The crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1877-1878, 1878-03-28
HUNTO0N'S TRICKS.
a Few OF Them Explained For the
Benefit Of Oid-Time Patrons who
UnwittingIy Assist in Deceiving
Thpmspiyps

anWittiHSiy ASSIST III DcceiNlne
Themselves.
From the Chicago Times.
The following communications were
sent to the Times on yesterday:
Will Mr.. Huntoon explain how he oh,
tanned the name of my child, who only
lived ten minutes and passed away from
earth nineteen years ago? Also the
name of my husband, who was never
in this city, and who died eighteen
years ago hundreds of miles from here
Also the names of two young girls with
whom played when a child, and with
whom since then l had not been init,
mate, and of whom l had not thought
for years, who lived and died years age
far from this city.
Myself and sister received from him
slate written full, taking I should
Judge, from five to ten minutes time
during which the slate lay on the table
with our hands upon it, and the sun.
light shining full upon it. We had
never been to see him before, only Wis
tied him that once, and he had no pos
sible way of knowing that we intended
doing so.
Is it not barely possible that MI
Huntoon, who owns to having been q
rascal, obtaining money under false
pretenses, add trhingwith sacred things
being tempted by the success and un.
enviable notoriety of his friend, Mr.
Witherford, could not resist the temp
tation to CLEAN in the orthodox field
Especially as he had already lost pres.
tige with spiritualists of the better class
1t seems to me that one who proclaimS
himself to have been clafty rogue fol
years, cannot be trustedimplicitly when
he is sure to gain by his comics. IN Il
foothold in society that as u man he
could not otherwise obtain.
INVESTIGATION.
The writer of the above letter did not
send her name; therefore when re-
porter called on Dr. Huntoon on yes.
terday afternoon, the doctor could not
say how in her particular case the infor-
nation was obtained. He Thought
however, that it was certain Indy,
whom he named. If he were right the
methods of operating, he said, were
these: When the lady and her 81 'ter
called they were shown into the rear
parlor to prepare themselves for the
sitting-mediums always take pains to
give visitors fair show to get ready
fo- the test. At that time his cabinet
was not in the rear parlor, but in little
room next to it, and built adjacent to
the parlor door, so that the door of the
cabinet opened through the parlor door
into the parlor, The cabinet was not
so high as the parlor door, and in the
open space between the top of the cab
met and the top of the parlor door a
shawl was suspended. The doctor left
the ladies in the rear parlor, went into
the kitchen, thence into the room
where the cabinet was, climbed on top
of tho cabinet, and, listening, distinctly
heard the two ladies whispering togeth.
er. This explains how he obtained the
names.
The slate writing was very simple
The doctor used on that occasion, if il
be the one he thinks it is, pair Of
double reversible states, with ono Of
the four sides prepared with the mes
sage. In examining the states the Ia
dies took no precaution whatever to
prevent deception: and when the doc
tor showed them two sides of the states
and then, turning the frames and shut
ting and opening them again, instead
of showing the ladies the two Other
sides, he showed but one of the Other
sides-the clean one-and one of the
two which he had first shown them.
The doctor says that very common
way of getting names is by letting the
visitor tell them in answer to raps. Sup.
pose all to be seated at table. Rap;
are produced, perhaps, by striking the
the foot against the leg Of the table
there are q dozen ways OF producing
them, The medium announces that the
spirit Of somc enc is present