The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-04-13
How She Utilized Piece OF Common
Tarletan and a Five Cent Mask to
Materialize the Soul of Some
body's Defunct Relative
What Mr.. Sam
mis- Saw.

| and his friends saw on the occasion described.
The gossamer stuff proved to be a common
| piece of blue tarletan covered all over with
cretonne flowers and spangled here and there
with large patches of tinsel paper. 1t is about
/ two yards long and nearly as wide and is rath-
| er the worse for wear. The spirits ought to be
ashamed of the affair if they designed it, be-
cause it is not worthy of childs ingenuity in
design and represents only few cents outlay.
| If they like such garments as this is, their
| spirit wardrobes cannot compare in taste or re-
| finement with those of the lowest class OF hui
man beings and verify if the other world is
filled with beings satified with such toggery it
becomes us all to stay here Contentedly just as
| long as we possibly can
Mr.. Sammls' account concerning the expos
ure of Mrs Hull, long known as the wonderful
| materializing medium of Astoria, N. K, and
of Vancluse r. l., at seance held IN the city
of New York, on the evening of March 10,
1882; Before proceeding to relate the circum-
stances and details of the detection and expos
ure of Mrs. Hull on this occasion, 1t would
seem to be proper to state that there was no
premeditated intention, or expectation even,
on the part of those present to attempt any ex-
posure whatever. Indeed, between the only
three gentlemen present, DIR. Collins, MIR. Nc
Wicker and myself there was no acquaintance
whatever. The seance was made up to con-
sist of ten paying persons at w eacn; ana De-
ing told that some of those engaged mad sig
niied their intention MOI 10 be present, and
sumed the difference OF S. Being informed
that Mr.. McVicker might be disposed to at
tend called upon him the evening previous,
representing to him, no doubt, that there was
great opportunity to see something great, for
the woman's reputation in this line was in
deed great, Endorsed as she was by SO many
eminent and learned people; the result being
that Mr.. McVicker finally became one OF the
circle. This constituted all the acquaintance
/ had had with Mr.. McVicker or he with me.
Mr. McVicker and DR.. Collins had never met
before, and / had no acquaintance with DIR.
Collins whatever. In fact, we all three were
strangers, never had anything to do with each
other previously, and neither OF us has seen
either of the others since the affair up to this
writing, Sunday morning, March &C. 1882. SO
far as know, every one present went there
hoping to get something good, reliable and
true; and there never was more harmonious
and better disposed seance than this one Tho
detection and exposure was the result simply
of the exercise of ordinary intelligence in per-
ceiving flimsy and transparent imposition,
and ordinary and prompt action in exposing
it. With this much by way OF preface, i will
proceed TO relate the circumstances:
There were present thirteen people-three
gentlemen and ten ladies-beside Mr.. and Mrs.
Hull. The rooms consisted of front room, in
which we sat back of this Small room, with
folding doors, over which curtains, parted in
the middle were hung. IN this room, very
small, a lounge, placed directly across the door
way, about three or four feet from the curtains
received the reclining form of Mrs Hull when
in the supposed deep trance; back OF this there
were two other rooms. The doors between the
two latter rooms having been duly locked and
the KEYS taken away, about half-past eight,
Mrs Hull took her reclining posture on the
lounge, the arch formed, the curtains were
dropped, and in waiting expectation the circle
sat in the weird haziness OF half turned
down gas Jet, for the materialized forms OF
thnse who have passed on to the higher life
than this There were those present to whom
this thought, this hope, was very dear and
sacred; and the hops was earnest, the desire
w:,s sincere that at last, through SO apparently
undoubied instrumentality, Endorsed and
youched for by 80 many well known people,
the great demonstration in tangible, recog-
nized form would be placed on the sure found
ations of undoubted sight and recognition.
After the curtains had been drawn down Mf.
