National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-07
SPIRITUALLSH.
MISS FLORENCE COOKE, THE WONDER
Full LONDON MEDIUM.

MISS FLORENCE COOkE, The WONDER
Full LONDON MEDIUM.
lsIss Mary J. Holmes London Correspondence to
the Mcm his Appeal.
Spir.tuaiism appears to be going through q
critical test now by the scientists Of London.
The medium through which the experiments
are mostly being made Is q young lady of about
eighteen years of age-Miss Florence Cooke.
She Is not public medium, but the manifesto
tions which take place in her presence are OF
such startling character that 1t has been
quite impossible to confne the exhibitions Of
them to her family and friends only. Many
persons Of distinction and celebrity have wit
messed the same at her house. In seeing the
phenomena, the first condition is tying Miss
Cooke nrmly In q cabinet, and sealing the
Anots' There Is then q curtain dropped over
the. door between her and those present, which
OF course, places her in the dark, while those
in the room are in the HIGHT. In short spaes
Of time there comes from the cabinet a female
figure, draped in white, with a white veil fall
ing over the head, but not covering the face.
Tho feet are naked. She walks around the
room, speaking TO all; says her name is Katie
King; allows persons to feel Of her dress and
shake hands with her, which are as tangible to
the touch as any other material thing on earth.
The size and form Of the figure Is much like
the medium, Miss Cooke, which fact raised
many skeptical doubts In the minds Of those
who witnessed the manifestations, thinking &c
might be Miss Cooke, who had freed herself
from her cords and dressed for the play. How
ever, in every instance after Katie had returned
to the cabinet, they had raised the curtain and
found Miss Cooke in a state of trance or uncon-
seiousness, securely tied and sealed as when
they left her. Here was case for Professor
Crookes and Marley to test the physical force
question. Miss Cooke very readily yielded her
sell Tor them to experiment on the phenomena.
will give their experiences as Prof. Crookes
gave them to me: He took Miss Cooke first to
his own house, that he might be sure of all her
surroundings. He then improviseda dark cab
met with curtain door. They placed the
medium inside and securely tied hef. Prof.
Variey then placed gold plate on the inside
of each rist, to which was attached insulated
wires leading out into the room to o very SEN
sitfye electrometer. They tried every motion
of her hands and arms, and the placing of her
arms together to see the different forces Of
electricity produced in the different positions
Prof. Crookes observing her all the time,
while Prof. Marley had his eyes on the cleo
trometer. After thoroughly learning the effect
produced by each movement Of hers, they
placed the curtain before her, leaving her in .
the dark. Soon the figure calling herself Z atIe
made her appearance, the electrometer not
showing the least movement. She said: "Whak
do you want me to do with all these wiresF'
They told her nothing-only to come into the
room and make such motions with her hands
and arms as her medium had DONE Katie at
once threw her hands around in lively man.
ner, which did not effect the currents of cleo
tricity in the slightest degree. Then Katie
asked Prof. Crookes to bring lighted candle
and to hold 1t to her face, and to see If she
looked like Miss Cooke. He tried il, and found
she had fair complexion and light hair, while
Miss Cooke Is quite dark, with dark hair. Prof.
Crookes says that, as far as human tests are
concerned, nothing could be more conclusive
than that there was genuine phenomenon
outside of the conscious aid of the medium.
On the disappearance of Katie into the cab
met they at once raised the curtain and found
Miss Cooke in the same condition as when they
had shut her in, only in an unconscious state,
or trance. More than this, Mrs. Crookes says
she undressed Miss Cooke after she came out
of the cabinet, and there was nothing about
her that could by any possibility have furnish
ed the dr1pery and veil for Katie herself. Mr..
Wallace, be great naturalist, is bringing out an
article in the Fortnigaly Rssis0, recognizing
the facts of spiritualism, and stating corrob-
Grating proof of It's being an unseen intelL-
gence, and is what that intelligence says it is
the spirits Of our departed friends. Sc much
for the labors of someo Of the English scientists.
We may soon expect to see paragraphs in the
scientific journals on pyschic force, together
with mechanical appliances and inventions.