The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-10-01
sEiNCEs EXPOSED IN A COURT
A Company OF Performers rcr-rnating n va.
riety Of Materiniized Spirits.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 29.--Jamcs A. Bliss
and his wife gave scanccs ut 027 Ogden street
for about year, charging an admission fec
of 81. They are on trial for conspiracy for
the purpose Of swndiing To make the dcccp-
ton practicable, Bliss and confederate Mrs.
Ogden Harrison. constructed in the cellar
n room in which the pcrsonators OF spirits
might hide and don the requisite costumes.
From that apartment n stairway and n clevcrv
hidden trap door enabled them to enter tho
cabinet in the parlor in tho main story. and
in which Bliss was securely tied rs n medium.
The principal witness for the prosecution was
Harrison. the confederate. and his account Of
the swindc WIS exceedingly interesting. Ac-
cording to his testimony. the plan was matured
about u year ago. Bliss had previously given
scanrcs on Il small scale. with his wife as per-
senator Of nm Indian princess but. because f
her foreign acccnt-shc Is Spanish-she was
compelled tn connne her talk 10 some kind Of
broken English. The Ogden street house WAS
hired. and the mechanism for the scancrs put
in. The opening ni.h IN this establishment
was on Oct ~. 1876. Harrison then personutel
Capt Davis. a privat@nr ol me war 81 lsl2.
Mrs. Bliss represented Blue Flower an Indian
maiden. and Persian dancing girl Music was
used ~ drown any noisc tiat tncy might axe
in getting into and out of the cabinet. the IL hts
were kept So low that the spectators could
not sec distinctly. and the performance IS
financially successful. In sutscqu M seanc' :.
increased. A Mrs. Evans and her daughter
were engaged n persOnatCr-.
ai Srs s nSafead q" and used dn Such bVG S
prcssions M Cheese ii. and shine '.m up
Mr. Lloyd T. Smith OF the Philadelphia Library
recognized Billy the Boothlack as the spirit Of
The boy he had known. and who was a grcnt
iavortc OF his. Mr. Bliss professcd To be under
the control of Billy. CAPT. Hodges. and Pit Me-
tnrthy. who spoke through him. Mrs. Evans
was princess. Three spirits came out at u
,ine,, ssometime~ ,four-represrnted by myself.
Mrs. Bliss Mrs. Evans. anu Miss Evans. The
spcrtaiors were generally kept away ten or
twelve feet. As a Turk. | wore n black snck
over my head, Il black shawl and black musln
skirt. Mr.. Bliss would tell the audience who
the spirits wore. We were informed inside what
people were outside and what spirits were
wanted Mrs. Bliss appeared ms Capt. Hodges.
in black moustache and black side WHISPERS.
He was the lender and the great chemist Of the
spirit world. and allowed only such spirits t.
spirit. and Mrs. Bliss. in order TO appear tall.
stood on apiece OF Jolst.'
The depletion Of the company by the with
drawal OF the Evans family made the engage
mont OF now personators necessary, Miss May
Evans. a bright young woman who had boon a
performer ~ small way in variety shows. WIS
soon secured. She made her first appearance
in a scancc as sister Agatha, nun, ana hs a
Quakcress. In the former character she recited
n short Latin prayer, and in the latter she
talked n little. using " thee and thou Judi
ciously Tho words were written out for her
10y Evans. She was even trained 10 appear as
the Virgin Mary.
The most successful Of nil the seanccs was
one in which believers baby was chrstened
sd Harron ME- snyder ws sIe ns the
spirit Clara Wolf held the child. and Mrs. Bliss
as an Indian. performed the ceremony.
Miss snyder always went 10 and from the
house syly. 20 M not to bc seen hy the dupcs.
one IT whom was "A brother Of the dead Cara
Moin whom she personated. In this clara 't"r
she talked often with young Wolf put her arms
around him. and kissed him with simulated sis
t"rly affection yet he did not discover the fraud
Nor was he suspicious when she asked him "a
lend money Ia. one of the couspirators. Even
after the fraud was exposed he long refused ~
believe that he had been humbugged but he
was convinced nj last when Miss snyder showed
him how she mad enacted the part of his sister :
spirit. He is resident Of Mount Union. Pa.
but he spent much time and money in attend
ancr at these seances in this city. 80 thoroughly
had he become cngrossed with the subject that
his relatives. in order to undecciye him
had to got up mock scancc, in which NJ l--
Snyder-who seems to have rrpontcd n little OF
her wickedness- Illustrated the ways IN which
she had misled him. He was u witness ycster-
day in the trial.
one man was cured Of His belief much ore
easily than MIR. Wolf. Mrs Bliss as the In
dian maiden. frequently came out Of the cabi-
net and talked 10 him. one night she put her
face close w. his. and he smclt brandy on her
breath. He promptly reasoned that spirits &c
not drink spirits. As % the profits the Admirs ION
WIS MY cents AZ the outset. but wis soon raised
toa dollnr. Private scanrcS were given at ten
dollars each. There was qunrreing over the
money. Bliss being accused by the others OF
taking more than his share
Tho nnture of the defence. which is 10 he begun
on Monday. has not even been conJcctured
hiss IT, defiant in domcnnor. and says he VIII
iieht his Prosecutors 10 the end He came
here from Boston, where he was a performer
costumes and machinery used in the seauccs
were exhibited in court to-day.