Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-04-08
TRICKS OF THE MEDIUMS.
A Young American IcOnOCIast Breaks
SpirituaIistIc Idols in Scotland.
Glasgow HeraId.l

The first part of an entertainment
of a remarkably interesting nature
was given on Tuesday night in the
New Public Halls of this city by Mr..
Irving Bishop, A. B., a young
gentleman from America, who under
takes to exhibit, by human means, all
the startling manifestations claimed
by Spiritualists to be produced by the
aid Of the spirits of the departed. Mr..
Bishop essays to prove that, by a
natural process, he is in a position to
bring about all those extraordinary
phenomena which so-called spirit
mediums attribute to supernatural
agency. With Mr.. Bishop the COM
plete expose of "Spiritualism he is
endeavOring to make during his brief
visit to this country is purely a labor
of love, and, being Of independent
means, he is enabled to devote the
proceeds of his entertainment to
benevolent and charitable purposes.
The audience was a very large one.
The spacious hall was filled to over
flowing, and among those present were
Hon. Lord Provost Collins, Principal
Card, and many of those eminent
c~itizensin response TO whose invitation
Mr., Bishop is now in Glasgow. The
chair was occupied by Professor Sir
William Thomson, who, in a few
suitable remarks, introduced the
young gentleman.
Mr.. Bishop opened with a few Oh
servations. in which be adverted to
the evil effects of a belief in Spiritual
ism, and said that ere he left Glasgow
he hoped to be able to show that the
sO-called phenomena produced by the
mediums were neither more nor less
than ~cleverly contrived tricks, per-
formed by human ingenuity alone. In
order to secure fair play, and see that
there was no deception, a commit
tee, consisting of Professors Card, Nc
Kendrickan and Buchanan, and Rev. Mr..
Dodds and DR.. Yellowlees, was called
to the platform to watch the perform
anees. In answer to the question as
to whether any Spiritualist was on the
platform, Mr.. Bishop stated that if
any well known Spiritualist was pres
ent he would be glad to meet him.
There was no response.
The committee having searched in
vain for any trace of a spirit being
concealed in a cabinet placed on the
platform, Mr.. Bishop proceeded to
give an illustration of mental tele-
graphy, or unconscious cerebation'-
the trick" originally brought out by
that we'll known medium, Charles Eos
ter. Instead of reading the thoughts
of the person operated upon by means
Of a joiningO of hands, as is usually done,
Mr.. BishOphad Professor MeKendrick
blindfolded and placed at one end Of a
wire of CONSIDERABLE length, and hetook
up a position at the other end. The
professor had previously written out
and placed in a sealed envelope the
names of a large number Of deceased
persons and the name of one living
man, and at the time of taking his
seat, with the end Of the wire in his
hand, he had not communicated the
contents of the envelope to any one.
As desired, the professor concentrated
his mind on the first letter of the name
Of the living person, and after having
spoken the various letters of the al
phabet over the wire, Mr.. Bishop. an
nounced that the first letter was 81. "
Professor McKendrick admitted 10
the wondering audience that that was
so. Intercepted by Mr.. Bishop. he
said he had not seen the living man
whose name was contained in the
sealed envelope he had in his pocket.
but he had seen his photograph. At
the request Of Mr.. Bishop he coneen
trated his mind on his recollection of
the portrait, with the result that it
was in a triee discovered By Mr..
Bishop that the name was that of
Thomas Carlyle. Amid enthusiastic
applause the professor verified the
discovery by producing the written
name Of our famous cOuntryman from
the sealed envelope.
By means of very simple experi.
ment on Rev. Mr.. Dodds, the alleged
phenomena of Standardization were
next exposed. A small iron hoop was
placed on the reverend gentlman's
head, and Mr.. Bishop, seating himself
vis-a-yis, placed his hands on those OF
the clergyman. In a minute or two he
; removed one Of his hands, and with
, Mr.. Doods laboring under the delu.
! sion, h%owsoever produced, that the
, four hands were still together) Mr.
+ Bishop removed the hoop from Mr.
DOods' head, ratified it against The
chair on which he was seated. anC
then ran it on Mr.. Doods arm. Wber
the handkerchief with which he wa,
t blindfolded had been removed from
] his eyes, Mr.. Dodds firmly declared
c his impression TO have been that Meth
: er he nor Mr. Bishop had lifted theiI
r hands. The Spiritualistio medium
S perform this operation in the dark il
l precisely the same manner as that her,
I adopted, but they are in the habit 0
r attribAtlng the passage Of the hoop OF
= to the arm bg saying that it must frs
have been dematerialiged by a super
g natural power, and romatcrialized b.
a like agency. The Performance wa
1t followed by much cheering.
q The remaining portion Of the spir
$ Ito physical seance included the we'll
{ known rope tricks in the cabinc
s. wherein the young American shove.
himself quite as expert as the Dayen
ID port Brothers or any Of their disciple
a in the i9parting of animation to mus
n cal instruments end otherwise. Tn
r Katie King mystery was aone throug.
lg in the cabinet, the spirit OF Kali
d King, in answer to Mr.. Bishop's sum
1t mons, appearing in the cabinet an
d writing on the slate the words: "
d am here, and Spiritualism Is O hun,
10 huo Kai;a Kingn And H. 2