The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-11-24
spIRIrUAL MANIREsrATIoNs.
What an Ex.MedIum Has to Say on the
subject.


WHEELING, W. Va, November 90, 'sl.
Editors IntOlllEcnCOr!
notice considerable discussion on the
subject ofsocalled spirituaIistlc phenome-
ma in your issue Of to-day, and having had
considerable experience with mediums
claim that the characteristic phenomena
Of modern spiritualism has never been Of
any practical use or good whatsoever, and,
furthermore, that it is sheer 4rickery from
beginning to end, This superstition began
at HydesviIlc, Wayne county, n. Y, in the
form OF spirit ruppings by the Fox girls,
on March 81, ls4s, at midnight, on the eve
Of and morning Of "All FOOLS Day"
and the world has been success
fully duped by 1t ever since, Investigation
proved that the so.Called rappings were
produced by swapping Of the tendons at
both the knee and ankle joints. Another
instance was the removal OF the mediums
coat while in the ropes by disorganizing it,
but the controlling intelligence has never
given us good reason why the coat could
not be shown 10 the audience In state OF
disorganlzation and then be reconstructed
again.
l was present at n private seance In Bos.
ton recently, when u distinguished Ameri.
can medium succeeded in making the
Credulous believe that he floated about in
the empty air near the ceiling Of dark.
ened room. Upon going through a few
manifestations in bis assumed capacity, he
took from concealed apartment pair Of
boots, well stuffed from toes TO tops with
rugs, and sewed together by the straps to
one end Of stick about six feet in length.
With soft slippers on his feet he mounted q
bench which extended along the wall from
one end OF the room to the other, and held
the boots out at arms length, and with the
little end OF horn in his mouth, the other
end resting on one arm, through which the
controlling spirit was supposed to speak,
this voice called out 10 one OF the persons
to come in the direction Of the voice and
feel the mediums feet while he was
being carried in the air by the spirits. This
voiCe admonished the person who
was to feel the feet TO be very careful
and barely touch them, as grasping those
members violently might break the ICON.
ditions" Some person in the audience
carefully CROPPED along In the dark,
directed by the voice, and reaching
up and moving his hands about till they
came in contact with the "medium's' feet,
adhered with gentle hold, while
the medium led him from one end
Of the room to the o'her Then, with a
solemn sigh, he sought his scat,
verify believing that he had been
in contact with the mediums feet
while that individual was being
upheld and floated in the air by the spirits.
At the conclusion the medium made haste
to conceal the boots, and when light was
produced he was apparently" in an ex-
hausted condition, which he said was the
result OF an excessive spiritual draught''
upon his vitality.
This Is fair sample Of tho tricks prac.
ticed by professional mediums, and 1t Is
unnecessary 10 say that in every instance
you will find that absolute lying, together
with mechanical Contrivances OF various
designs, have been the means by which
they have wrought those so.called phen.
omena which have made their "money
making schemes q success.
According TO spiritualistiC doctrine be-
levers are not accountable for any crime
committed by them, and there is no such
thing rs lie. Mediums are only ma.
chimes through which the spirits work, and
a lie.is only an undeveloped truth.
Such nonsense But, as II is topic o.
almost endless argument, will not further
enCroaCh upon your valuable space, buI
will substantlate what have just said will
practical illustrations on the subject
tonight and will subject myself TO all the
restraints and tests that are imposed upor
"mediums" Of the present day. ! can re
produce any phenomena they may intro
duCe, and prove 1t to be done upon min
dane principles. T. w. BREWSTER,
Il nEx.madiurnh