Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-12-11
SECOND EDITION.
The Sunday Seance.

INTERFERENCE OF THE MAYOR TO PREVENT IT
LETTER TO THE MASONIC HALL co.
Mayor Whiteley has addressed the letter which
we print below to Geo. G. Lobdell as President
OF the Masonic Hall Co., to break up the seance
advertised for tomorrow evening. A number
of gentlemen representing several of the city
churches, and several ladies' independent of
these, waited upon the Mayor to request this ac-
ton, but he had previously determined to pre-
vent the opening of the Hall for this purpose, and
expressed his thanks for the support which WAS
given him in what he conceived to be the dis
charge of his duty. The Mayor also requests us
to say that the seance cannot go on during the
week unless the managers will first take out a
Juggler's license. We may add here that at
least one prominent spirituast in the city re-
pudiates the affair, and its exhibition here has
no connection with the Spi1itualist society.
The following is Mayor Whiteley's letter
MAYoas OFFICE, Cry HALL
WILMINGTON, Del, Dec. 18th, 1875
To George g. LobdeN, Esq, Pres. Masonic
Hall Co.,
Dear Sir l notice, by handblls upon walls
and advertisements in the daily papers, that the
Opera House is to be open, tomorrow Sunday
evening, for an exhibition Of what is termed
"Spiritualism = and it Is announced that the
"Four best mediums in the world are to appear,
and among other tricks "tablss are TO float in
air" Esprit forms, eight or ten at time, are
As these handbis and advertisements are
unsigned nor are the names Of the actors given,
1 cannot notify them, as I now do you, that it is
against the law to have exhibitions of Jug
glery, or sleight of hand on Sundays :
but any exhibition of such kind as this is so
repugnant to the moral religious and common
sense of the community, that think it is moro
imperatiyely my duty to suppress it, than If it
were q common breach of the Sunday law; and
that if the doors of the Opera House are opened
tomorrow night for such an exhibition, shat
close them, arrest the actors and enter complaint
against the Directors of the Masonic Hall Com
pany for violation of the Sunday law.
Very Respectfully your Obedient Servant,
WILLIAM G. WHITLEY, Mayor.
THE ENaA CEMENT CANCELLED.
At noon the above letter had not been received
by Mr.. Lobdell, ,and we are informed that he WAS
not the slightest connection with the leasing of
the Opera House, and Director informed
COMMERCIAL reporter that he had serious doubts
as to whether Mr.. Lobdell ever knew that the
engagement had been made. This business is
left entirely to the agent aud committee of the
Board of Directors. They claim to be,
and no doubt are, entirely ignorant of
any infraction of the Sunday law. They FAY
that one of the managers of the tseance"
made application for the hall for a, re-
ligious lecture on Spiritualism, and the
engagement was made with the
consent of the chairman of the committee in
charge of this duty, who at the time did not
suppose for an instant that the entertainment
was to be of the character advertised When the
matter was brought to the knowledge Of this gen.
tleman he at once in company with the Mayor
went to the Opera House and directed the Agent
to cancel the engagement. Thus the matter
atqnds