The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-01

Over in st. Louis novel trial Is on in the
Court of Crimin&l Correction, in which
spirits take a conspicuous part. The de-
PENDANTS are one George Miller and his wife.
Now such statement of trial In an Indian
apolis court at present would presupposs
that George Miller aud wife were running a
dram shop and had been detected by the
Metropolitan police selling ;piritnous drinks
subs quent to the striking OF the eleventh
hour, at night by the Courthouse clock.
But the s.. Louis defendants are not ar
raigned for that clsss of spirituo0s ofanae.
The charge against them ia fraud I" and
consists of having obtained from the two
prosecutors 81. so entrances fee to witness
seance, OF which Miller and wife professe6
that as mediums they would produce to the
prosecutors materializsd spirits of friends of
the latter.
1t appears that the Millers had been in the
seance business for some time, aud had sue
ceeded in raising the hair and the dollars of
o considerable number Of persons possessed
Of desire to communicate with de-
parted spirits. Is may De said
that most men prefer Communication
with spirits red With life; but, then, tastes
differ. Among the ST. Louissns desiring to
meet spooks we're two, named respectively
Johnson and Madden. and these attended
ghost show given by the Millers II sDpe ara
that Johnson and Madden were not possessed
of that depth of faith some men appear to
have IN spirits-even bibulous spirits. At
any rate, they left the sesDce questioning the
supernatural char acter of what they had seen,
felt and heard. So joining two others with
them, and filing their pockets with psrlor
matches. they purchased tickets to an other
Of the Millers' benefits. Mrs Miller went
into tue cabinet and, OF course. into trance.
Before turning out the lights, Mr.. Miller
announced that the spirits that would come
forth would be real flesh and blood and
bones, like unto the auditors, bat that 1t
would be dangerous to capture or hold them,
as in several cases under these circumstances
the mediums had died or been badly hurt.
When q spirit, said to be that OF Mr.. Mad
den's dead brother, came forth from the cab
inet, Mr.. Madden seized it, At signal frou
him his friends struck matches. Mr.. Mad
den stood revealed, with an arm snugly
claspiDg the waist not OF his deceased broth
er, but of the live Mrs Miller-the came who,
according to the programme should have
been in the cabinet AID ia trance. Her
tresses. which were loosed, wore parted at the
back and drawn on either side of her neck
and chin, in imitation of whiskers The pre-
tending spirit of the deceased brother, when
he light was made, cried out what will
do? Oh, please let go of me- Bat the arm
of the live brother still cluDg firmly about
the taper waist. The natural thing for the
male Miller. under the circumstances. WOO d
appear to bs to have gone to the rsscus OF his
wife's waist, but instead OF this hs rushed
toward the cabinet. Bat strong arm over
turned him on the way. while another of the
party picked up from the hoor of the cab
met long. white linen roos, q piece OF
mosquito netting and blue polonaise. TIE
Eesnce was ended, but Johnson and Madden
| opened another in the Criminal Court room,
in which they testified, along with Others, to
! The facts reoited, sod the Millers may have