Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-12-10
Named Cumberland, from England, Meets
Medium in A. HI. Phillips Whose
Work He Cannot Fath0m.
A Very Interesting Seanee, the Results Of
Which Are Youched For by Two
Disinterested Reporters.


spirit mediums and miRd-readers in general.
Mr. Mansfield offered to give a sean e Of an
hours duration for IS. Mr.. Cumberland
offered to give the medium 50 il any success
ful results were attained, and 81 so in case
the spirits could not appear. Mr.. Mansfield
said he did not think Mr.. Cumberland was
in the place for good purpose, and broke
cut with: "No, sir; l would not have you
lit for any amount of money. You are here
for deyilish purpose. / know you, Mr..
and, mark me, You will be
stripped of all your DISCUSSES before you
leave New York" MIR. A. II. Phillips, an
other expert spirit medium and mind-reader,
was then called upon, at the latter's
residence, No. 16l West Thirty-sixth-
street. Mr.. Cumberland was accompanied
by two Journalists, one Of whom represented
the Times. and the object of his visit was to
expose Mr.. Philhps's manifestations as the
earthiest of earthly tricks, frauds and delu-
sions.
Nj. Phillips was temporarily absent when
the party called, but his room was occupied
by a long-haired man with bald head
snd glitterin2 eye, who evidently was q be-
lever in the widest theories of Swedenborg,
aud nniolded both them and his personal
experiences with great cheerfuiness and
vigor. He had, he said, frequently seen
spirits, and they had initiated him into all
the mysteries Of spookdom. They lived in
the next world much as we do in ours-had
houseq, schools, furniture, clothing, thsaters
and food; were of as various disposition and
character as when in the flesh; were gov
erned by magistrates and dubbed by police
all exactly as we mortals are. He then
entered into a most interesting dissertation
on the penal code, which the clerks at
spirits headquarters are now busily trans
laiing into the spook language for use in
hades, and was about to give ghostly views
OF the same, when the door opened
and Mr.. Phillips appeared. Mr.. Phillips had
been notified of the proposed visit, and was
evidently not prepared 10 look upon it as
cordial courtesy, for he at once stated that
he could not give sitting that day. Some
lively, wordy, spsrring followed, in which j.
was shown that the adversaries were well
m Matched in sharpness of wit, and finally Mr..
Phillips consented to cit for each OF the party
separately, and give tests of his powers.
The representative of the Times was the
first selected, and went into the adjoining
room, which contained plain deal table
and TWO chairs. Giving his visitor pencil
and paper, Mr.. Phillips told him to write
nine or ten names upon separate bits of
paper and roll the bits into pellets. Among
the names was to be that OF dead friend or
relative. He then left the room and joined
Mr.. Cumberland while the representative of
the Times prepared the test, as follows:
First-He examined the apartment The walls
were prepared and the ceiling kalsomfned. No
chink OF hole was perceptiele, and 1t was evident
that no hidden confederate could peer into the
APARTMENT.
secOnd-He wrote nine names upon separate
bits of paper and rolled each up into a small pei
let, upon the outside of which no scrap of writing
was visible.
himself could not have told which one contained
a given name, and then called the medium. ~
Mr.. Phillips entered, quietly touched each
pellet with the tip of his fore6nger, and then
selected one and pushed it toward the writer.
He then ssked if the writer knew what name
that pellet contained. Upon receiving q
negative reply he wrote upon strip OF pa
per the name of the dead friend and told the
Irmes's representative to unfold the pellet.
This was done, and the right pellet was
shown to have been selected.
The ties. was then repeated, Mr.. Phillips
again going from the room. When the names
were written and the pellets prepared. Mr..
Phillips entered and then called in the other
journalist and babe him touch one pellet af-
ter another. When the fourth pellet was
touched he told him to take it in his hand.
