The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-09-02
LOCAL NEWS.
From the Spirit Land.
Twenty Minutes with DR.. Henry Slade,
the Noted Slate Writing Medium.

on Division street He arrived last Friday
from the west, and will remain probably
all this week yet He is the genuine Dr.
Henry Slade, for Mr.. Martin knows him
personally and will vouch for his identity
The DR.. is man probably between forty
and fifty years of age, nearly six feet tall,
well proportional, light gray muStache and
gray hair trimmed closely; rather good
looking, pleasant expression of face, and u
manner that makes one feel entirely at
ease. He is still suffering from a stroke Of
paralysis that afflicted him IN San Francisco
recently, and he is compelled to move
about carefully, holding onto chairs and
tables for support as he goes. This ailment,
together with the exhaustion said to al
ways attend spiritualstic control, render
him comparatively helpless at times
DR.. Slade does not give public exhlbi-
tons, because, he says, he Is never able to
tell positively whether he will obtain mani
testations at any given time or not He
holds that anyone who gives an uncondi,
tional promise that he will at any given
time or place give spiritualistc manifesto
| tions, is a fraud. The DR.. gives only pri-
vate seances and those by appointment;
he gives only few each day, because of
his illness.
During his stay here the DR.. has given a
series Of these private seances in one of the
we'll furnished upper rooms of the Martin
residence, at which only two or three per
sons besides himself were present, and the
manifestations obtained at these sittngs
have been wonderful and have formed the
subject of animated comment among all
who witnessed them. What occurred at
one of these seances we shall endeavor to
describe as faithfully as our senses enabled
us to note it. The sesnce in question was
given Sunday afternoon, between and 4
o'clock. 1t was given in a room rendered
as light as day out doors, by the sun light
that entered without obstruction through
two large windows. The furniture of the
room was such as may be fou nd in the well
furnished bed room of any family of refined
taste aud in easy circumstances, except that
in the center of the carpcted floor stood a
large folding table, with two wings; it was
evidently a new table, purchased expressly
for DR.. Stades use here. So far as lcould
be seen ia careful examination there was
nothing unusual about the table. On the
occasion in question only three of us were
seated at this table, viz, Mr.. G. W. Morse,
DR.. Slade and oursef. We were assured
by the DR.. that the conditions were all very
favorable and, certainly, subsequent devel-
opments indicated that they must have
been.
We all joined hands on top of table near
the center, and almost Immediately in an
swer to the question, care there any spirits
presents", asked by the Dr., number of
quick, dull raps were heard as though
someone we're rspping with his knuckles
gently against the table from below. To
the question, "Will you write for us1" three
distinct raps were given.
Several states that had been newly pur.
chased from local dealers were used, and
when held under the table, with bits of
slate pencil upon them, brief answers to
questions verbally asked by DR., Slade, were
promptly written, in bold though some
what illeglble hand, and several long com
municBtions were received on double states
held on top the table or against one of the
sitters. The scratching of the pencil while
the Communications were being written
could be plainly heard. Taese commune
cations we're received under the following
circum stances:
The visitors held both their hands on top
of the table, joined to one of DR.. SHADES
hands. After placing bit of pencil upon
the slate, the Dr., with his Gisengaged
hand, took up the slate and thrust it under
one corner of the table, leaving not only
his hand but portion of the slate visible.
The writing began almost instantly and
the slate was seen to move as though sub
jected to downward pressure, such as might
have been produced by someone writing
upon it heavily When the communication
was finished, a series of quick, sharp raps
were heard, as though made with the pen
Gil upon the slate, and when drawn forth
the slate bore the communication, and the
pencil lay with the tip joined to the ter
minatlon of the finishing stroke. 1t was
noticeable, also, that tiny particles of the
pencil we're strewn along the hervier lines,
and the pencil itself showed unmistakabe
signs of having been used.
A large pencil and small one were
placed upon slate under the table the DR..
requested the spirits to throw the large one
away If they did not want it. The