Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-12-26
EVENING STAR.
DOUBLE SHEET.
KATIE KING ''
KATIE KING"
Another Explanation of the Great
Fraud-W mo- Katie Was and How sne
Cabinet Was Arranged.


Cabinet WAS Arranged.
Ths Philadelphia Press contains a fun de-
scription of the Katie King fraud, from which
We make the following extracts:
THAT Katie King as prese ated for the last
year 1T the Holmes seSnces in this city was a be-
log OF flesh and blood, has been sscertAined be-
Jond doubt but who she was how she was SCI
cret6d in the houses, afterwar introd ced into
the cabinet, and go assisted as to leave it with
out peibg DETECTED, hiss as yet been more or less
mystery. Katie King or rather the young
woman who persOnsted Ter, is q sidos with a
ctlid sud mother &c pending upon her for sup
port. Mr.. ana Mrs. Nelson Holmes became ac-
quatnted with her az q boarding house where
they lived for some weeks subsequent t. their
19yeht In PhilsdelphIs. About the tims the
Ninth street, Katie King (tOr reasons here
matter 10 be stated viii not pu bIish her
namel became un able to pay her bosrd, ana was
hlaiy reduced 10 such an extremity ID At she
Vas absolutely pennileSs aud almost without
clothing. Finding that this was the case hnr
noss SOFA what lew effects she had left and
turned the woman into the street In this CON
citizen she was promised assistance by Mr. ana
AIRS Holmes provided she would enact the part
OF Ins'eTiSuzed spirit ia their cabinet ssances
ALLhousn the pTSposin0R va reFCitiHg, she WAS
forced To accept IL or sea her cnild aud mother
suder from hunger. The cabinst, which had
been placed IA one corner OF the secaai-s:ory
front room, VITA one side against q door which
opened into bedch amber, Wa sssily ARRANGED
80 ~ TO admit OF inSress from the bedroom. me
20 tus were ali fastened vita screws and hat
us we're placed outside aud inside .Sout w
Iett rom the floor. It Was an easy matter IN
baAt Obt one OF the boards. and ffTt IN IL
place duplicate 80 Gtvidci At the battius thst
The point Ot junCture could not he sen ia.
upper P3tt OF this board was firmly secured bnf
the lower portion was loosely fs.f,rat vyit1 -,
screws while he other screw hes = we're DUN
mics. When 1t was thought a Strict exaufna-
tlOn OF the cabinet would b. made tbs decided
90 ~ e9a1a DC taken out, AMI tue original put
when the Katie King sesnces Grst began tho
gentleman who afterwards become 70 promt-
hentiY connected with them, Dr. Child oi tbis
city, was PERMITTED TO examine evsry uook al
corner IN the house. As he was tor A time very
sCcpilcai GA the quesiO "A OF N aerialzat alton the
Investigations were very thoroughly csn1lstal
Tie visitors would then b. aDErsg .t-t in ina
mont room VITA the cabinet, and the door v,,,ii
DC Locked. 'hAue hlng would soon after enter
the mouse nom the street, III axe her WY to The
bedroom. assume her white dress ami win a
small screw-drIveT take of the lower nortion OF
the DIVIDED board. These Preparations could
not he heard on account OF the singing and
music Boa noise, which was continuity kent
up. To enter the cabinet WAS then an easy task
TOT KATIE and with 4 stool she could reach the
rather high aperture. The disappearing AMI re.
appearing part OF the phenomenon was accom-
plshed by gradually lowering blsck Goth over
herself, ana at the same time crJugh.uy hack
mo the corner. The semiGarkness o. the room.
combined with the comp ete blackness OF the in
side at the cabinet, m4de this seeming inpossi-
bic teat very simple. The deviation IN sRifesta-
ton, or the SUSPENSION OF her body ia the air.
WAs done by means OF the stool, covered with
HAck cloth. As il was impossible 10 distinguish
ally color but white within the cabinet the 81 ,Di
was, Of course, invisible, and by stepDiag unon
II very deliberately, and gradually raising her
self, the young lady was ena bied To present the
Appearance OF being lifted from aud sus pended
above the hoOr: At the close OF the seSncs there
was always delay OF abOut ten minutes Ia
tween the time o. the last apes rAnce orthe al
legt0 spirit and the knocks, which signifed
That no more were coming. ID airing this ime
Katie would slip JhrOu sh the hole Ia the csbi-
net, screw on the oosened board. and make her
escape. HAD The cabinet been taken apart At
such time the trick would have been ilsco7-
cred"
The writer then explains how OK atie" on one
occasion was enabled 20 escape from tba roo n
by ending the performances with a Ozark
.esnce, "hen the usual trap Was not arranged,
and continues
leading from the front room into the hail was al
Msys locked. As this created much SUSPICION
The mediums finally consented to have it remain
open uhtit the manifestations first appeared.
L Dder such circumstances It became necessary
u make a change in the manner OF keeping
Katie out of sight. The bolster on the bed
was, therefore, SO arranged that katie could
creep into 1t, Snd in thls she hid herself before
tho seanee AMI sitter It was concluded. The
tSdrCoIn was many times examined after the
change, ana the bed was also inspected, but no
ore ever thought of looking into the bolster 10
fHd out what It was stuffed with.
In the second story front room Of the house
g. 30 North Tenth street, the cabinet was
paced in such position that it stood about
eighteen inches from q bOaTded-uD window. As
already described, this window was arranged in
such a way that with the sash taken out there
y IS room for q person 70 stand bet 9ssu the
bOsTcs on the inside and the shutters on the
outside. One OF the boards WAS apparently
fastened by screws, but they were only DUN
n-Ies.' In reality it swung on piTots, and wa
he'd IN its pace by 8stout button on the inside
A board IN the back OF the cabinet was simiI Ar
~ arranged. Before the seances began Katie
Ming took her position iii the window and fast
eIISG b6rseIfi in. The space between the cabinet
alhi the wall was then concealed by door
which sc first glance appeared as part of the
cabinet, table covered with musical instrQ-
BitHts W&s showed up against IL, and the guests
who were always received in a downstairs
room, were invited 10 ascend. A dark ssaucs
always opened the entertainment daring which
Katie would descend from her perch, aud max
iTg her way TITO the cabinet, take a position In
tie corner, where she could not be aeen when
the cabinet door was opened. MIR. Holmes
would then enter the cabinet, and bet vesn the
two the usual manifestations were produced.
The numerous faces shown were nothing but
rubber masks, so made that they could be blown
duce different appearances. Mr. Holmes could
conceal half dozen such faces in his inside
pocket
"Both Robert Dale Owen and DR. Child tsel
deeply Inundated at having been SO deceived
aud, more than that, lending their influence to
tie support OF what lie now proved to have been
a trick. and arc doing all in their power to uad0
al least part of the harm. The doctor has
bought nom the publishers of his BOX on John
and Katie King every volume on hand, some
S.VG worth, and las ordered It's publication to
be discontinued.
THE BRAZIL MARRIAGs-A Someut1t Yirs9
CommeRtaTy.-A letter from Dismentia, Brazil,
South America, to the New Albany journal,
gives y glowing account of the marriage of
George Arthur ThrockmortOn, OF New ALBANY
20 the daughter or a wealthy painter OF South