The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-12-04
MISS FAY.
Private Seance in tho Menger Hotel on
Sunday Night.
What Reporter Saw and Heard, and Does
Not Account For.

Miss Fay gave private seance at her rooms
in the Mcnger hotel last night in the presence
OF company OF ladies and gentlemen, num-
bering about twenty. The rooms occupied by
Mss F. are directly off the parlnr, on the north
side the hotel, and contained only the ordinary
furniture of Il bed, Il small marble top table, Il
dressing stand with mirror and some chairs.
More chairs were brought in to seat the com
pany, which filled up the front room used for
the blight manifestations. The company
being seated so as to face the southwest
corner of the room, Professor Braden, who
acts as Miss Fay sccturcr explained the char
acter of the manifestations and the objections
raised to them by Skeptics, Miss Fay, then came
forward and u couple of gentlemen We're chO-
sen to bind her hands and fastcn her to the
frame work of the door; this fastening was
done in the most secure manner and the lady
was seated OH piano stool in the corner and II
curtain stretched accrOsS making an imprO-
vised cabinet. us it is called guitar, tambo-
rine. bells etc. were placed in Miss Fays lap
and the curtain drawn and instantly there was
a cOmmOliOn and the Instruments were played
and thrown out into the room: Il glass of water
was placed in her mouth and several very eX-
cellent tests made to the entire satisfaction
of majority of the company that they were
performed without the use of slight of hand,
but through the phenomena of what is known
as spiritlalSm. Another test was the seating
of one of the committee in the cabinet with
Miss Fay, who acknowledge to experiencing
the manifestation and that the lady remained
quiet, a guitar being Strummcd and lifted
from her lap and placed on his head and
played. Then gentleman and lady, selected
from the audience, were seated in front of the
cabinet along with Miss Fay, with covering
drawn about them leaving exposed three
heads. The most difficult test of the evening
was executed. The Instruments were played,
the guitar passed over the curtain by visible
hand, and the gentleman who sat between the
two ladies holding their hands had his hair
pulled and back thumped by some invisible
agency, and several spirils were announced
present. These tests were given with the gas
light turned up and in full view of the com
pany.
A dark scance was then givcn,-a circle was
formed by the company, all joining hands and
care being taken that no one was left insecure
and Miss Fay seated in the centre of the circle.
either clapping her hands to show how she was
employed or held by one of the gentlemen
firmly by both hands. These manifestations
con ted in u guitar being played, vigorous
and pretty lively tiuIe generally on the part
of the spirits.
Miss Fay announced each apparitiOn and
what was asked for during the Seance. This
ended the evenings entertainment.
As to the manifestations those present who
were SpiritualiStS were firmly convinced OF
their gcnuinencsS, while those who were skep-
tics either acknowledged to being puzzled or
ridicucd the whole thing and claimed to be-
able to do it all themselves
Miss. Fay wOrca dress of rich black silk with
long train, and was adorned with prOfuSiOn
of diamonds. She is certainly very attrac-
tive, pleasant little woman, and to argue that
she gives an exhibition susceptible of easy cX-
position is ridiculous, as she has given enter
tainmcntS all over Europe and America never
failing to aStOniSh if not to convince her audi
ences that she has wonderful power to deceiv G
the senses or something else.