Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-12-12

heard from within the cloth en-
closure. "0h, that you Mongo?"
cried a long-bearded member of the
circle, who was evidently a promi-
nent Spiritualist and en- rapport
with the medium. eyes, dat me-"
responded the spirit of Mongo,
speaking through the medium, who
was making desperate effort to
disguise his voice to the utmost.
"What do YOU want, Mongo?'
queried the friend and believer.
"Me want melee much to bring
flowers to unkee." "All right,
Mongo, bring 'em along" answered
the friend and believer, with as cool
a voice and manner as if he was
ordering a bushel of coal. The
medium was silent for a while, and
then burst into a wild rhapsody of
prayer, mixed up with all sorts of
perplexing conundrums in theology,
delivered in a tone becoming the
heavy villain in a Bowery melo-
drama. After this a mufied voice
was heard from within, and the
bearded believer on the outside
asked, "That you, MeSika?" The
answer was in the affirmative.
"You must see us IN the red light
next time, Mesika." "Yah, yah
Me soon see you again, and bring
the flower that never die. Houp-lal
By-by!" and MeSika appeared to
vanish.
"He belonged to Pompeii," ob.
served the believer to his next-dool
neighbor-his face solemn and long
as a string of Bologna sausages.
THE END OF THE FARCE.
Quite a time had now elapsed
: since the medium went in, anC
with a few unnatural or supernatu
> raj grunts, he announced that al
, was over, so the curtain was draw
. aside and out he stepped in tn
presence of the committee. Th
light, which had been partly turne,
down during the performance, wa
now turned on full, and disclose
on the carpet beneath the canop
! about a dozen different flower
. with clustering leaves all fresh an
sweetly smelling. The believer
i handed them around reverentl
and the believer with the big bear
on being asked the name of Oh
particular specimen, replied that
q had no name, that there was not
| ing on earth like it, and that i
"a soil was in the summer LAM
+ What do you think Of it, Ned ?
: asked somebody of Mr.. Edmur
# Price. "It's a fraud" Z" replied Nc
# vigorously. "But you were on I'll
. committee of examination?" eyes
/, resumed Ned, "and we examine
= him pretty thoroughly, but yc
# can't catch me believing spirits CT
d fetch along here flowers like ther
> Why didn't they bring half a dozt
q geranium pots all rugged out? WI
II didn't they bring them flowers in
r. bouquet in place Of being scatter,
r about the way they are?" N,
N went along to say that, while
:. couldn't imagine how the mediu
brought the flowers in with hi
! and produced them with all the
I leaves and petals intact, he won
If hold that it was contrary to all lal
u that the thing could be done
So spiritualistic agency.
~ A PIECE OF sLIGHT-o'- HAND.
N A careful examination of Il
leaves of several of the howe
showed plainly that they had be,
: folded up, and that in being open
~ ~ out the operator or medium hi
80 81 used his wet thumb and forcing,
Le The perfection of the fowel
u especially of the china rose al
re lIs chrysantheums, was little asto
vi y. ishing, if they had been, as tn
~ must have been, secreted som
"a "A where around his person that t
a. ~ committee failed to touch. Not
Ic petal appeared to be disturbed, al
y they were as fresh as if just pluck
~ - from the sod. The believers {
~ ~ peared satisfied that the whole thil
w. II, was genuine, and went home co
ln - tented, while the skeptics were OF
" willing to admit that it was t,
th aS erably smart trick of juggling.