Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-11-07


the Academy to prove that he didn't ask
any odds of disembodied spirits TO do SEEM
ingly occult and supernatural things, the
house was packed in certain portions with
pronounced spiritualists-me and women
10 whom the evidence of the senses seems
to be of the smallest possible account aud
who, having firmly adopted a belief that
Shakespeare and Milton and Wellington,
not to speak of St Paul and the other
apostles, can be induced to revisit this
earth for the pecuniary profit of "medi-
ums,' regard all wholesome attempts to
disillusiOnize them of this abominable no
ton as so many personal insults.
The bulk of the entertainment was car
ried on by DIR. c. NJ. Richmond, we'll
known dentist of this city, who has spent
twenty years and perhaps as many thou
sands of dollars in investigating mediumistic
tricks and wiles, and who doubtless knows
as much about this particular species Of
fraud as any man living. The doctor, how
ever, labored under the disadvantage of not
being accustomed to public speaking nor to
the manifestation" of his tricks before
large assemblago, and the unfriendly or
wholly indifferent elements in his audience
had considerable amusement at his expense.
He was assisted by Mr.. Frank w. Stech-
an, Western theatrical man and man
ager of well-known star. For many years
Mr.. Stechan has exposed in smaller ways
the tricks and false claims of the spiritual
istic fraternity, and he has become familiar
with all their deceptive methods. He has
many times sought to induce the Fox Sis
ters TO make public their secret, aud has
now the satisfaction of having arranged
the details for the public exposure. Mr.
Stechan has personally looked after Mrs.
HfsiF m tod af Of ono OF
by an enraged medium to kidnap her and
prevent the threatened exposure.
Unaccustomed, however, as the doctor
was to public stage, all impartial specta-
tors VIII admit that the things he did were
quite as cieverlv done as most so-called
mediums ever do them.
His first effort was to obtain spiritual
slate-writing in answer to written ques-
! tons. Calling a committee of sixteen
gentlemen to the stage he requested them
to put their written queries in a silk hat.
Which he held in his hand A question hav-
ing then been selected by lottery from this
hat, he produced perfectly clean slate.
which was passed around for inspection A
bit of chalk was placed on table under
this slate. A moment later the slate was
lifted from the table and was found to con-
tam communication from the late EN-
peror Frederick William in answer to one of
the written queries, saying that he would
not willingly come back to dwell in this
world of tears.
The trick was well done, and it was not
until the doctor had shown that the silk hat
contained false lining or bottom which
enabled him TO hide away and produce when
needed written questions which he had him.
self prepared, and that the slate, too, was
most ingenlously constructed, with double
Ia hot 4I..g
tators comprehended how it was done.
There said DIR. Richmond. as he con-
cluded his demonstration of how the trick
was performed, SIS something which you
mediums who have paid dollar TO come in
here tonight can make thousand dollars
out of if you work it properly"
The doctors next performance was what
is commonly known as mind reading. Just
what that had 70 do with Splritualism no
body WAS able to see, but the doctor was a
clever performer of the trick and sort of
threw 1t in gratuitously He read the num-
Der upon hidden bank-biil witheat much
difficulty, and was quite as cleveras Bishop.
the earliest apostle of the .. mind-readino o. ,,
fraud. After this came a tlalphcatien lv tsa
doctor of the wellkaoWn SpirituaIis,ic
trick Of obtaining written communication
upon presumably blank pieces of naner
scaled up in envelopes. Among the com
munications received in this way was one
addressed 70 Jacob Hoss, which said /.
Wnen you get the wires under ground
New York viii elect YOU its nayor.'' This
called forth loud applause. When IL had
ceased the doctor explained that the trick
was merely slight OF hand substitution for
the envelopes handed him from the audi
enee OF others winch he had previously pre-
pared.
lne audience was by this time becoming
somewhat inpatient for Mrs Margaret
ros Kane, but was reconclied To a still
sss.aer ae,ay OF her appearance by Or.
.lal I,lcnioona announcement that he would
next duplicate Nine. Diss Debar,s srSrit-
painting manipulatiOns- II win be perbans
remembered that Prof Hermann. h At