Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-01-05
LETTER FROM ALF BURNETT
Spiritualistic Humbugs- Their
Modus 0psrandi.
Maskelyne and Cook, the Great
English ExpOsers.
THE CHICAGO CHEAT.
" Katy King''- -..CharlatanEsm and Its
Moral.
Obtaining Money Under False Pre-.
lenses.
" Katy King''-.. .CharlatanEsm and Its
Moral.
Obtaining Money Under False Pre-.
lenses.
To the Rdltor Of the Lsdrsr

10 tue huitor OF the Ledger:
The continued excitement and inves
tlgation that exhibits itself in you
city leads me to advance few ideas /,
your readers, and instills in me an earnes
desire to have the minds of your peopl
disabased in regard to the arrant hum
bug that seeks to fasten itself upon you
community.
There is one experiment that | woul,
Ike to see tried right here in your midst
and 1t was suggested by that great mate
rlalistic propounder Of social materiality
Murat Hs.stead, editor of the Cincinnati
Commercial, and that is this-to let half
dozen of your welI.known citizens b,
appointed as committee to investigate
and interview the great dsfunct brave
Red Face. Let the committee be pre-
pared each with good shotgun, and
when Red Face appears let the said com
mlttee blaze away" and if there is not
a dead Iujun" either in reality or dis
guise, I'll give my head for q football
The experiment can do no harm, for il
a spirit it cannot be touched, and il the
arrsnt humbug we honestly believe it tc
be, it then deserves the wholesale pep
pering it would get. What cay the Mil
lerites to this2 If a committee can
not be raised, let some noble inyestiga
tor after truth, with revolver in hand
and q spirit Of martyrdom in his soul
try this, and I'll wager any jury in the
country will acquit him, and the church
cannonize him as beuefacter ofthe race.
Now would it not seem to common
sense view that after the repeated ex
posures of fraud and humbug practiced
in the name of modern spiritualism BY
the lowest and most unscrupulous types
of human nature, trading upon the
earnest credulity of the highest anc
most conscientious types of their fell
lows-would it not seem that honesl
folks had had q dose of the so-calIec
spiritual phenomenal
Yet, Notwithstanding the Davenport
and Katy King exposures and hundreds
Of constantly recurring minor'incidents
OF parallel description, we find after all
right here in the city OF Memphis some
Of the best and wisest of her citizens
gone daft after the tricks and man.
ners" Of set of unscrupulous frauds
whose sleight,of-hand and feats OF
ledgerdemain are only too patent to
those who do not meet deception half.
way. | have the utmost sympathy for
all earnest and honest seekers after spirit.
ual truth and light; consequently n ust
feel deepest COMMUNICATION for all those
who out of the simplicity and integrity
OF fine and high-toned nature become
the rsadiest dupes to miserable set of
pretenders and cheats.
| myself have for many years been an
investigator Of so-called spiritual mani
festations. l have sat in circle after
circle, and been present at seance after
seance, whilst constant travel here, there
and everywhere has afforded ample op-
portunity to crafty my bent. And, after
all, | am compelled to the uttersnce that
thege is not shade Of phenomena which
the pretenders and dupes present but is
Eraceable to the laws Of magnetism and
clairVoyance, where the signs of trickery
are not clear as daylight. / have sat in
private circles where | had no reason to
suppose but each member comprising it
was as earnest and honest as myself; and
/ have been one of yet other "harmo-
nious rings" where the prime manipula.
tor was nothing more nor less than
deft-handed cheat.
That there are more things in heaven
and earth than are dreamed OF in our
philosophy, am not SO stiff-necked as
to deny, and that l have witnessed some
Of those more things" in circles and
seances do not deny; but l have never
seen one thing to justify the assumption
that there was direct communication
with departed spirit know and sym.
pathize deeply with the longing Of the
human soul for such communion; and
here let me say that if such light ever
break into the spirit it must be through
the refining of the nature and spiritual
izing Of the intellect, and that it must
be purely iRdioidaal experience, so
far beyond the shallow tricks OF gross
and undeveloped so-called media as
is the soul of the earnest seeker beyond
the development of the "Injun squaw"
or brave usually called back from the
happy hunting grounds" to jabber un.
intelligible gibberish.
1t is shame and disgrace to govern
ment that there are no wholesome laws
to meet these constantly recurring caseO
Of srrant humbug. A life sentence we're
not too severe a penalty for such play
ing upon the best and purest aspirations
OF human souls. The tricks of the trade
are not alone confined to the low and
vulgar, but many q leader in spiritual
ranks Of high intellect, but unscrupu-
lous mind, maintains power by an All
surd assumption of being directly in.
splred by the master spirits that have
lived aud passed away. Let me conjure
the honest seeker after truth by all be or
she holds sacred in individuality aud
personal liberty never to become the fol-
lover of or believer ia any soul that
possesses the supreme effrontery to claim
such power.
There may be ministerinE spirits; the
evidences Of my own soul are many,
and numerous enough to ground me in
the faith, but / should hold myself a
devil doubly damned if | presumed to
trade in my faith for any possible inte.
rest or purpose. trust the whole Of the
and thirsting children of men
may be able to arrive at the point Of
perfect restfulness in euch a faith, but
they will never obtain the pearl of great
price in dark seauces from the spirit Of
an Indian who has been dead ages and
still not been enlightened 10 the "happy
hunting grouuds beyond the point Of
bis ignorance while here.