Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-04-23
SPURIOUS spooKs.
A Magician ON the Tricks OF Pro-
fesstona1 EHedimmhs

fesstonat KHedtmmhs
Kellar, the magician, explains some OF
the tricks of the medium trade to Phila-
delphia North Anae7Tcdn reporter, saying
80 begin with, / think that spiritual
ism puts more people in the insane
asylum than anything else, except liquor.
But We can excuse the majority OF the
Spiritualists when great men allow them
selves to be 30 easily fooled. For in
stance, / wns the assistant at private
seance, which the Davenport brothers
gave in London to a number of gentlemen,
among whom were Dion Boucicault,
Charles Reade, AlgeDon Borthwick, Lord
Burrey, Capt. Inglefield and others. The
brothers were both tied in their cabinet
Lord Burrey stepped up and leaned over
one of them to examine the knot, when
the other quickly slapped him on the
back. There was IL murnur in the room.
These great men were struck with awe.
Now, let me tell you, this rope trick
depends upon mere physical dexterity,
and the slap was made like u flash and
pretty hard Tut here is the description
Dion Boucicault wrote of Il: "A small,
white, delicate female hnnd suddenly
appeared above one of the doors of the
cabinet. II quivered for several seconds,
and then, slowly descending, tapped Lord
Burrey gently on the shoulder, and then
melted in air. II is Just in this way that
otherwise sensible people allow their
senses to be deceived and their imagina-
tons preyed upon. The celebrated
theosophist, Englington, completely
dumbfounded me in Calcutta. Three Of
us were seated by n plain, round table.
Two states were brought in. l took the
two and washed and wiped them clean.
He then gave me q little piece of slate
pencil, which put between the two clean
States. He took hold of one corner with
one hand and told hold with the other.
We then clasped our hands and held the
slates under the edge Of the table,
Presently there was noise as of the pencil
writing, and when we opened the slate
beheld the following My name il
Geary. Don't you remember me? We
used to joke of this matter OF the st
George know better now l re
marked, Il known no one by the name o.
Genry' The slate was put under thu
table again, and the word 'Geary, Geary,
was written several times. Other slate
were put under too, and one was brough
out with this on il Il am Alfred GeRry
You knew me and 81. Leger.' Then / re
membered having met both men at Cap
Town, in South Africa, four years before
Geary had died three years before
Geary and had joked about spiritualisr
ut the st. George hotel in TINT town
thousands of miles away. Well, had b
confess didn't know how the thing WI
! done, and paid my forfeit But tl
mystery is now clear. learned it sewers
years afterward At the hall in Cap
, Flown, Africa, whore performed, theI
was janitor named Hutchinson, gret
,, spiritualist. Englington had been thel
, Just after left, and of course Hutchinso
told him all about me. That's how /
got his information for the spiritui
letter, and mediums are always preparin
=, themselves in this way. As TO how
wrote the communication on the slate,
, found that out, too, and have done
! before the Siebert commission, which
I investigating spiritualism, and will SOC
! report. They have had Slade and Loi
? and great many alleged mediums befo
! them. Nearly all spiritualists II
honest in their ridiculous belief, hoy
-, ever much accused for dishonesty, an
y stranger still, believe there is chan
4 medium who spenksin trance who real
= believes in his agency; but those medium
a who make use of tricks ARE frauds eve
| time ="