The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-10-31
HOW "SPIRITS" WORK.


A AREMARKABLE EXPOSURE OF MYS-
TERIoUs PROCEEDINGS.
What a New York Audience Saw---The
Writing on the Slate and the Process OF
Production--It's Easy Enough When
You Know Row II is Done.
(From the New York SUM-
An audience OF 1000 persons in the
Academy of Music last night saw DR.. G.
NJ. Richmond, the dentist, pull the
fangs of spiritualism with his little tricks
and with the exhibition of Margaret
Fox, the nce-famous, producer of spirit
rappings. The audience was an enthu-
siastic one when the Doctor did his
tricks, and a disgusted one when he
showed how simply he had done them.
All the pleasure of being fooled van
ished when the method of the fooling
was exposed. The Doctor, looking par
ticularly jovial in a dress suit, came
upon the stage, which contained no
furniture but a small table, with an
ordinary looking two fold slate in his
hand. He laid the slate on the table
and advancing to the footights re-
marked in casual sort of way that he
saw so many familiar faces in the audi
ence that a regular introduction seemed
unnecessary, and perhaps it was just as
well that he had forgotten at his Office
little speech with which he had pro-
posed to open the entertainment. The
audience thought that was pretty bright,
and applauded. He smiled and re-
marked that maybe the spirits would say
something appropriate tor him. He
picked up the slate which he had pre-
viously held open so that all could see
that it was blank, and opening it there
was seen on it writing which he read.
It was brief expression of desire that
fraud and falsehood be exposed.
A committee of sixteen men from the
audience was then called to the stage.
The Doctor tore piece of paper into
slips, which he laid upon the table, and
asked the committee while he retired to
select the name OF some recently de-
ceased person of note, and to delegate
one of their number to write the name
upon one slip of paper. The committee
had long discussion among them
selves, while the audience called out en-
couraging remarks, such as ''Play BALL!
"Write Harrison; he's as dead as any
one!" s'Time!" and 'sTake your basel"
When the Doctor returned with an
ordinary looking high hat in his hand,
he asked some one to throw into it all
the slips of paper, and he picked out
one without looking at it and enclosed
it in an envelope, which he laid out in
plain view on the table. Then an ordi-
nary slate was examined by the COM
mittee, and passed around among the
audience.
The envelope containing the slip OF
paper was opened by one of the commit.
tee and the paper placed In a little round
brass box which the Doctor held out in
his hand. Then he announced that upon
the slate he would produce communi-
cation signed by the person whose name
had been written upon the slip of paper,
and furthermore, would produce from
the box the identical slip Of paper with
the name the name written upon it by
direction of the committee. While a
small table was being brought in DR..
Richmond said:
81 am not attacking the theory Of
spirituaiism which is very pretty one
indeed, as any one who has ever read
Swendenborg knows, but the thing at
tt OK is the fraud and humbug that is
called Spiritualism."
Somebody misunderstood this, and he
said afterward: 81 am told that some
in the audience think I am Spiritual.
ist. There is no such thing as actual
spiritualism. (Applause.) Anything
done contrary to natural law is mira
Gle, but there hasn't been such thing
as miracle for at least 1900 years.
The table being set down in the cen
tire, the Doctor called for a piece OF
chalk, which, being passed around
among the committee, he placed under
the slate. Then he stepped back and
said:
s'The name on the paper was Frederick
William. Is that right?"
1t was, and the committee was as
founded. Lifting the slate he showed
it covered with writing, which he read:
81 would not come back to live in a
world where one smile must balance
thousand tears, for in this world of bliss
there is nought but eternal happiness:
"FREDERICK WILLIAM.
The Doctor opened the brass box,
and handed to the committee the slip of
paper upon which the name was written.
Nov if anybody asks how | know
that the spirits didn't, after all, he said
s'write that communication, iii say
that I know they didn't because l wrote
it myself at my Office this afternoon.
This is trick, which up TO this time, no
medium in this country has been able to
do. Any spiritualist who has paid q
dollar to get in here will find out how to
make thous md when l show how the
thing is done.
1t was simple enough. The hat had q
false piece, which he slipped in over the
original slips of paper, dropping IN
lot of blank slips from his hand at the
same time. It was one of these blank
slips that lie took from the hat and that
was put in the box. A confederate be-
hind the scenes meantime took the
original slips from the hat and obtained