The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-05-06
TWO MYSTERIES.
An Automaton Explained and Spirit
ualist Exposed.

ualist Exposed.
M. D. Conway, in his London letter
to The Cincinnati Commercial, says ::
The mystery of Psyche has been dlscov-
cred. You may remember that Psyche
is the wonderful automaton exhibited
by Maskelyne, the conjuror, which, for
a long time has been puzzling the brain
of scientific men by its accurate playing
of whist. That Psyche was in some way
connected with and guided by human
brain, was, for long time, certain, but
as it was completely isolated on the top
of a simple glass cylinder, and no pos
sible connection with any one behind
the curtain conceivable, it grew to be
our greatest mystery. The men of the
Royal Society went to examine it, but
were all beaten. But finally young
American-W. FL. Coffin, son of Dr..
G.. W. Coffin, a celebrated American
dentist in London-after five visits hit
upon the secret. Maskelyne himself
being unable to submit his figure to the
test proposed. The solution is that
Psyche is worked by the condensation
and diminution Of the 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
zinc connected with the operator behind
the scenes, who, at will, may increase
or decrease the column of air, the figure
moving one way or another IN accor
dance with the pressure put upon it,
The conjuror was at first disposed to
deny the explanation, but Coffin told
the audience that it could easily be test
ed by Maskelyne allowing him to put
newspaper between the figure and the
cylinder. This the conjuror declined,
and then followed great applause, when
it became recognized that Psyche, as
mystery, was at last dead, or at least had
fairly reached his Coffin. At the same
time the trick of distinguished Spirit
ualist has been detected. This medium
is a certain Mr.. Williams, who has been
making good thing by placing on tables
sundry musical instruments, 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 yet the movements go on in
the center of the table, But a son of the
late Baden Powell Zone of the writer's of
the famous Essays and Reviews, discov-
ered,. a few evening ago, that Williams
was utilizing the peculiar way of joining
hands in the dark which he adopts
namely, the hooking of little fingers to-
gether. He edges the hands of his two
neighbors toward each other he then
proposed to one of them softly to rest
his little finger by substituting his first
finger when this change is made that
neighbours finger is readily hooked on
W UIlO VI UuO o1A1AO lltiIu "IIOoS
little finger is already holding the other.
In the dark the persons each side of him
who fancy they each hold separate
hand, are really holding on to different
fingers of the same hand. Williams
other hand is thus left perfectly free to
act as it pleases. Last night, friend
and myself, fully let into the secret, were
present at seance, and had Williams
between us. Sure enough the medium
softly proposed a change Of fingers, but
the change was resisted. The conse-
cuence was that the poor medium speed
lily found that the conditions were I'M
friendly to any manifestations, left the
house as soon as possible, and the seance
came to nothing. And it is by such
tricks as these that millions are induced
to believe that they are communicating
with the invisible world There is not
a medium of any fame in London whose
fraud has not been exposed to the salts
faction of all except the large class of
those who wish to be deceived.
INDIA RUBBER SIDEWALKS. India
-, I go