Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-08-02

| prevailed, and the guests sang, "Shau
| We Gather at the River?"
During this performance Mrs. Bolus
slipped her supple wrists out OF the tape
loops, and had just covered her face with
| handkerchief prior to presenting it at
the peep-nole and squeaking out spirit
message, when hand touched her head.
"What Is that?" she shrieked.
| "a spirit. of course, replied the voice.
"a spirit?" gasPed Mrs. Bolus. "Oh,
| good Heaving T! it is true, then
You'll find that out to your cost.
| Utter a word, and I'll blight you" said
the spirit
II heard voices |" cried one amongst
| the audience.
"Ons was MANS" sighed Mrs. Nor
ris. 81 believe we are going to have
something wonderful.
~ shall die y moaned Mrs. Bolus in
the cabinet.
The spirit meanwhile secured her
neatly to her chair.
What an awful noise y shivered q
nervous lady, and ut that moment face
appeared at the little window.
"It's mans !" cried Mrs. Norris.
"It's twice as big as Mrs. Bolus' is,"
| whispered guest
at looks like my poor, dear Aminadab
in his youth T. said Mrs. Norris.
"Who calls me?" said the spirit. "Did
any one ask for Aminadab?"
SCI did" said Mrs. Norris. ''0h, dear!
dear dear Oh, Aminadab, is 1t your"
II have been permitted to return"
said the spirit. 81 shall now material
ize In your presence"
"Oh! Obi Oh Ohw cried Mrs. Bolus
in the cabinet.
MY powerful influence effects the
medium" remarked the spirit.
| The door opened slowly, and all pres
ent saw a man in the room; well-buih
person, with dark hair, he seemed In the
darkness. He stood quite quiet for a
moment, and then remarked:
ut Is with a great effort that appear
TO you. I am Aminadab-we have no
family name in the spirit world. Idesire
to embrace my wife, but the room is
not dark enough"
Make 1t dark, then, my dear" sobbed
poor old Mrs. Norris. "I'm most dead
with fright, but I'm 80 glad to see you"
The spirit was seen to lift Its hand to
the chandelier, the darkness deepened
and the form approached the old lady;
1t patted her on the head, it patted her
ears, it touched her neck, it smoothed
her hands.
Its Aminadab," she repeated. II
don't feel the least bit frightened now"
Hes touching me; how natural he
is !" gasped the lawyers wife.
"Come here, do, Mr.. Norris" said the
DOCTORS helpmeet, and each by turn
uttered an exclamation. Everybody was
patted, and paved, and fingered by the
materiali2ed spirit. Meanwhile the me-
iium in the cabinet uttered smothered
liouns, but no one heard her.
He is kissing me" shrieked Sara
Jane, at the door. "Oh Oh Ohw
"Mr. Norris !" said the old lady,
rather sharply. II beg of your
II have offended" said the spirit. II
wiz return whence 1 came"
He approached the cabinet, while Mrs.
Norris sighed:
Don't be so touchy, Aminadab |"
But as he passed beneath the chande-
lier, it was extinguished: the room was
in utter darkness.
Sara Jane cried out:
"Oh, don'tr And then: Hes oversot
mew
The dismal means continued in the
| cabinet, and no more manifestations oc-
Cured.
| 81 wonder whether it is not over"
said the lawyers wife at last. "Perhaps
I'd better light the gas and look at Mrs.
Bolus; she seems to suffer"
"Do, DEAR" said Mrs. Norris. "Tm
convinced. I'm a spiritualist forever.
| That was Aminadab. Just so he used to
| take his hat and bang out of doors if
said d word. He was u very fine man,
but he had temper"
By this time a light was lit The cab
met door was softly opened. Mrs. Bolus
was found bound tied to her chair, with
u handkerchief stuffed into her mouth,
and In an hysterical condition. They
unbound and ungagged her, placed her
on a sofa, produced cold water and CO.
! logne, fans and smelling-salts. Finally
| she spoke.
'It was real spiritp r she said. at
tied me, and stuffed the handkerchief
Into my mouth. 1t was as natural as
life !"
Nobody doubts the manifestation,
said the doctors wife. "How could
they? You certainly took no man into
| the cabinet"
Never will try this thing again,
| said Mr.. Bolus-''neverW
suddenly lady spoke out sharply:
"My watch is gone y she cried.
My diamonds, tool" said Mrs. Nor
ris ''and poor, dear Aminadab's minia-
ture!
Little squeals resounded on all sides.
Everybody had lost some iewelry. Sud
denly the medium uttered u shrek.
my money is gomez" she said-''the
money you collected for me, Mrs. Norris
I had it in my pocket"
"Oh, mum !" cried Sarah Jane, who
had stepped out of the room, re-entering
with uplifted hands and eyes-"oh mum
the silver is all gone out of the dining
room and your bureau drawers are all
bust openw
And SO in fact it proved. The house
had been robbed as well as the guests :;
and Mrs. Norris, rising in her wrath,
| declared that she had been duped, and
| that the medium had confederate; !;
! sent for the police and had her arrested:
and all the while the unfortunate Mrs.
Bolus was perfectly innocent, and be-
| lieved from her soul that a ghost had
actually appeared to wreak vengeance
upon her, and so sworc upon her trial
However, the affair was very simply
explained. The young man who had so
kindly helped the boys to carry the
cabinet into Mrs. Norris's blue parlor
had concealed himself within it, and in
| the character of a materialized spirit
had fnaad his opportunity to appropri-
ate tn" iewelry, silver, and other valu-
ables. which no one in Goosetown ever
saw ag&in.-New York Ledger.