The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-05-05
"Been There.o

believe you are taking quite an IN
terest IN spirits just at PRESENT." said
rather seedy-looking old party, sliding
into the city editors room.
Eyes, we are deyoting some space to
that sort of thing" said the city editor.
"Got a communication ?"
Well, no." said the seedy party.
But | can give you a good deal of in
formation on the subject. You see, I've
worked the medium racket myself. L
used to be one of the best materializers
going, and I've seen the time | could set
whole set of parlor furniture dancing
Highland fling by simply slapping my
! fingers. These modern fellows are no
good, and don't you forget it. They
bungle the whole business, and give
everything away before they have hardly
commenced a sitting. What you want
is cheek, and plenty Of it. Don't cave
in because crank happens to ask You
troublesome questions Just get up an
internal rapping under his chair and
scare him into silence, or get your assist
ant to-
Assistant % asked the editor. "Then
you confess"
"Confess of course confess" said
the seedy party, that's what / came
assistant and very often the whole bust
ness depends upon his judgment. Why,
1 have an assistant who could run the
snap just as well as 1 could, and he was
death on stirring up the uneasy ones
after the light was turned down. One
time he touched a piece of ice to the
back of an old gals neck, and put her
in fit. We had to skip that town in
short order / tell you. That was his
great trouble. He never could take in
the true inwardness of a circle. My
motto is, first be sure Of your circle, and
then stave ahead. If they are farmers
and that kind of thing why let 'em down
easy. A little will go n great way with
EN-. If you strike a city bring in your
heavy guns. Lead off with a dozen or
so communications from the old world,
work up little rapping business, and
then when you've got EN- nervous
enough just suddenly spring the cabinet
act on EN- but there is one thing we'll
trained medium will never forget.
And what is that ?" asked the editor.
He viii always keep himself between
the gas fixtures or lamp and his circle"
Exactly" said the editor.
Eyes, " said the seedy party, slapping
the desk with his hand, more good,
likely mediums have bust up in that way
than any other. They put too much
confidence in the circle. Whiff Up
went the gas, and that settled the whole
business. You're always sure to rip
down curtain in getting out of sight,
and there are all your properties exposed
TO everybody, but I've got out of one or
two scrapes of that sort IN my time, and
don't you forget it.
"How did you manage it ?" asked the
editor.
"Oh. 1 Just threw the whole thing on
the spirits, and played the innocent in
jured act"
"But would the people believe your"
asked the editor.
Believe me" said the seedy party,
my dear boy, if you want TO know just
how much the people will believe, go
into the spirit business. They never
stand on ceremony. They Just swallow
everything whole, and the bigger the
mouthful the easier it seems TO go down
with EN-. You just take a hack at the
spirit business for a month or so, and If
you don't agree that I'm right, III stand
the drinks for the whole Office. Talk
about the side show and dime museum
business. Well, those fellows know
something about guys, but we can dis
count eli every 4ntN SbiCh
a stray leg on a COW now and then, and
call South Carolina darky Zulu, but
for your simon pure humbug-"
''Then you go so far rs to call your
business a humbug ?" said the editor.
MY dear boy, I've been there" said
the seedy party, as he lit the stump of
a cigar and sauntered out with the air
of a man who had relieved his con-
science. Brooklyn Eagle.