The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-12-22
PLAYING GHOST.
The Mysterious Naturalization
of Katie King" in Phila-
delphia.
II Was One Of the Most Successful
Humbugs Of the Age.
An Amateur Detective Pursues the
Imp0stOr to Her Lair.
And a Woman's Vanity Makes
Plain the Trick that Puz-
zled the Swans.
Especial Telegram to Chicago Times !

Especial Telegram to Chicago Times
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. lS.-A gentleman
Of this city, persuaded in his own mind
that the GENERALIZATION of the spirit of
Katie King. under the auspices of Mr..
and Mrs. Nelson Holmes, was humbug,
and yet without any substantial grounds
to rest such an opinion upon, decided TO
test the matter, and ascertain whether
the revived London beauty was not in
facta Philadelphia beauty. of his own
day and generation. He attended the
seances given by the Holmcscs, at No.
S25 North Tenth street. his firm opinion
decomposition remaining unchanged. al
though bailied for a long time In making
certain demonstrations of that fact. BY
degrees, however, an inkling of the Sc
cret of the whole matter dawned on his
mind. With others he attended, night
after night, 10 see the
BEwITCHISG BEAUTY,
and was surprised, one day. when going
up the street, To see In lady who was
passing along the very prototype of the
enchanting Katie. lie made some
subsequent discoveries. which were
important, viz /: that this prototype
boarded near the residence of the medi-
ums, and what was still more to the
great object he had in view--a reveal ton
of the impOsture-that she attended all
the katy-king seanccs given 10y the
Holmescs. BY what, In police slang is
called
'PIPING OFF,"
he found that she entered the residence of
the HOlmeses prior to the seanccs; that
she came ont after they were over. and,
s' aa2ce' WSh WINS he Invariably assembled
"A uitnnss fhn IA af tnn nhannninnnn
As the
''MATERIALIzATION,"
night after night, went on, our gentle
man detective discovered perfect identity
OF form and feature between Katie and
the fair boardcr OF "A few squares OIL
Finally. after much patient pcrsevering.
this gentleman secured an Introduction TO
| the lady In question. Without declaring
his purpose, In conversation with her, he
| ascertained from her lips that she had wit
""Ssed the manifestations, and that, IA far
rs she knc~, the naturalization was D.
n. inns was not enough for the detec-
tive, thirsting after fuller Intelligence.
and he proposed, one night, that both
should go In company Ia the scance and
witness the appearance of the London
Hebe; but To this the lady positively dis
sented. subsequently, at another inter-
view, she inadvertently produced a num-
Der of
PIECES OF JEwELRY,
which had been given, under the gentle
mans own observation, to the material
lied Katie King by number of enthusi-
astic attendants at the seances. This was
another piece of circur stantial evidence
of the most positive nature. The gentle
mans laudable efforts To knock the bot
tom out of the swindle resulted later. in
a full exhibition of the trinkcts which had
been given 10 Katie King some by him
sclf,-and which were now spread out to
his admiring view by the lady whose ac-
quaintance he had so fortunately made
Then came the declaration, which he one
day made 10 her, that she and none other
was the being who, In the dress of ga,lze,
and In the subdued light of the chamber,
had
EMERGED FROM THE CABINET,
before the astonished lookers-on as the
naturalization of Katie King At first
she denied the soft impeachment; but
subsequently, with tears, admitted that
she and Katie were
ONE AND THE SAME.
On this denouemcnt, the gentleman
who effected II consulted with Robert
Dale Owen and DIR. Child, and they im-
mediately published the cards withdraw
Ing the Endorsement of the materializa-
ton. which they had given To the
Holmeses. In order to make assurance
doubly sure. the gentleman
IMPROyIsED A sEAScE,
at which the lady agreed TO act. Suita-
BILE apartments were procured cabinet
MAS hurricdly arranged. an audience in
siied, aud the Katie King seance was done
I" Perfection All the presents ghen 10