The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-08-26

This was to be accomplished on the evening Of
the 18th; but as DR.. Greene, who was DESTROYS
% be lin at the DEATH, was called out oil
town, the exposition was deferred until he
could be present. At this time, DR.. Augustus
I 5. Thayer was present. and also two gentlemen.
who were firm believers in the supernatural
hypothesis On these various occasions the
four physicians whom we have named accum-
ulated mass Of evidence OF fraud which would
convince any intelligent man who was not ut
terly wrapped up in his superstitons. For ms
lance. it was noted by all that the dress of the
medium was very peculiar, 1t was trim and
| well lifting about the upper works, but
| oulged in most questionable and suspicious
| way below the waist, leaving room for whole
| magazine of clothes beneath. In yery few
| minutes after the medium seated herself be.
nina the curtain, there was as much rustling
as would naturally be made by woman who
was carefully doffing one dress and DOMINIC
another; rustling was almost always heard af-
ter one figure vanished and before another D.
peared; and just before the seance ended, the
noise of manipulated raiment was incidentally
as great as was necessary for the resumption of
an ordinary walking dress and the slowing
away of valise-ful of clothes
In this connection it was also noted that
when the noise of talking and laughter was
loudest among the spectators and thus there
was the least need of care in dressing, the APP
pearance was made most promptly. An '.Ital-
ian dancing spirit" which showed her feet and
half her legs, was clothed as to these members,
as it was observed Mrs. Hull was before enter
ing the cabinet A figure which purported to
be the spirit of well-known merchant who
died here not long ago, was about half foot
too short, seventy-five pounds too light, and
looked about as much like him as Mrs. Hull
could be expected to with false beard in
neatly ptch-dark closet. 1t was noticed, too,
by one observer who managed to look down in
side the curtain, that over the arm of the spirit
there was long veil, just such as had previ-
ously been employed in covering the head of
female figure. One spirit sought recognition
from DR.. Gerrish, whose patient she had been
when in the flesh, by showing hand from
which a fipger was missing; bat the amputa-
ton was half way up the first phalanx instead
of at the joint, as it should have been. This
same spook smiled at the request of wretched
sceptic who thought its face might be masked.
Immediately after there was a sound behind
the curtain which was Enthusiastically due to the
replacement of an upper set of false teeth,
leading an unbelever to surmise that the smile
CT accommodation had in darkness been broad.
ened into grin of satisfaction at the credulty
of the medicine men," as M. Molassas called
them. A sweet sprite, who was recognized as
his daughter by one gentleman present, had
black hair instead of light brown, as her earth
ly prototype had; but this trifling discrepancy
passed unuoticed by the parent. Whenever
figure came out into the room its face was eth
er veilel or shaded by her hand. 1--WE say
her hand, for the male apparitions never show
ed themselves below the chest. The masculine
bifurcated garment is a difficult thing for a
goblin to manage) This, of course, was sim
ply negative; but positive evidence was gained
by the distinct recognition Of the peculiar
forehead, the prominent chin, the darkness of
the lower lids, and the delicate beard on the
upper lip of Mrs. Hull Then too, remarks
which the medium or her husband would drop
contributed to the effect. The man, for in
stance, told one of the company, VIII o was ua-
used to such shows and consequently needed
little instruction, that the connection between
the spirits ard his wife was SO intimate during
the naturalization that he had sometimes
noticed kind of resemblance in their faces to
hers.
AS we have said above, the modus operand
had become so apparent that the exhibitions
ceased to be interesting as displays of iuggery.
They were not so clever as they at first seemed
to be, and the doctors determined to let in the
light at once. So on Tuesday night last, a
select company was invited to witness, and, if
need be, assist at the denouement. There
were present Drs. Green, Gerrish A. s. Thay-
er, Small and Wheeler, Mr.. Charles o. Ban
croft and one other. Mr. Hull sat by the lamp,
as usual, to manage the light, A glance at the
following diagram will give correct idea Of
the arrangement of the portion of the large
parlor in which the "circle'' was formed A
is window.