Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-04
Stretched From the Spirit
Land to Guide a Life.
A MANS TOES SUSPECTED.
DR.. Slade Holds a Successful and
Interesting Seance,
CURIOUS EXHIBITIONS OF POWER

time yesterday in their appointment with
The DISPATCH reporter and DR.. Slade, in
fact all had celestial time. Notwithstand-
ing the edicts of Judge White and the
operation of the Brooks law against the
traffic in spirits on Sunday, the reporter
again took his s. bill in hand, with good
stout string attached, and called on DR..
Slade at No. John street, where he is stop
ping with J. II. Lohmeyer, Secretary of the
Spiritualists Society of Allegheny county.
The doctor appeared quite recovered from
his indisposition of the previous night, and
as a few ravs of sunshine were at the time
permeating the atmosphere, thought the
fconditions" favorable for good manlies-
tation. The pine table was again brought
into reouisiton, and the connection made of
hands on the table, when the doctor de-
manded if the spirits were willing to COM
municate then. The table resounded with
several vigorous thumps, followed up by
several others in different portions OF the
room, showing that the spirits, having no
use for window-shutters. chair or bedsteads
themselves, had very little respect for the
Varnish on those of others.
Having thus emphatically ratified their
intention of doing business at the old
stand, some coy spirit tapped the reporter
Familiarity on the right knee several times
as if to call his attention under the table.
Not knowing whether the tapping spirit
was the disembodied presence of lady or
gentleman, the situation was for the mo-
ment embarrassing, the light, gentle touch
at first suggesting the former, while subse-
quent proceedings at once indicated the lat
ter. The visitor looked under the table,
and saw the doctors feet were encased in a
pair of low, easy shoes, which could be
easily put on or of by simple contraction
Of the foot.
THE DOCTOR Is CLEVER.
The suggestion that the doctor is quad
tumanal through his dexterity in handling
things with his toes flashed upon the report
orial mind, but if he is so, and manages the
experiments by that means, he is certainly
phenomenal, for at no time was he caught
either with his shoe off and stockings cut
away from the toes, or in the act of per-
forming any of the tricks.
One of the states purchased the night be-
fore BY THE DISPATCH was taken by DR..
Slade, and saying that the influences
were remarkably powerful, he placed it
under the table, and asked if the spirits
were willing to be interviewed. With that
promptitude to answer questions which is a
fatal defect in Matt Qusy's character, they
wrote eyes, with final flourish to the s.
and the scrap of pencil lying exactly at the
termination of the final line. The spirits
then commenced TO play with the doctor
apparently, for he squirmed and started
back from his hold on the other per-
sons hands several times, saying he
could not bear the shock, although
the reporters backbone was still in position,
and no tremor was felt in his taper and |
cream-tinted fingers. The doctor, although |
physically much larger, stronger, and in |
every way of less nervous appearance, ap- |
peared to feel thepnslaughts of the spirits |
as keenly as one Of the owl gang would the |
sudden appearance of a squad of Chief |
Browns finest" The slate, too. refused to |
stay still in his hand, and possibly actuated /
by malice prepense battered tattoo on the |
reporters knee, of which the imprints yet |
remain in a black and blue landscape of the |
Salvador Rosa style.
In fact the set of spirits now at work ap- |
peared to have been doing business with |
some spiritual speak-easy, for not content |
with banging the newspaper mans knees, |
they kicked up didOS generally, knocking |
over a table upon which stood a pile of |
states, banging the shutters and putting |
themselves generally on a par with the |
drunk and disorderly denizens of the Cen |
tral station.
THE SPIRIT OF DIR. DAVIS.
After the painting red process had been |
completed DR.. Slade called upon his famil- |
lar spirit, whom he called DR.. Davis, and |
who announced his presence in the same /
manner prescribed by the average ritual for
seating the brethren-with three raps. He |
was asked whether he thought DR.. Slade
humbug or not, and the following reply was
written between two states, held face to
face, with a somewhat lofty contempt for
both grammar and punctuation:
Ny Friends-give the story no credence. it is
beneath your notice. person like our medium
is above all abuse that can be uttered against
him, the bestway to treat such an outrage, is to
show your contempt, this medium is and has
did to much for this glorious cause to allow
anyone to abuse or to slander him, we are his
friends, am DIR. DAVIS.
This was SO real pleasant of the doctor out
of the flesh coming, at a sacrifice of time |
and the elements of English grammar, to
the defense of his friend in the flesh, that
the reporter asked for some direct messages
from the spirit world, and received two from
ladies whom DR.. Davis terms his guides
One is written presumably in Spanish and
the other in French, and although THE DIS
PATCH man cannot say much about S. E.,
never haying had the pleasure of her ac-
quaintanee, he can congratulate Marie, upon
having to give her own words liberal
translation, having reached the top of the
tree.
THE SPIRITUAL ANSWERS.
All three messages are apparently in diff
ferent handwriting, and, as the reporters
wife cannot read either Spanish or French,
are given below, although, as no date line is
given, all spirit communications being alike
in being charmingly indefinite it is impos-
sible to say whether the lady correspondents
are allow or aloft, to put it in nautical Ian
gusge. The Sonora gracefully remarks:
Yo soy de vel de todo corazon, no huy NADIA
que 20 no hicise por vel. S. E.
The communication would have been
much better appreciated had it been written
In United States, and besides gives the re-
cipient away as member of the American
Mechanics as it indicates his foreign origin.
The French spirit shows more elan, as it
were, a verve and several other things found
in the back of the dictionary. She says:
Ali quel bonheur. rien ne pouvait me rem
ore plus hereux. Je suis au comble de mes
veux- MARIE.
Then came private and confidential note
from DR.. Davis to the reporter, couched in
the following terms:
MY FRIEND-The above is from some friends /
Of yours. do not know them; they claim to
be your guides. am DIR. DAVIS
All three communications were apparently
written on the upper side of slate, held |
firmly against the underside of the table
leaf BY the reporter at one end and the Doc
tor at the other. The sound of writing was
regular and distinct, and the long dash lines
drawn by the alleged spirit between mes
sages could be distinguished when made.
from the regular writing.
THE REPORTERS QUESTION.
The mystery was certainly deep. DR..
Slade then gave permission to the reporter
70 ask question of some dead person, aud |
be wrote a question to dead child, asking
! / I