The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1875-01-08

~nobQfght, and so the light was turne,
] on, aid the seance closed.
s The ten persons who had witnesses
] the manifestations then took the cab
NET to pieces, and as the original boar'
bad before been returned to it's plac
they, Of course, found ''no trap or tricl
of any kind" Had the Investigators Of
that evening insisted on having but on,
dark seance they would never hav'
signed the certificate which was there
drawn up, for as the cabinet was OF
that evening virtually without O trap
Katie King having entered through The
door, under cove Of darkness, she could
not have made her escape except dur
ing the second dark seance, at the
close of tho evenings performance.
This was almost the only occasion on
which a Holmes entertainment began
and ended with O dark seance, and the
reason why this change was made should
at that time have been more closely in
quired into. It has been stated that for
a time the loor leading from the front
room into he hall was always locked.
As this created much suspicion, the
mediums faaliy consented to have it
remain open trsutil the manifestations
frst appearedy Under such circum-
stances it bec2fle necessary to make a
change in the manner of keeping
!" Katie" out Of sight. The bolster Oh
the bed was therefore SO arranged that
Katie" could creep into it, and in
this she hid herself before the seance
and after it was concluded. The bed
room was many times examined after
the change, and the bed was also in.
spected, but no one ever thought of
looking into the bolster to find out what
it was stuffed with. Katie King, during
last summer, when these seances were
being given at No. so North Ninth
street, boarded with Mrs. Holmes, and
was at first suspected by Or. Child, but
on several occasions he was requested
by Mrs. Holmes to answer the violent
ringing of the door-bell Immediately
following the close of the seance. He
always found the suspected lady wait,
ing very impatiently to be let in, and
she often complained that, as she
boarded with Mrs. Holmes, that lady
had nc right to lock her out.
The doctors suspicious were soon
quieted by this ruse, and the young
lady Was seldom afterwards thought of.
During the heated term Mr.. aud Mrs.
Holmes left the city and travelled
through the west, where they were once
exposed, but as the account was not
written, the effect was not very
damaging. Upon the return of the me-
diums to Philadelphia in the fall, DR..
Child was sent for by Mrs. Holmes and
asked to assist them in fnding a house.
The doctor gladly complied with the
request, as he was anxious to have the
placed in q room where it could j
stand near solid walls. He found one
or two houses where the front room
would admit of this arrangement, but
Mrs. Holmes discovered some faultwith
hem all, and finally decided upon The
house at 825 North Tenth street. In the
Iecond-story front room of this house
he cabinet was placed in such a posi-
ion that IL stood about eighteen inches
rom a boarded up window. j
As already described Ill the Press, :
bis window was arranged in such a way ]
bat, with the sash taken ont, there was !
Dom for q person to stand between the !
cards on the inside and the shutters on {
be outside. One of the boards was :
pparently fastened by screws. but they 9
ere only "dummiea.n In reality it i
Eung on pivots, aud was held in its Y
lace by q stout button on the inside. Z
board in the back Of the cabinet was 2
nailarly arrangeds Before the seances /
egan "Katie King" took her position q
the window and fastened herself in. 8
he space between the cabinet and the q
all was then concealed BY d door, l
hich at first glance appeared rs part OF =
10 cabinet /; o table of musical instru- 9
ents was showed up against ii, and the q
nests, who were always received in d ?
oWn-stairs room, we're invited to as Y
md. u
A dark seance always opened the en- q
during which Katie would q
sscend from her perch, and, making =
II way into the cabinet, take q position q
the corner, where she could not be q
on when the cabinet door was opened. 9
/. Holmes would then enter the cab p
ct, and between the two the usual y
anifestations were produced. The q
tnlerous faces shown were nothing but ~
bier masks, 10 made that they could o
blown mp into different sizes, and at q
Q same time produce different appeae- q
ces. Mr.. Holmes could conceal half =
lezen such faces III his inside pocket. =
the Tenth street house Mr.. and Mrs. y
dimes were supposed to live alone, =
only IN old colored woman as an e
This "auntie' vas quite q
NIB, and on several occasions forgot q
rseIf, and SAT the table for three in q
Of two, as the Holmeses usually "
rtook Of q Light supper after the even g
RS performances. y