The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-10-06
The 4ntland DAILY Globs
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1876.
ANOTHER MEDIUM EXPOSED.

Trap Door the Gate to the Invisible World
How Paratiine molds Of Faces and Hands
aro mado-The Outside and Inside History
Of Mediums Career.
Some time in November last Mrs Ben
nett, new Undertaking medium, began
| to give private seances at her house No. 40,
Mclean St.. Boston. She was said to be
4 delicate, sensitive heightened woman, of
power and influence with the mortals far
greater than that possessed by any other
! living person, and those who visited her
house, and witnessed the marvels of mate
| realization which this modern witch Of En-
dor produced for their deectation, were
| rapturous in their comments. Ii was, in
| deed, altogether stunning, not to say stu
pondous. Her place speedily became known
as the Mclean street place.
The seances were at first held only oc-
casionally, but after the community got
warmed up, and camored for admission,
they were held every night.
WHEN A sEANoE WAS TO BE HELD
the rear room was thoroughly examined by
the visitors, the entry and closet doors lock-
ed and sealed, and the windows fastened
down sccurely. The floor was carpcted,
but everything looked SOLID and secure, and
all seemed satisfied that no entrance could
be effected by corporal body. The rear
room was darkened so that nothing could
be seen in it from the audience room. One
of the folding doors was shut to, and In
front of 1t on chair sat the medium, Mrs
Bennett. The other folding door was left
open, but across the open space dark cur
tain was suspended. In front of the me-
dunn and in full view of the curtained en-
trance, to the rear room was seated the au-
dience in the form of q semi-circle, the
concave side being towards the place of
| performance. Singing was always fur
nished, and then the work of the evening
usually proceeded vigorously and harmo-
| niously.
TIE MOULDING sEANCE
usually preceded the main exhibition OF
matcrialized forms. For this purpose two
pails-one containing melted parafllne wax,
and the other cold water-were placed near
| the medium, and, all being III readiness,
the light was put out, and darkness brooded
| over the circle. When this condition was
obtained the manifestations would COM
mence, the first being phosphorescent lights
and gleamings on and around and above
the medium. These were held to be evil
dcnces Of electric conditions favorable to
the development of spirits, and, sure
enough, splash splash !" in the water
soon attested the truth of this theory, and,
on lightning a lamp, mouds of hands,
faces, etc, would be found floating In the
water. O, the ineffsble rapture and gush
of the recipients of thoso wax favors.
After this the light being again given
black eye, the medium would subside into
a trance, and perhaps "Wild Flower"-an
Indian maiden who had long been familiar
to Spiritualists as the controlling influence
of certain prominent medium-would be
announced, and Immediately the curtain
would be orened and maiden of compar-
etively light complexion for an Iudisn
f6eS'Gil "a costume, would step out lightly,
pslpita ing faces of the happy crowd.
While in view she would speak the class
| ioal Indian gibberish and broyue 10 the most
| artistic manner, snl look vulnerable things,
| She would of'en deign to approach GER
| tain favored ones of the circle and lay her
hands on their heads or even give them a
| beatific kiss. Then che would receive pre-
scnts of silver money and rings, and silver
| crowEs, and other things which the devo-
tees would deem most pleasing to her bar
barrie taste. Then she would get weak, and
| tremble, and back out, retire, and fade
away inside the curtain, and then the au-
dience would draw long breath and sing
"The Angels are lowering Around"
| She would be followed by another Indian
maiden named Sunfower of deeper cop
| per color and wealth of long black hair.
"Purity," an emblematic embodiment OF
| all that is chaste and virtuous-s material
lied, but modernized Diana on the half
shelf, as it were, was the next to appear.
After utterng some unntelligent nonsense
she would disappear. Then followed more
singing, and various characters appeared,
wives, mothers, grandmothers, cousins,
etc., etc. All these various and varied forms
were shown successfully, and even some
| times in groups.
In short the seances were q perfect sue
cess. People came from far and near, saw
| friends and were convinced that new dis
pensstion was fulfilled. 1t was glorious
| as perfect work of the materalizer's art,
and successful as pecuniary speculation.
But certain gentleman who had faith in
Mrs. Bennett and her performances, had
been very liberal with her, and received in
return special favors in the shape of spirit
photographs-that is, photographs said to
have been made by the spirits-and fine
| drawings, some of which latter ornament
many Spirtualist comfortable and wall at
the present time. The photographs were
proved by experts to have BEEN sun pic
lures that could not be taken in the dark,
as experts soon made HIM understand. This
rather staggered him.
Another attempt, however, was made to
produce modern picture for Mr.. Blank,
but before the spirit artists had time to put
on the finishing touches the end came.
| Drawings or paintings of flowers, etc., of
fine execution, were also produced, which
looked marvellously like things Of human
production. and messages were written on
blank pieces of paper to various persons by
their spirit friends.
| Mrs. Bennett continued her seances along
into August, until the spirits began to feel
| the effects of the hot weather, when she
took vacation of fow weeks, returning
| to hold forth again. She reopened her fac
tory, and the business of undertaking
again flourished; but by this time several
gentlemen, among them certain MIR. Cor
don, became convinced that the whole
thing was humbug, and laid their plans
to expose it by seizing the spirits when they
came out. The seance at which this was
to be accomplished was held on Saturday
evening, Sept. 8, and Mr.. Gordon, who was
most prominent, was the person appointed
to catch the spirits. He had a fine oppor-
tunlty of catching one of them represent
ing his sister, but missed it because he
wanted to catch male spirit which was to
appear also, aud waited SO long that his OPP
portunity slipped away, perhaps forever
| After the seance he demanded to see the
basement, but was put of. On subse-
quent occasion, while at the house in the
daytime, he again demanded to see the base
ment, but Mrs. Bennett refused to let him
90 below until her husband was In the
| house. Gordon then told her he believed
she was an impostor, and was humbugging
1 the people, and he had mind to expose
her. At another seance, held at the house
on the Monday evening following, Dr.
Grover and another gentleman who was in
his confidence, went there for the express
purpose of seizing the spirits, but failed to
do it. Their inquiries and requests to see
the basement under the Undertaking room,
which latter met with decided refusal,
further ala, med the BENEFITS, SO that the