Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-09
SPIRIT[SH SHAMS EXPOSED,
Il REMARKABLE SEANCE BEFORE Il
DISTINGUISHED AUDIENCE.

Il II 4 Il
DLSTINGCLsHED AUDIENCE.
Stewart Cumberland, the Lon ION Expert,
illustrates the Humbugs of the Phe-,
nomena of Spiriti-m and Astonishes a
Company of Reverend and Lay Inves-
tigatOrs at the Everett House.
NY. Star.
To the exposure of the so-called shams
of spiritism, Mr.. Stewart Cumberland, an
Englishman, has for some time past de-
voted his talents in the interests of relig-
ion, science and personal profit. He has
just arrived in this country, ''fresh from
his great London successes and last night
he gave a preliminary exhibition of his
wonderful powers in a parlor of the
Everett house. The invitations were
confined to a very select circle of
ministers, medical specialists, actors
and journalists, and the favored few pres
ent included Rev. Henry Ward Beecher and
Mrs. Beecher, Mr.. Steele Mackaye, DR..
George NJ. Beard, Rev. George H. Hep
worth, DR.. Meredith Clymer, Dr.. c. L.
Dana, Rev. DR.. Buckley, DR.. McLane Ham
ilton, A. G. Wheeler, Maze Edwards, Rev.
DR.. j, p. Newman, Professor Nelson Sizer
and Maj. J. B. Rand. The guests as they.
arrived were Introduced to handsome,
ight-haired Englishman, in full evening
dress and with three magnificent diamond
studs on his shirt front, whom several mis-
took for the Marquis of Lorne, but who
was the newly arrived thought-reader. He
leaned against handicapped table.
elegantly ssif-possessed. while he told his
distinguished audience what he pro-
posed doing. All that he did was
achieved by natural results. Every one of
the phenomena said to be worked by spirit
power can be perfectly explained on mum
dane principles. Ii spiritualism be gem
uine, anything he could 90 toward expos
ing what he considers fraud would not
hurt the truth.
Another part of my performance said
Mr.. Cumberland, lis ught-reading. Yoa
can not catch hold of a man and tell what
he is thinking of by simply looking at him.
That is clairvoyance. You can no more do
this than you can look into the middle of
next week. But if man fixes his mind
intently on something material, 1 can, by
contact with him,tell what it is A man can
not have two dominant idea. He must
think of one and of nothing else. Then my
power of perception, which claim to be
extraordinary, must succeed"
Then you expose humbug but perform
thought-readingy said DR.. Hepworth.
Exactly. Now look here, Mr.. Beecher.
will you look around tho room, fix your
mind intently on certain object, write its
name on piece of paper and hand it to
DR.. Beard?"
When the performer had been blind
folded Mr.. Beecher did as directed. and
then Mr.. Cumberland took the preachers
left hand, placed it on his forehead for a
second and started on a hurried tour of the
room, stopping finally in front of DR.. ely
mer, from whose nose he took pair of
gold trimmed eyeglasses.
That's itr' said MIR. Beeche-.
snow Them resumed Mr.. Cumberland.
''Mr. Beecher will take this trinket, touch
with 1t two spots in the room. and then
give it to some gentleman present, who will
secrete it where ne pleases.';
The trinket was given to DR.. E. B. Ball,
who carefully deposited it in his left shoe.
after which the blindfolded foreigner,
leading Mr.. Beecher a lively chase, pointed
cut the exact places that had been touched
by the trinket, and finally discovered it in
DR.. Balls shoe.
s'Great Heaven" exclaimed Mr.. Beecher.
astOnished.
''Has any one here a pan?'' aske l Mr..
Cumberland.
81 have" promptly answered DR.. Hep
worth, rising with a rheumatic move
ment.
Are you sure of where it is!''
'Oh. yes, too sure"
Commencing at the eyeglasses, his ex-
aminer passed his hands down to the
doctors right ankle, and there stopped.
Its right there" said the doctor prompt
ly. land now I'll be obliged if you take it
away"
Now, I would ask if any one present has
e5 note, or whatever you call it in this
country" and as no one responded, every
body laughed. Finally Professor Sizer
produced S. bill, the number of which
he was requested to memorize. The per-
former was to guess the number of the bill,
pointing out the figures on playing cards.
Professor Sizer proved a tough subject,
and was succeeded by one of the reporters
present. In few moments the exact
number, $780, had been guessed cor
rectly.
The next experiment was to guess the
date of coin which Mr.. Bsecher had in |
his pocket, and it was performed as |
promptly and successfully as the others. !
This completed the thoughtreading part
of the performance, and Mr.. Cumberland |
next directed his attention to spiritism.
He said that the persons who claim to read |
minds Of others through influences from |
the spirit land were arrant imposters. He |
would perform Fosters famous trick OF |
written by stranger. A gentleman pres
emit wrote the names, Mr.. Cumberland |
meantime Withdrawing to distant part of |
the room, and then rolled the pieces of |
paper into as many infnitessimal balls. |
Simply holding the writer's hand, the per-
former guessed the names-"Warren |
Howe" Samuel Shaw" and Helen Shaw"
This, he explained, was mere trick, easily !
explained. Mr.. s eele Mackaye, who is
of spiritualist, took issue with |
him on the subject of Fosters |
ability, and warm discussion was |
only prevented by Mr.. Cumberlands pass
ing on to the next test, which was an ex
PLANTATION of spirit-rapping. This was
done, said Mr.. Cumberland, by the dis |
placement of the tendons of the foot. He |
took the shoe from his right foot, and |
having submitted the latter for examina
ton to several of the experts present he
produced noise similar to that made by |
rapping table. The same experiment