The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-12-13
CONGRATULATIONS
sennce Of Mrs. Hardy-A Waxen Hand
Appears-A Mystery.

An intelligent audience filled Arcana Hall
Spiritualistic mystery called naturalization.
Before the seance, Mr., Hardy gave an account
of the development of Mrs. Hardy's power as a
materalizng medium and showed a number
of moulds of hands, etc., claimed to have been
made by invisible spirits. At the conclusion
ofIhis remarks DR.. Foster and several journal
lists present were asked to act as committee
to examine the apparatus, weigh the materials
and watch the operations generally. On the
platform there was sort of table cover upon
two horses about two feet high. In the confer
Of this board or cover there was an aperture
which would measure eight inches across it
both ways. Over the whole was thrown thin
cloth covering which extended to the floor all
around. This was carefully examined and
raised so that the audience could see it.
The cast of the hand is made in paraffine
1t is claimed that it is done by spirit hand or
at least by an invisible one. The parafine is
melted and kept in melted state by being
poured into a vessel of hot water. The mate
rial was brought in in an ordinary water pail
1t was weighed. At the center Of the surface
there appeared a small bunch of material a
little less clear than the rest. Mrs. Hardy
took her place in chair behind the table and
on one side were two ladies and on the other
one The members of the committee had
seats on either side next to the ladies. The
pail of material was next placed under the
center of the table. A coat folded upon which
the "invisable" might deposit a copy of his
hand twas also placed near the pail. The
curtain was then dropped. All of the ladies
had their hands on the table. The gas was
turned down, but not so low but that every
thing in the hall could be distinctly seen. Mrs.
Hardy conversed with those about her from
time to time. At last the "spirits" raped to
inform the singers that q little music would be
in order. Mrs. Hardy said that the conditions
were all right and soon told those at the table
that the spirit was at work. She and others
said that they heard the movement of hand
in the fluid in the pail. The PRESS reporter
could only distinguish little noise. At the
end of twenty-five minutes, Mrs. Hardy was
informed that the spirit Cher title, not ours)
had done his work and the committee was d.
rected to raise the curtain and see what had
been done. A gentleman sitting near the front
seat informed US that swhen DR.. Foster first
lifted the curtain he and another saw the hand
slipped upon the coat. When, however, we
looked under the table the waxen form Of a
mans hand was there, on the side of the coat
next to the audience. The form was very
good one-not perfect. 1t was cast hollow as if
the hand had been slipped out after the work
was done. Before being placed under the
table, the material weighed Is lbs or. On
being taken out it weighed II LBS. 14a o.,
showing loss of 81 ounces while under the
table. The hand weighed 81 ounces.
DIR. Foster being called upon, said that there
appeared to be no trickery. There was moth
ing but paraffine and water in the pail SO far as
he could see and the coat was his
and was placed there by himself He could
not explain it, but thought the time would
come when it could be made plain. He thought
that greater mysteries had been explained. AT
any rate he was not prepared to pronounce ii
the work of the spirits of the dead.
When this was over the ladies and commit.
tee resumed their places about the table and
placed their hands upon it for the purpose Of
seeing if any hand would appear through the
opening in the table. Very soon two fingers Of
large dark colored hand appeared for an in.
slant and disappeared Next all of the fin
gers appeared in sight. This was repeated sew
eral times. The fingers were about the size of
those OF thu parafine cast. The hand which
appeared. Mrs. Hardy said, was that of an In
dian. If it was not it was too dirty to appear
long in public, and it was no wonder that he
withdrew quickly.
Was there any chance for fraud? Mrs.
Hardy's feet were not under the table, and if
they were it would not have been possible for
her to have placed that cast on the coat on the
other side of the pail from her without being
detected. The appearance of the hand through
the opening in the table cover was quite as
mysterious as the naturalization. Was it any
body's hand, dead or alive, or were we all I'M
der the influence of a psychologist as some one