Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-01-15

and several others to the mum,
Der of twelve persons were de
sirous of giving them a searching, YET
a fair test; that we wanted them to give
US two nights, and to submit to whatever
tests zoe should prescribe. We would
pay literally, in advance, for the two
"seances." / desired a reply in sgritiug.
Brother Sam cam into the Gas Com
pans office mex morning with my letter
in his hand to talk it over" told him
that | did not wish any.taH whatever; !
meant business, and if the MilIers felt
that they could sustain themselves or
that had wronged them, they now had
an opportunity of v~indieating themselves
in a manner more than triumphant. /
preferred at ali events that our com
m%unications should be in writing. l got
no ansW er, and meeting Mr.. Watson soon
after, reminded him OF his neglect to
reply. he asked me if | would furnish
a list of the committee; l did so, having
previously consulted with several gentle
men on the subject. | recollect that /
put on the list the names Of DR.. Rice,
Major Rhea, F. R. Brennan, Thomas j.
Turley, DR.. R. W.. Mitchell and Chief
Athy. The next time ] saw Sam he said
the fact was that he had nothing much
to do with the Millers; that they were
going away, and that Miller had said to
him, conidentislly, that it would be dam
gerous for me to put myself zeal the
"IDjun," as be was terribly incensed on
account of the LEDGER article, and
might do me bodily injury AS q mat
ter of course Miller is the "IDjun," and
he knew very well that il he got to
showing himself at any holes we would
simply seize, hsndcuff and lead him
down town in his war-paint and feathers.
The disgusting stuff about its being dan.
gerouaAo come near the "%Injun" was of
a piece with other parts ofzthis exceed
ingly nauseous nonsense. The reader will
not fail to observe the cunning displayed
by "Brother" Sam in shielding these peo-
pie from the searching investigation pro-
posed. He fought away from it. And
yet he has the very bad taste to assert
that they sought investigation and we
we're afraid to meet theml am not in
the slightest degree indignant at Mr..
Watson. / regard him as a person af-
hieted with harmless insanity, and that
this cunning trickery of his is one of the
strongest evidences that his mind is not
right. No honest man or woman can be
sane who publishes and believes the stuff
be does. This mania will increase, how
ever, until it will become necessary to
con6ne him and appoint a guardian for
his estate. He started off by believing
that a clock had been made to strike by
supernatural power; he has new arrived
at the point that he feels of the body and
pulse of an Arkansas yahoo and believes
it to be a materialized spirit he wants
to believe it; his mania leads him up to
it, and forbids him to spring a pair of
handouts on to the arm Of the fraud and
lead him away to the station.house. Old
Robert Dale Owen slobbered over Katie
King, and felt Of her pulse and
made soft speeches to her and pro
claimed that the fact that spirits could
return to earth had been proven beyond
a cavil or a doubt. BE went to the mad
house Don after, and Katie King having
eaten q dish Of onions at the hashery
where she boarded excited the suspicion
of one of the company who came to see
her, and which led to the detection of
the fraud. Poor old Judge Edmonds, of
New York, read many years ago a little
fiction written by F. C. Ever and got
himself in an awful scrape by calling up
Ewers fictitious characters and getting
answers from them. / confess that |
had planned something Of the kind to
play of on Sam. l had intended to be-
come converted TO his faith, and arrange
some machinery to carry on the most
splendid humbug Of the time, and get
him to indorse it. But after thinking it
over / concluded it would hardly be
worth the trouble; why throw away time
and ingenuity upon a harmless crazy
man2 And this last sentence reminds
ne to say that all spiritual lecturers are
not harmless by any means. Several
years past the sp~iritualists of Memphis
employed q certain Brother Hull to hold
forth for them. He gave great satisfac.
ton. Within a year after he was in
Memphis | saw in the Woodruff paper
lelters from nlm and bis wife, which for
MANY capped anything have even read.
Both brazenly proclaim themselves free.
lovers. And it is astonishing how the
leaders Of spirituslism slide into free.
loveism. am both tired and sleepy.
Good night. GEO. W. GIPr.
Out in Little Rock they've nominated
a c%onfectioner for Office. he ought to be
a popular candydste.- Richmond Eng.
Yes, but wont he get licked2
60 out, young man she's not here"
said a Pennsylvania preacher last Sun.
day, in the midst Of his sermon, TO