Hull started, "Nearer, Mr.. God to Thee!' to
make conditions less positive; and, subsequent
y, he led off with MAKE us prayerful Just
now" ETC., to put US in proper spirit OF
reverence for such sacred revelations as were
coming.
After awhile, ten or fifteen minutes, per-
haps. the curtains were parted, and form,
that of a woman. appeared, clad IN white,
standing; and, moving shortly, she held back
the curtains so we COuiu ali $50 dt tlo eilAiO
the form of what was supposed to be Mrs
Hull, in the deep, dead trance. Mr.. Hui,
who sat next to the curtain, said: There. see
my wife, in deep trance on the lounge!
To be brief, five forms had appeared sever
al were called up to the curtain; several times
the forms would be fully six to eight feet from
the curtains into the circle; almost directly
under the light; but they all had the sell same
white stockings, the same white skirt, with the
same marked crease down the front; the same
md
| all so tangible SO material, 80 much OF SUD-
| stance about all of the forms that the circle,
| excepting few, were very shortly OF the
| opinion the guise was too Transparent, the I'M
| position was too apparent-thatthew whole thing
| was fraud.
After five forms had appeared DR.. Collins
| was called up by form standing Just INSIDE
| the curtain, and between them Dr. Collins ap-
| preached and asked the form some questions;
| the reply being indistinct, he stopped and bent
| forward, urging it to speak moro plainly or
| something of that kind; while SO engaged ne
| saw through the disguise, and that the form
| was none other than Mrs. Hull herself While
thus inclined forward to catch the words OF
| whispered speech he gradually extended his
| arm until it encircled the waist, when, sudden
| ly clasping the form tightly he whirled 1t
| around quickly into the main room, the form
| at the il slant utteriDg scream OF alarm as 1t
| was seized. Quick as panther, and with the
| ferocity Of tiger, the man Hull dropped his
| prayerful mood and sprang at Or. Collins,
| rrannlng at his throat, During this, which
| Yves the work Of an instant almost, l sprang
| forward, and had just got in front OF the cur
| tains when the form succeeded In getting away
| from Dr. Collins while the latter was strug-
| Cling with Hull, and rising up made dart to-
| ward the curtains, when seized 1t and held it
| until the lights were turned up, when, the PIC
| ture of despair and woe, trembling and forlorn,
in scanty attire, not any spirit but the veri-
| table living, breathing Mrs. Hull herself, was
| Axnosed and detectpd,
| While this was going on lady rushed be-
| hind the curtains and found, on feeling on the
| lounge, that there was no Mrs. Hull there; but
| in her place false face resting on pillows sur
| mounting form composed of blankets nicely
| covered with comfortables, &c, which had
| been provided for the occasion, as it was said
that when in the deep trance the draught upon
| the mediums vitality was so great that she re-
| qured much covering to keep the necessary
| warmth in her body This false face and the
| other things the lady threw off the lounge IN
| the excitement of the moment into another
| room, where they were afterwards taken pos
session of by myself.
As Mrs. Hull was exposed, Mr.. Hull excialm-
ed, ~ acknowledge that is my wife; but you
| don't understand this You don't understand
the laws governing this thing and proposed
| giving another seance under the test condl-
| tons: but he was told he was villain and we
| didn propose to associate with any such fraud
| alter We had found him out.
| Afterward, Mrs. Hull was assisted to dress
by some of the ladies present; she was tremp-
ling and undone, too weak to do anything; so
they assisted her to put on her dress, her SHOES
and other wearing apparel including her jew
elry, which she had taken off and placed IN a
little box under her pillow
The detection was absolute; the exposure
perfect enough to extort an admission oil IL
| from the man Hull himself; and now IN the
same category with Gordon, the Eddys, MIS-.
Sawyer, the Crendells and others, this woman
Hull appears, and it remains for the represent
tative Spiritualists of today, who have the best
interests of the cause at heart. to consider what
can be done to make this kind of frauds so
detestable and dangerous of attempt in the fu-
ture as to prevent further exhibitions OF a
similar kind.