The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-08-14

AS SIZE CATChSS LIN rpIAr |
left EYE-A FAIR AND SQUARE THAI
or srlRITUALlsM AT CONCERT nhHN'
Mr.. ". C. Clark is prolessea spnl,'st
medium. and has been such LOT p".Na
nt,,e wears or more; during wn.ch t.iT W
n@s haaLor and claims to have been quite
80 % s,nnossrn, in that capacity. A few months
s;nna he ennmenced to deveiope as ma
nr;,,,zine medium, and bis development was
W. y, ran;d TIA, spirits soon materialtzed under
h hi med;amship as fully and In more salts
factory manner than IN connection WIN
MANY wediums who have acquired more no.
toricty.
TIE sBANGEs ..st
have heretofore been beid at the house Of
Mr.. Tuckett, an enthusiastic splrltcalist,
who resides in the southern part OF the CITY.
AT that place the Developments Of Mr.. C1ark's
was SO interesting that IL az
tracted the attention OF Mr. afmken, we'll
ec-do, responsible, and level-treaded mechanic
of the CITY, who witnessed the materiaIizf-
lions on two occasions. Me-. Thinker "teok
it all ip,n but without beipgcoDvnced oil the
spiritual part Of the performance, oe'nS
rather inclined to think thst the separations
that were made visible to him were the "oi2
of earthly hands. To test the matter, DE
asked MIR. Clark whether he would allow hls
spirit .. a=.
TO gB SHOT At.
The medium was nothing 10th, but de-
clared his entire willingness TO submit 10 tne
test. 30 far as be was personally concerned
II has always been held us truth by sae-
diums and their friends that such test
would be attended with the greatest DANGER
to the medium, as it was supposed tnat one
shock would have the effect OF prostrsting
him, if not killing him outright. MT. Chfs,
however, protested TO feel no Tear on tDis
score, but was willing and snxIous that Tue
test should be made. Accordingly arrange
ments were entered into with Mr.. Iimhen,
by the terms Of which pubic stance was
to be held, and the cabinet and The medinm
and all the conditions were 10 0e, as Tar as
possible, under the control OF nit. llmken,
p nho was TO nav the medium $50 In case a
snirt should materialiZe so that be could get
a shot at it. In accordance with this agree
ment Concert Hall was engaged for the Sc
ance, and Monday night was fixed upon as
the time of holding it.
These arrangements were carried ont to
the letter, and it must be admitted by uupre-
JuuICtu spSStatoAS shSe ~ "SA~ w
to make more
SATISFACTORY TEST
than that with which the public were favored
last night. The audience was very small
one, only about twenty persons being pre-,
sent; but those were quite respectable ana
intelligent, with the exception of the news
naper people, who turned out in full force,
including the German papers. -,
An attache of the Times reached the ball
some time before the performance was en-.
pected to begin, and improved the shining
minutes by brIelinterVieW with Mr.. ozark,
who was quite communicative, aud explained
the operation Of spirit NATURALIZATION as he
understood it. He claims that the pheuom.
ena are produced by the operation OF the
odic force or cd, concerning which helcheh-
bach has discoursed so eloQuent!y and unln-
telligoly. This odic force appears to be an
intangibility to which imaginative people
give that name for want of some better WORD
to express W hat they cannot pretend TO NO.
derstaud. Mr.. Clark, however, processes
to feel this force, and to believe that the
spirits take portion of it from his body in
the shape of an indescribable emanation, and
from this invisible material manufacture
VISIBLE FORMS. -
He says that he knows when it goes from
him by q prlckling sensation all over his
body, and by a succession Of shocks, like
those of q weak electric battery. The most
unpleasant sensation is felt on the return OF
the emanalion, after the naturalization has
come to an end. This he describes as SINH
lar to the sensations of man who has been
dro wned and resuscitated. AS regarded the
shooting, he expected to receive severe
shock, but believed that he would come
through all right, and had no fear of the re-
suit.
At halfpast the doors were closed, and
the business OF the evening was commenced.
committee, which included MIR. Thinker
and all the newspaper men present, then ex-
amined the platform. and put it together.
IL was composed Of five pieces, the bottom
and top, front end back, and two ends.
When these were put together they formed
box ID feet in length, g in width, and
about feet high. These parts were made
of thin boards and fastened into each other
with grooves and hooks. In the front piece
| there was q door ut one end, and ut the other
u small aperture, about eight inches in diam.
eter, screened by curtain on the outside,
which was moved by strings on the inside
The most careful scrutiny failed to reveal
! ANY CHANCE FOR FRAUD
| in the cabinet, or the manner in which 1t was
put together. Ii there was the sliglIeat pos
sibility of conceasing any rubber masks or
other appliances Of imposition the prying
eyes that examined every crack and creyice
were unable to discover it. All being salts
fed, the platform was put together, being
placed upon three trestles that raised it 0
Short distance from the floor. 1t was there.
fore entirely uuconnected with any other OBJ
ject in the room, out stood out in the
open," all sides but the inside being in plain
view of the audience.
The other preparations were numerou:
and elaborate. Mr.. Tnken, who was the
master spirit Of the occasion, had come pre-.
pared with all proper apparatus for the pur.
pose of securing complete test, and seemed
to he determined that every chance for fraud
should be shut out if possible. BY his di.
| recions, and In the presence Of portion OF
the committee, the medium was first
STRIPPED TO TEE BUFF,
| and was then clothed in new garments
which the thoughtful Thinker had bought,
and which were carefully scrutinIZed by the
committee before the medium was allowed
to put them on.
When Mr.. Clark made his appearance be-.
! fore the audience he was dressed only in
tight linen patalooHs, shirt, ADD stockings,
and it seemed 10 be absolutely certain that
there was nothing about his person with
| which he could practice any imposition. He
then took bis seat in the .cabiner, on the
floor, with his back against the eud next to
the door, and the tying began. In this part
of the performance, as in all others,
THE wATCGRGL TIMkEs
showed his iorethought and sincerity. BE
had brought new cords of his ewn, and a
new brace and bit. The tying, therefore.
was accomplished after a manner quite un-
usual in such exhibitions, and altogether