The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-10-15
THE SLATE TRICK.
A Spiritual SeRnce ia LOndon-The
Writing 0n the SInte-HOw II Was
Done 80 Two Eminent Witnesses
Against Doctor SInde
From the London Timesl


From the London TmesJ
My friend Mr. Sergeant Cox having
begged me to 90 and see the medium
Sade, and having informed me that so
distinguished man Of science MS DIR.
Carpenter had confessed himself VERY
much shaken 10y what he had wit.
messed in SHADES presence, | wrote to
that person, and obtained an appoint.
ment for last Monday morning. SHADES
chief manifestation" is of this kind
The witness and Slude being alone in
an ordinary well-lit sitting room, Slade
produces q common slate and a small
piece Of slate pencil, which are laid ON
the simple, tour-legged table, at one
corner Of which the witness and Slade
are seated. Slade then shows the wit.
ness that there is no writing on either
side Of the slate, He then places the
slate horizontally close against the table
the little piece of slate pencil being
supposed to be between the slate and
the Hat under the surface of the table
The slate is so closely applied to the
table that no hand or finger could Dos
sibly get between them in order to
write, a noise as Of writing is now
heard proceeding from the slate which
is held by Slade or by the witness-the
spirit is supposed to be at work The
slate is then removed and Il message is
found written either on the under sur.
face of the slate or on the surface which
was facing the lower surface of the
table.
watched Slide very closely during
these proceedings, which were repeated
several times during my interview last
Monday, paying no attention to the
raps, gentle kicks, and movements of
the table of which will say nothing
further than that they were all such Ms |
could be readily produced by the medi- |
ums legs and feet. simulated consid- |
cradle agitation and ardent bcliern the ,
mysterious nature of what saw and
heard. At the same time was utterly
astounded to find the strongest reason
to believe that with the exception of
the first message which written 10y Slade
underneath the slate with Il bclieye) |
one finger of the hand which was hold
ing the slate, the rest Of the messages,
which were longer and better written,
were coolly inditcd on the slate by
Sade while it was resting on his knee,
concealed from my view by the edge of
the table and that the slate was subse-
quently placed 10y him in the position
where the spirit writing was to take
place with the message already written
upon it.
was led to form this hypothesis by
noting the DELAY which ALWAYS occurred
between nv being shown the slate with
both sides clean and the placing of the
slate against the table or over nv head
for the rurpose of receiving the spirit
writing, which was then heard proceed
inc with the usual sound of scratching
on a slate. The delay did not occur
when SlaGc wrote with the finger of IN.
hand by which he held the slate. Dur
ing the DELAY Sladc made various ex.
cusos took up the little piece Of pencil
and bit il and nl4o invariably made Il
peculiar goting noise by clearing his
throat At the same time heard dis
tinctly on three occasions low but
perlcctly reeoruizable sound of n peucil
troycrsiur slate ondtwicc ON looking
nu,nily nj gIolc'. ripl arm fine elbow
Of Which was visible, While the rest was
hidden by the table and purporting to
he holding the slate, saw movements
from r;rLt TO left and left to rjoht
which accorded with NV hynotGesls hat
he WAS using his hand IN wriling.
| left Sade with Il promise to return
today (Friday), and at once wrote to
Mr.. Sergeant Cox to tell him my eX-
planation of the manner in which the
thing was accomplished and offering to
mt INV hypothesis to the test by selling
the slate from SHADES hand when he
professed to be devoid of writing, and
al the moment when the spirit writ
M was about to commence =
= This morning went with my friend,
DR., II. B. Donklin of Queens College,
oxford, to test my hypothesis by this
crucial experiments had determined
10 seize the slate at the critical moment,
at the moment when Slade protested
that il was entirely untouched and if
the writing were already on the slate
before tho spirits were supposed to have
begun their work, considered that
should have demonstration Of the
truth of my hypothesis which would he
convincing to persons not already lost
toreason, ! explained TO DR. DonEl4
mj hypothesis ana my intention ana |
Ia I / l.,N.. ftfAl