Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-17
WAYS THAT ARE DARK.
OF Psyche, che English Mys-
teEy--A Mediums Trick.

Exposure OF Psyche. d English Mvs.
teEy--A Mediums Trick.
The correspondent Of the Cincinnati
Commercial writes from London: The
mystery of "PsychO" has been discovered.
You may remember that "PsychO7 is the
wonderful autOmariOn exhibite lby Maske-
lyme, the cOujUTO-, which, for a long time,
has been pulling the brain of scientific
men by its accurate playingofwhist. That
"PsychO' was in some way connected with
and guided by human brain was, for a long
time, certain, bu5as it was completely isO-
lated on the top Of a simple glass cylinder,
and no possible connection with any one
behind the curtain conceivable, it grew to
be u greatest mystery. The great men
Of the Royal Society went 70 examine It,
but were al beaten. But, finally, q young
American-W. ii. Coffin, son Of DR.. G.. W.
Coffin, a celebrated American dentist in
LOndOn-after five visits, hit upon the Sc
cret. Maskelyue himself being unable to
submit his 6gupe to the test proposed. The
solution is that Psyche is worked by the
condensation and diminution Ofthe column
Of air in the glass cylinder on the top of
which he sits. Beneath the carpet at the
bottom Of this cylinder is a perforated plate
Of zine, connected whit the operator behind
the scenes, who, at has will, may increase
or decrease the column Of air, the figure
moving n way or another in accordance
with the pressure put upon it. The con-
juror was at first disposed to deny the ex-
PLANTATION, but Coffin told the audience
that Il could easily be tested by Maskelyne
allowing him TO put a newspaper between
the figure and the cylinder. This the con
juror declined, and then fOllOweiereat ap-
plause, when it became recognized that
Psyche as a mystery was at last dead, or
at least had fairly reached his Coffin.
At the same time the trick Of q dis
tinguished spiritualist has been detected.
This medium IS a certain Mr.. Williams,
who has been making a good thing by
placing on tables sundry musical inStru-
mentS, which cut various antics when it is
pitch dark. Williams goes out to evening
companies, where all present know each
others good faith, his two hands are held
by persons on each side; he has no cOnfed-
crate, and vet the movements 90 on in the
centre Of the table. But a son Of the late
Baden Powell Zone Of the writers
Of the famous essays and Reviews dis
covered, a few evenings ago, that Williams
" - AlAAaLa44E AAa EN-A-44- way "a .NlAAA4-
hands in the dark which he adopts
namely, the hOOking Of little fingers to-
geth6r. lie edges the hands Of his two
neighbOrs towards each other; he tlen pro-
poses 70 one Ofthem softly to rest his little
finger 10y substituting his first finger; when
this change is made that neighbours finger
is readily hooked On to the fOrefngar Of
the same hand whose little finger is already
holding the other. In the darkt the persons
each side Of him who fancy they each hold
Q separate hand. are really holding on 20 diff
ferent fingers Of the same hand. Williams
other hand is thus left perfectly free to act
it p]leases. Last night a friend and
myself, fully let into the secret, were pres
eut at a seaEce, and had Williams between
Us. Sure enough TIE medium softly proposed
a change Of fingers, but the change was re-
The consequence was that the
poor medium speedily found That the con
were Unfriendly 10 any manifesto
TONS left the house as soon IS possible,
and the seaucs came tO-nUthiUE. And it
is by such tricks as these that millions are
induced to believe that they are C0mmuni-
eating with the invisible world. There is
not a medium of any fame in London
whose fraud has not been exposed TO the
Of all eXcep. the large class Of
hose who wish to be deceived.