The New York herald., 1876-11-13
SPIRITS IN COURT.
'AGEASCY.

HOW DR. sLADE WAS CONVICTED OF vAonAScY.
LONDON, Nov. 1, 1875
.sHard labor for three months in the House OF Cor.
rection" Such is the sentence pronounced in tho
Bow Street Police Court on cdr Slade after prose-
cution which, although nine days wonder Tor the
present. must pass the hstory Of legal investiga
tions - curiosity OF the first class one which will
puzzle sorely future investigator Of the manners
OF the English in tho ninsteenh century.
The days proceedings In this remarkable case were
attended by larger crowd than bad assembled
before. among them many ''mcdums" and Spiritual
ists maio and female The points upon which the
magistrate had to decide were two, which
he thus statod:-"L We're the facts alleged
as committed by slade an oqn6ce under
the vagrancy act and (2) did slade do Dat he was
alleged to have done-vix used palmistry and other
subtle crafts and Devices with the purpose Of
doceivng ana imposing upon Her Msjestys sub
jects 2" The charge Of having conspired with his
agent manager, Simmons. TO obtain money under
false prctences had failed, owing 70 the absence OF
sufficient evidence Of guilty knowledge on tho part oi
Simmons and the points At issue were narrowed down
10 the two propounded by the magistrate, Mr. Flowers
who At once proceeded to deliver judgment In calm
matter-of.fact manner, which must have vexed tho
dsombodied spirits generally dor they were no doubt
present such a momentous occason) and that Of
"Anien in particular
SUMMING UP.
81 think" said Mr. Flowers "that In order to con.
stitute the offence defined in the vagrancy act two
things necessary-using some subtle craft, means
device like pamisry and attempt to deceive or
impose on some person. Palmistry Is defined In
Richardson's Dictionary thus:'Divination BY nspcc-
tion OF the hands, from the roguish tricks OF the
pretonders to this art; TO palm; trick, or play
trick; to impose upon, or practice trick imposition.
deusion more resrictedly to palm Ii to hold and
keep in the palm. to touch with tho palm, to handle.
And the definitions given by Johnson's and Websters
arc very similar.
consists in falsely pretending to procure from splrh
messages written BY such spirits upon slate held
under table by sade for the purpose such message
having previously been written by himself Such
trick seems to me TO DO "a subtle craft means or DO
vice. OF the same kind as fortune telling In each
case the impostor pretcnds to practise magical, or,
language another statute which reference has
been made in the course OF these cdngsthe 9th
George H. This act repealed that Of James l.. IL
by which witchcraft made felony, and prohibited
prosecutions for the offence OF 'witchcrSf soreery.
enchantnent ana conJuraton which, apart nom she
statute OF James, punishable BY the ecclesiastical
courts and perhaps At common law. II then enscts
that for tho enectual preventing and punishins
any preences such arts powers before men,
toned, whereby ignorant persons frequently de-
luded and derauded or any person pretended TO ex
ercsc or use any kind Of witchcrai sOrccry enchan
pretended, from bis or her skill or knowledge In
any occult or crafty science, TO discover goods sup
posed lost stolen, he shall upon conviction
an indictment be liable to years imprisonment and
be set in the pillory four times The punishment Of
tho pory is abolished but the rest OF the section
mains in orcs and refer to Il only 10 illustrate the
meaning Of the vagrancy act IL seems to me that
practice CT occult and crafty sciences to the
words OF the act OF George subtle, crafty meana
words Of the i act Of George w. For these reasons
think that II by the trick have described Slade tired
TO impose on Professor Lansestsr and Dr. Donkin he
Referring then 10 the vast amount OF irrelevant
testimony which had been imported into tho case, but
Flowers vent consider the question to whether
SIadc actually did the trick or not the whole case
turning on the evidence OF Professors Lancaster and
Donkn which, briefly stated, 10 the effect that they
saw SHADES hands n he writing and that on
before il was placed in the position in which the spirits
were to act and without any sound a. Of writing,
tney found words upon III sns DC sIne nsa%rc sa,a
tho letters hmsslf and that therefore n
could not think the spirit Of his wiie has
known course OF nature II Il be that the
witnesses the motions that they describe, ant
found tha writing on the slate immediately afterwards
II is Impossible tor doubt whatever happened Oh
other occasions. Slade did on that occasion write
Lancaster and Dr. DonEn Il is ,rus that simmons
said there was nothing TO pay, as Lankester and
Donkn we're not satisfied but tho question Is whcthes
subtle craft means, or device used to impose or
these gentlemen; and It clearly vas - the money
would have been paid II the trick had not been dis-
covered.
THE SENTENCE.
"Upon the whole think that an offence against tho
vagrnncy act has been proved, and, considering tho
grave mischeis likely 10 result from such PRACTICES
Inschiefs which those who remember the case o.
home also professional medium, cannot consider
substantal-I feel cannot mitigate the punishment
the law imposes and therefore sentence tho defend.
to three months imprisonment with hard labor In
the House OF Correction"
Had . thunderbolt iallen among the Sprltualists In
court their faces could not have been bianker
longer And yet clenchsd spirit 6s evolved itself
from the murky atmosphere Of the court 10 box
dsapprova frightened tho Court from iss propriety;
tho Judicial bench did not get up end and spill the
Judge wig and all, into the waste paper basket; nor
did avcnging samb0uriDes bang the counsel for the
prosecution over the head. Nothing Of all this-ony
of applause from the unbelievers and then the
unmoved Mr. Flowers said he was very glad 70 heari
Bal in the OF f200 and two sureties 81 El00 each
given, and pending the appeal the "DoQs
tori was not sent 70 prison. bus emerged into the
outer amid cheers and hisses and drove on In .
cab with his partner, the manager.
affairs received such attention In the me-
tropols curing this extraordinary case, and, as 10
usually the novel actions In England,
Of the best results may bo revision OF she
AHTIQUATlp CODE
OF English law
Sessions in Westminster, and meanwhile, Of course
food OF facctiousness will be poured over the con.
demned medium and hts BupporterA or this we have
already had foretasts Humorous Seance" n the
Globe Theatre, entitled "Slatc Pencings, or Out OF
Spirits" the attor to being just now peculiarly ap
LUCK" Al the prospect OF oakun picking unless, in-
de eed he In spirited away into some more eonRonia