The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-12-29


presented a diagram of the apartment
In which the seances are held; and
the notes readily explain all that
Is necessary TO be known in re-
gard to the arrangements Of a cir
Gle. IL Is not little extraordinarv that of
the numerous reporters who have visited
these mediums there is not one who has told
us that there is almost invariably a dark
seance before the light one; and nobody
seems to have suspected that 1t is under
cover OF the darkness, and screened from
observation by the tremendous noise which
is being made by the musical instruments,
that Katie King enters the room and man.
ages 70 make her way into the cabinet. The
important question then occurs: Where
does she come from? Some keen observers,
including among them DIR, Miller. of the
Bath Hotel In West Twenty-sixth street.
who were in Philadelphia last week, hav-
ing visited the Holmeses and seen the
manifestations, were of opinion
that the girl entered by the door ID.
and then passing behind Mrs Holmes. who
invariably sits in the chair, had crept under
the table and so got into the cabinet. Of
course when once the girl was inside it was
easy to begin the so-called "materialjza-
tions," and the appearance of the we'll
known wax-like faces could be accounted
for by supposing that the girl brought a
supply OF these masks with her. The ode
materialization,n too, ofiyory crosses, flow
ers, hair chains. ETC., as mentioned bv Mr.
Owen, could also be accounted for by sup
posing that the girl carried them off with
her TO her place Of concealment when the
seances were over. This explanation
! seemed very satisfactory one, as il re
moved all mystery from the case, while it
liked upon the Holmeses all the odium of
gross imposture. However night or
two after, one of the gentlemen of the
party, after careful examination of the
window, became convinced that this was
the
HIDING-PLAcE OF THE GIRL
who personated Katie King. The window
recess is of about the usual depth of twelve
inches; but as there are few girls who could
be compressed within such a space as this.
the depth is artfully enlarged by battens at
the sides, so that the boards which are fixed
from the top to the bottom of the window,
form aspace eighteen inches deep. The girl
Is concealed in this space the boards being
apparently nailed and screwed with great
hrmness. But when the dark circle with its
accompanying noise begins it is easy to
remove one OF the boards within the space
gain access to the room- and moving
round in front of the circle, enter the cabinet
In readiness for the light circle sesnces. Fol-
lowing up the discovery the gentleman
opened jack-kni1e and passed the blade
down between the boards and apparently
so alarmed the girl concealed within that she
refused 10 appear in the light seance that
evening, and another girl had to be substi-
futed for her. The visitors remarked the
change, but Mrs. Holmes stoutly denied
that there had been any, and declared that
IL was the genuine and original Katie King
DR.. Chllds, however, subsequently informed
DIR. Miller that he, too, had discovered the
fraud, that this was the method by which
the imposture was carried out, and he de-
clared that he renowned all connection with
the Holmeses. In our diagram the boarded
window isshown in the upper left hand COR
ner of the picture, the dot between the two
lines representing the position in which the
girl Is supposed TO stand while in conceal
ment.
WASTING GAS.
Another gentleman, well known in lite
rary and art circles, visited the Daily Graphic
Office yesterday morning and gave his i'm
pressions in regard to the Holmes nantes
tation. He says that originally he. was
strongly inclined to ridicule and despise the
tricks OF mediums; but the letters of DIR.
Wallace and Prof. Crooks, published in the
early part OF the present year, led him to
alter his opinion, and to conceive that there |
really might be some remarkable truths |
in spiritualism after all. He went
to the seances at the Holmeses,
therefore, in perfectly fair and candid
frame of mind, and prepared to give exactly
such weight to the phenomena as they APP
pear to deserve. He attended five sittings,
and at the end of them he came to the con-
clusion that the whole thing was clumsy
fraud and imposture. He is precisely of the
opinion of DIR. Miller, that the sham "Katie
King" is concealed behind the boards of the
window. This window screen is formed of
three large wide walnut boards, reaching from
the floor to the ceiling. If they were merely
required to block up the window, it would
have been much more reasonable to nail
boards upon the sash frame ITSELF On the
nr1f- ~ hnx fla -la l. -
out beyond the window casing, so that there
is recess behind them of eighteen
or twenty inches. On one occasion,
after Mrs. Holmes had ostentatiously
locked the door and the dark seance
had begun, he distinctly saw long line of
light in the doorway, which Immediately
disappeared. What is that?" said Holmes,
who was sitting outside the cabinet. "Oh,"
replied Mrs. Holmes, lit is that new servant
OF ours who has forgotten to turn down the
gas in the hall below. Wasting so much
gas" Thereupon she opened the door
down. The manifestation were ex-
ceedingly poor that evening. And,
indeed, our informant says that
altogether the manifestations were trumpery
affairs. The heads would be popped up in
front of the curtain in The most awkward
positions, and would he righted after they
were up. They had no appearance of
humanity about. them, but looked like wax
masks. During none of the five sittings at
which he was present did Katie King come
out OF the cabinet and he thinks that Mr..
Ovens account of her materializations is
grossly exaggerated. Mr.. Owens, he says is
so old and senile, and withal so infatuated
with the subject of spiritualism, that all
his narratives on the subject are absolutely
value less.
ROBERT OWEN VS.. KATIE KING.
DRn
HALLUCINATIoNs AS TO THE MEDIUM OF
MATERIALIZATIoNS-TH GENUINE KATIE
a BOARDING HOUSE ATTACHE.
Apropos OF the recent exposure of the
Katie King Manifestations in Philadelphia
the Cincinnati Commercial gives the fol-
lowing running commentary on the late