This was done. Mr.. Phillips then inquired
if either of his two visitors could tell the
name written within. Neither could. He
then wrote a name as before, ordered the pei
let unfoIded, and showed that again he had
solved the question. Mr.. Cumberland was
then called in, and test was given by the
other journalist, who wrote number of
names and made pellets of them as before.
Mr.. Phillips then undertook to select one
and failed to do SO, saying that he received
no impression. A spirited argument here
upon arose between himself and Mr.. Cum
berland as to the necessity OF the mediums
mind being in receptive con-
dition" TO succeed. During this
discussion second set of pellets was care
fully prepared by the reporter, the Timers
man carefully watching Mr.. Phillips 10 see
that he did not obtain clandestine view of
the pspers. He could scarcely have read
any of them, even by looking intently, for
they were shielded from view by the writer's
hand, and he did not appear 10 glance even
in their direction except once, and that only
for an instant and most casually. The pei
lets being mixed, Mr.. Phillips selected one
and gave it to Mr.. Cumberland, and then
wrote the name written within IL before it
had been unfolded. Trying upon a second
he failed to give the right name, and gave a
name which had been written on another
pellet.
Two other tests were then given by Mr.
Cumberland, but Mr.. Philips said that the
power" had left him and did nothing sstis-
factory The visit then terminated,, Mr..
Cumberland saying that as no test had been
given him personally, ne could scarcely be
expected 10 believe, but in view of the test
given in bis presence he reluctantly admitted
that Mr.. Phillips possessed "clevernessn not
equaled by any other medium he had ever
seen. tn $500
After leaving the house, Mr.. Cumberland
tried to explain the mystery on the ground
that Mr.. Phillips in some way got sight of
the names and knew each pellet, but in the
opinion of both those who had written this
was impossible. Mr.. Phillips could scarcely
see through closed door, even if Mr.. Cum
berland was not watching, aud for Mr.. Phil
lips to identify pellets which the one who
prepared them In his absence could not dis
tinguish is certainly not probable. As to
the failure of certain tests this might be ex-
planned by the fact that Mr.. !Cumberland's
narassing interruptions, Comments, and ex-
actions would naturally throw Mr.. PhilliPs's
mind off it's balance and render it difficult
for his brain to receive impressions from for
eign sources.
The exhibition was certainly very curious
and interesting, for in each case the tests
were prepared by thorough skeptics, and by
men whose aim was to prevent all possibility
of deceit, and the upshot was that the visit
ors, with the exception of Mr.. Cumberland
himself, were convinced that Mr.. Phillips
possessed a power even more remarkable
than that Of the one who aimed TO expose
him.
Mr.. Phillips, 1t may be said in conclusion,
disclaimed any conviction that his powers
were derived from spirits, but simply gave
them for what they were worth, and said
that he himself, like Mr.. Cumberland, was
merely an investigator. -c s
s'AutOmatism of the Motive Powers.''
The Boston Advertiser publishes brief
synopsis OF DIR. William B. Carpenters Iect-
ure on the subject which be claims is the
leading topic of the hour. No part of our
perception is of more value for study he
said, than that of direction, distance and
solid form, for judgments in those matters
are derived from experience. A combina-
ton of judgments derived from touch has to
be made with others derived from sight.
Repeated experiments upon persons afflicted
with cataract have proved amply that the
combination of the perceptions by sight and
touch is gradual, and that such combination
is actually made in all normal judgments
respecting objects apprehended By these two
senses. A young boy who was familiar BY
touch with objects in his home, after being
successfully operated upon for cataract.
would make his way about home soon after
the operation BY his sense of touch, but on
going to new places, where he had no old
Impressions, he would guide himself BY
sight. A woman who was perfect ' familiar
by touch with scissors, after she had been
cured of her cataract, had no idea what
ever what the scissors could be when
they were FIRST shown to her. DIR. Carpenter
then spoke OF the effect of two dissimi ar pict-
ures of objects falling upon the retina az
the reason why objects appear to be solid.
Ex experiments in keepiug the visual picture