The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-10-31
sPIRiTUALiSTIc FRAUDS.
Margaret Fox Repents and a New
York Dentist Shows UP Tricks.

Margaret Fox Repents and a New
York Dentist Shows Up Tricks.
An audience of 1000 persons in the Acad-
envy OF Music in New York the other night
saw Dr. G. M. Richmond, the dentist, pull
the fangs of spiritualism with his little tricks
and with the exhibition of Margaret Fox,
the once famous producer of spirit rappings.
The audience was an enthusiastic one when
the doctor did his tricks, and disguised one
when he showed how simply he had done
them. All the pleasure of being fooled van
ished when the method of foollng was ex-
posed. The Doctor, looking particularly
1ovial in dress suit. came upon the stage,
which contained nc, furniture but small
table, with an ordinary looking two-fold
slate in his hand. He laid the slate on the
table and advancing to the footlights re-
marked in casual sort OF way that he saw
so many familiar faces in the audience that a
regular introduction seemed unnecessary, and
perhaps It was just as well that he had for
gotten at his Office little speech with which
he had proposed to open the entertainment.
The audience thought that was pretty bright
and applauded. He smiled and remarked
that maybe the spirits would say something
appropriate for him. He picked up the s,ate
which he had previously held open SO that all
could see that it was blank, ana opening it
there was seen on it writing which he read
1t was brief expression of desire that
fraud and falsehood be exposed.
A committee of sixteen men from the audi
ence was then called to the stage. The Doc
tor 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 deceased person of note, and to del
egate one of their number to write the name
upon one slip of paper. The committee had
a long discussion among themselves, while
hn furc oil anita
such as "Play ball!' write Harrison hes
as dead as anyone!" Time" ami Take
your basel'
When the Doctor returned with an ordi-
nary looking high hat in his hand, he asked
some one to throw into the hat all the slips of
PAL er. and he picked out one without looking
at IL and enclosed it in an envelope, which he
laidlout in plain view on the:table. Then an
ordinary slate was examined by the COM
mittee, and passed around among the audi
ence
The envelope containing the Slip of paper
was opened by one OF the committee and the
paper placed in little round brass box
Which the Doctor held out in his hand Then
he announ ed that upon the slate
he wouu produce com nunicaton signed
by the person whose name had been written
upon the paper, and furthermore, would pro-
duce from TIE box the identical slip of paper
with the name written upon by direction OF
the committee. While small table was be-
ing brought in DR.. Richmond said:
Il am not attacking the theory of spiritual
ism, which is very pretty one indeed, las any
one who has ever read SwedenboIg knows,
but the thing | attack is the fraud and hum
bug that is called Spiritualsn"
Somebody misunderstood this, and he said
afterward: Il am told that some in the
audience think l am a Spirituaist. There is
no such thing as spiritualism. [Applause.I
Anything done contrary to natural law is
miracle, but there hasn't been such a thing as
miracle for at least 800 years"
The table being set down in the centre, the
Doctor called for piece Of chalk, which, be-
ing passed around among the committee, he
placed under the slate. Then he stepped
back, and said:
.'The name on the paper was Frederick
William. Is that right?"
1t was, and the committee looked astound-
ed. Lifting the slate, he showed it covered
with writing, which he read
lwould not come back TO live in a world where
one smile must balance Thousand tears, for in
this world OF bliss there is naught but eternal
happiness. FREDERICK WILLIAM.
The Doctor opened the brass box and
handed to the committee the slip of paper up
on which the name was written.
:, NOW. II anybody asks how l know that
the spirits didn't after ALL" he said, write
they didn't because l wrote it myself at my
Office this afternoon. This is a trick which,
up to this time, no medium in this country
has been able to do. Any Spiritualist who
hdo pau q uOndl W eCt ucIO Will uQU out
how to make thousand when / show how
the thing is DONE"
1t was simple enough. The hat had 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 1t was one of
these blank slips that he took from the hat
and that was put in the box. A confederate
behind the scenes meantime took the original
slips from the hat and obtained that with
the name upon it, The box was double one
QQVQrIV made that tho daaapfiap TaA
detection TO one who did not know the trick
The slip with the name in it was put in one
compartment and the committee put the
other slip In the other compartment. This
accounted Tor the slip OF paper, and the audi
ence locked cheap, but cried hopefully for
the explanation of the slate writing. That
was simpler yet. The slate, which had been
lying in plain view all the time, was picked
doctor shook out the side on which che writ
ing was. This was thin bit of cardboard
with slate surface, which fitted exactly in
to the frame on one side of the slate pre-
viously passed about the audience was notic-
able to the eyes of the committee. The pre-
pared piece, with the writing ON it, was
brought in with the table, piece of news
paper pasted over the back making it indis-
tinguishable from the real newspaper that
also lay on the table. While placing the
chalk under the slate the Doctor fitted the
loose piece with the slate frame, and that
was all there was about 1t. The audience
was too chagrined at the way it had been
taken in to applaud very heartily at this, and
their taste spoiled for the tricks that follow
ed.
DR.. Richmond then produced washington
Irving Bishops bank note trick" telling the
number OF note by means of secret signs
from confederate, and produced some spirit
pictures a la Diss Debar.
There is no such thing as spirit manifes-
tati0ns," said the Doctor "and anyone who
claims they can do things like this ought to
be in the penitentiary."
you ought to be there too p called out an
angry Spiritualist.
"Oh, no, I'm turning States evidence; Pm
all rightw said the Doctor, and the audience
wanted to put the Spiritualist out.
On behalf of Philadelphia man who,
he said, was in the audience. the Doctor Of
fered $1,000 to any one who could produce a
mark an inch long on slate by any power
except a natural one.
The Margaret Fox part of the show mar
rowly escaped being ridiculous owing to the
stage fright or other affection which made
her unable to speak her piece, and prevented
her from reading it except in the hating
fashion. What she finally read was a few
sentences expressive of her regret al having
been SO greatly instrumental in perpetuating
the fraud of spiritualism upon too conid-
ing public. She solemnly asserted that now
she was telling the whole truth, and asked
God to forgive her as she hoped He would
forgive those who believed in "this silly.
nOnsensical, wicked thing"
Doctors from the audience went upon the
stage, and felt the woman's foot as she made
the motions by which she used to do the rap.
ping. Then she stood in her stocking feet on
little pine platform six inches from the
floor, and without the slightest perceptible
movement of the person made raps audible
all over the theatre. She went down into
the audience, and there, resting her foot on
another persons, and showed how by the
motion OF the great toe the sound was pro-
duced.