Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-12-31
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Katie H ng :.

FULL EXPOSURE OF THE GREAT FL
How THE THING WAS DONE. -
The Philadelphia Press coutains full
description OF the Katie King fraud, from
whlcn We make the following extracts:
"Ihat Katie Hing ~ presented for
the last year ut the Holmes seances in this
city was bein. ot flesh and blood, has
been ascertained beyond u doubt, but
who she was, how she was secreted In the
houses, afterwards introduced into the
cabinet, and SO assisted as to leave it with.
out mystery. Katie King or rather the
young woman who persOnated her. Is u
widow with child aud mother depend
ing upon her for support. Mr.. aud Mrs
Nelson Holmes became acquainted with
her at boarding house, where they lived
tor some weeks subsequent to their advent
in Philadelphia. About the time the
Holmes took possession of No. 80 North
Ninth street, Katie KING (for reasons
hereinafter to be stated we will not publish
her name) became unable to pay her board,
aud was finally reduced to such an ex-
treinity that she was absolutely penniless
and almost without clothing. Finding
that this was the case. her host sold what
man into the street. In this condition she
was promised assistance by Mr.. and Mrs.
HolmeS provided she would enact the part
OF materialized spirit in their cabinet ST.
ances. Although the proposition was re-
voting, she was forced to accept it or see
her child and mother suffer from hunger.
THE TRICK OF THE CABINET.
The cabinet which had been placed in
| one corner of the second-story front room
with one side against door which opened
into q bedchamOer, was easily arranged so
as TO admit OF egress from the bedroom.
| The boards were all fastened with screws,
and battins were placed outside and inside
about two feet from the floor. 1t was an
easy matter to take out one Of the boards,
and put in its place duplicate so divided
at the battins that the point of jrncture
| could not be seen. The upper part of this
board was firmly secured, but the lower
portion was loosely fastened with two
screws. while the other screw heads were
dummies. When it was thought strict
| examination OF the cabinet would be made,
the divided board could be taken out, and
the original put back in its place.
! 'Wh hen the Katie King seances first be-
| gan the gentleman who afterwards became
50 prominently connected with them, DR..
| Chliu. OF this city, was permitted TO exam
Inc every nook aud corner in the house.
| As he was Tor II time very sceptical on the
| question of naturalization, the iuvestga-
ton were very thoroughly conducted. The
visitors would then be congregated in the
| front room with the cabinet, aud the door
| would be locked. katie King would soon
| after enter the house from the street, make
| her way 10 the bedroom, assume her white
dress, and with small screw-driver take
out the lower portion of the divided board.
| These preparations could not be heard on
| account OF the singing and music-boX
noise, which was continually kept up. 70
! enter the cabinet was then an easy task for
| Katie, and with a stool she could reach the
rather high aperture.
THE MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA.
| The disappearing and reappearlng part
OF the phenomenon was accomplished by
/ gradually lowering u black cloth over her
| self. and at the same time crouching back
| in the corner. The semidarkness of the
room, complete blackness OF the inside of
| the cabinet, made this seeming impossible
feat very simple. The deviation manifes-
| tatou, or the suspension of her body in the
| air, was done by means of stool, covered
with black cloth. AS it was impossible
| to distinguish any color but white within
the cabinet, the stool was, of course. nvisi-
bic, and by stepping upon it very deiber-
ately, and gradually raising herself, the
| Young lady was enabled to present the APP
| pearance of being lifted from and suspend
| ed above the floor. At the close OF the
seances there was always delay of about
ten minutes between the time of the last
appearance of the alleged spirit and the
knocks, which signitied that no more was
| coming. During this time Katie would
slip through the hole in the cabinet, screw
th.t t.xa= "a
| cape. Had the cabinet been taken apart ut
such time the trick would have been dis
| covered.
HIDING PLACE.
The writer then explains how Katie"
on one occasion was enabled to escape
from the room by ending the performance
with dark seance." when the usual trap
was not arranged, and continues:
''lt has been stated that for i time the
door leading from the front room into the
| hall was always locked. AS this created
much suspicion, the mediums finally con-
sentcd to have 1t remain open until the
| manifestation first appeared. Under such
| circumstances it became necessary to
| make change in the manner of keeping
Katie out of sight. The bolster on the
bed was, therefore, SO arranged that
Katie could creep into ii, and in this she
|
was concluded. The bedroom was many
times examined after the change, and the
bed was also inspected, but no one ever
though: Of looking Into the bolster TO flnd
out what it was stuffed with.
The bolster was none of your old-fash.
ioned striped ticking bags, pufed up with
down. but instead wicker cage ingen-
iously constructed and as ngenousy
Overlaid, in which the charming confeder-
ate TO all this spiritualistc tomfoolery
housed herself until she was to issue like
a golden beauty from cocoon.
QUIETING SUSPICION.
Kate King during last summer. when
these seances were being given at No. so
North Ninth street, boarded with Mrs.
Holmes, and was at first suspected by DR..
Child. but on several occasions he was re-
quested by Mrs. Holmes to answer the
violent ringing of the doOr-bell Immediate
ly following the close of the seance. He
always found the suspected lady waiting
very impatiently to be let 10, and she Of
ten complained that, as she boarded with
Mrs. Holmes, that lady had no right to
lock her out. The doctors suspicious
were soon Quieted BY this ruse and the
young lady was seldom afterwards thought
Of.
THE TENTH STREET SEANCES.
In the second-story front room of the
house at S25 North Tenth street, the cabi-
net was placed in such position that il
stood about eighteen inches from board
ed-up window. AS already described,
this window was arranged in such a way
that with the sasn taken out there was
room for q person to stand between the
boards on the inside and the shutters on
| III tssA IF ho do
parently fastened by screws. but they
were only dummies In reality it swung
on pivots, and was held in its place by
stout button on the inside. A board in
the back Of the cabinet, was similarly ar
ranged. Before the seances began Katie
King took her position in the window and
fastened herself In. The space between
the cabinet and the was then concealed
by door, which at first glance appeared
. As part of the cabinet table covered with
/ musical instruments was showed up against
"a .