, 1874-12-25

The recent exposure Of the KATIE KING
swindlo seems to havo been the signal for
general breaking mp Of tho tricks md iugg1or-
les Of the mediums. It las not bocn Diff
cult task, rs the really export swindlers lavo
gone out of the business and dropped out of
public notice. HoME, who astonished all
Europe with his trickery, and enriched him.
self with costly presents from noble and even
royal dupos, is heard Of no longer The
DAVENPORT brothers, with their rope-tying
tents, have Disappeared. The cabinet and
clothos-1ine style Of Spiritualsu1, which
had great run in its lny, is rs
dead as last years salt herring.
Then oalne tho spirit-p photograph business,
by Which any nunber Of aunts, uncles and
cousins, in ga,,zy robes aud luminous sur-
roundings, lowering nbout the sitter in fau-
tastio shapes, could DO produced OF 60 much
per cnpita, to suit the customers purse.
When it WINS discovered, however, that Ill tho
spirit photographers were mediums, and that
no other photographer. however s1illful he
might be, could get m impression Of the
family dead-ana-gones, this humbug was OK.
ploded. Now comes another icouoelast, who
has been deeply interested in spiritual
sonnces, mud has followed them up
ii.dustriously, and exposes the tricks of tho
business in the Now York Herald, some en-
trsots from which VIC print elsewhere. Uo
chose tho three most famous mediums, MASs-
FIELD, FosrEn, and S1ADE, who aro well
known throughout the country, having trav-
elcl extensively aud ealtrappcd victims oil
k1,o :&nI utn 4
speeialty Of answering questions written up
on piece Of paper, subsequently folded by
the writer. This trick is such m old one,
and has been 30 many times exposed,
that it seems we'll nigh incredible there
is any ono left to DO deceived by it.
There nre two ways Of doing this. Firat,
tho medium provides his own paper,
which Is so very thin that the writing shows
through, or, BY sleight Of hand, another pioce
Of paper folded in the same manner is sub
stitutod for it, while the original pioco re-
mains open, out of sight, on the mediums
knoo. This gontloman's next visit was 10
FOSTER, who performs the papor-trlcl III tho
same manner In addition to this trick, Mr..
Fos7En produces the answers to questions ii
raised letters upon Ills arm, which is douo by
running sharp thunlb-nail over tho arm
md then rubbing 1t Emoothly, Which causes
tic writing to appear in rcd ridges. sLApE'e
slate writings, which is common trick Mt
the sennces, is explained by tho substitution
of ono slate for another, and Ills matoriAlize-
tiona are performed precisely rs KATIE K1ia's
woro. In addition to these performances, Il
young n,nn in Boston, who las mado study
of these illusions in attending tho seances Of
Mrs. HANDY, q woll-lnown medium Of TINT
city, recently gave performancc Of them at
his own house in Mrs. HAnDY's presence, at
which Ae went through with all tic dark cir
clio manifestations "under tho ga:~light," 80
TINT Ill present could sec how they were done.
One Of tho strongest proofs Of the articles
] employed BY the mediums and the ,naterallz-
Gre is the fact TINT the n,agiclans like HAErz
and HEI1En aro not only doing nil TINT thu
former DO, but oven moro wonderful things,
| with their legortlemain. In fact, nothing TINT
these mediums layo ever accomplished equals
III wonderful skill tho feat Of HELLER in
rubbing two rabbits Into one, without any
accesaorios Of any sort, and before your very
eyes. In tho light Of such revelations aa
| these, 1t dooa noL seem po65lplo tAhl Hhy ono
can bo loft gulliblo enough to bo takon In by
them and yot aoancos Of this doscrlp-
| tion aro matters c5 daily and nightly
occurrence In Jnioago nnd all over
tho country, and there a,o still
lott men making pretensiona to soiontiao
knowledge and general culture who arc roady
| to swallow tho performances Of these modiun.a
md accept them as unaccountablo, IL not as
genuine spiritual manifestations. Such tcstI.
mouy ought to bs sufficient to sink the wholo
buslness Of spirltualiam out OF slght foreVor,
and Induce lts Victims loroafter to give their