
fiatterlng to our national vanity tina
the said higher spheres" turn out Il
be America; as Katie King" has re
Gently appeared in Philadelphia, witt
Mr.. and Mrs. Holmes, two spiritual
lists, who have long been known as me
diums. A correspondent of the Times
writing from Philadelphia, gives th'
following account of his experience
at one of these seances: The houss
is an old-fashioned three-story brick
occupied, as to its frstfoor, by music
store, and as to the rest of it by the
Holmes family and the spirits. The
seances are held in the second story
front room, an ordinary department
perhaps eighteen feet wide by sixteen
feet deep, with two windows looking
out on Ninth street, and with nothing
uncanny about it except the cabinet,
which is made by stretching a dark
partition across one corner, thus cut
ting off triangular space The par
tition reaches to the ceiling, and con-
tains small door, with threshold
about six inches high. Over the door
and about seven feet from the floor is
small pentagonal opening, while
another of similar shape but larger
size is about foot lower on the right.
This is the aperture In which Katie
usually appears. 1t is about foot in
greatest width and hight. The cabinet
is hung with loose, dark curtains. and
door at one side, leading to a back
room, is boarded over in manner ap-
parently secure. The audience sit in
semicircles facing the cabinet, the in
ner circle being composed of the most
faithful spiritualists. On one end of
this row sits the principal medium,
Mrs. Holmes, her husband sometimes
taking chair at the other end, some
times entering the cabinet and going
into 'mesmeric sleep When your
correspondent was present both medi-
ums remained in full view of the au-
dience during the entire performance.
They did not go into trance, but sat
tanning themselves, and laughed and
joked like ordinary mortals. One
window was closed and darkened, and
the other remained open. The door
was locked and the room dimly illum-
mated by coal-oil lamp with a red
shade which threw upon the scene that
roseate tinge so much affected in the
spectacular drama. The company be-
ing seated, without joining hands, the
spirits were invoked through the gen
cy of small music box; and when
this did not seem to fetch 'em the au-
dience sang some familiar melody.
After short overture conducted in
this way Katie appears at the little
window above mentioned. She usual
ly begins by thrusting out a white and
shapely arm, speedily followed by a
pretty face, framed in mass of black
ringlets and set off by jaunty Spanish
veil, which lies lightly on her head.
There is profound silence until she
says in a ghostly whisper, Good even
ing. The salutatlon Is scourteouslyre-
tanned, and then ensues brisk dialogue
of the smallest kind of small talk, in
terrupted by frequent disappearances
and reappearances on the part of the
young lady. The tenor of this import
ant communication from the land of
the hereafter Is shout as follows:
Good evening, Katie"
Good evening"
Are you alone this EVENING""
mo. Father is here, and General
Rawlins but they can't materialize to-
night"
Katie, Mr.. Owen (Robert Dale
Owen is here: Don't you want to
speak to him?"
Why, of course, stupid Good
evening, Father Owen"
Mr.. Owen bows, and says, "Will you
have this bouquet, Katie ?"
"Of course 1 will, says Katie, and
reaches her hand for it. 1t is given
her and she disappears with it, but
presently returns and gives it to some
body to hold for her.
Katie, can you come out for us to-
night?"
I'm try; but it's very warm and
very hard to materialize."
Katie accordingly disappears, and
the singing is resumed. Presently the
door of the cabinet opens slowly. l
sat directly opposite the opening, but
could see nothing until it was we'll ajar;s
then a white figure seemed to grow out
of the darkness within, and Katie
stepped forward gracefully, took two or
three steps into the room and retired,
closing the door afterhe by lifting her
hand TO the latch. She was dressed
in a somewhat theatrical costume of
pure white, which flowed to the feet
and seemed to be of fine kind of
muslin. The sleeves were loose and
flowing, and as she waved her hands
in the stereOtyped style of the stage
sylph the sleeves fell away to the
shoulder, displaying pair of perfect
arms which might well arouse the en-
Wy of any earthly belle. Her figure
was full and round, and her face was
beautiful in outline and expression
with a complexion 50 clear and trans
parent that it either seemed to, or ac-
tually did, shine with mild radiance.
In her hand she held fresh bouquet,
and dagger-fan given her at some
former seance was stuck in her girdle,
while on her neck sparkled silver
cross, also present, suspended from
what was said to be a necklace of
diamonds. She came and went several
times, touching with her hand num-
Der of the audience-amoBg them your
correspondent. Itwas the soft, gentle,
magnetic touch of a woman; but the
hand that gave it was cool and dry,
notwithstanding the furnace-like heat
of that closed cabinet. She reclaimed
her bouquet. kissed a young lady who
was one of her dearest followers, and
ON one occasion seated herself, with
much apparent difficulty, and remained
for some moments in full view of the
audience. But the most wonderful
part was yet to come. Katie, said
Mrs. Holmes, can you disappear with
the door open tonight? I'll try,
sa d Katie; and presently she came
again, and while the door stood wide
open she gradually faded away. SEEM
ing to retire slowly into the depths of q
space only just large enough to hold
her at the first. The bouquets, and
all other material substances about
her, disappeared at the same time, and
when nothing was left but the hem of
her white dress shimmering on the
floor, she came again, seeming to gather
herself from thin air, and to grow,