The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-03-25
SPIRITuALISM.
Mr.. Mclaughlin Exposes Mrs.
Foy's Methods.

The rooms of the Portland Liberal Frater-
nifty were crowded yesterday morning py
an assemblage of people of peculiar views,
both worldly and ETHEREAL, who came to ST. eno
the Sabbath morning in discussion of tie
pros and cons of spiritual manipulations.
President Stone called the association to
order and after the reading of the minutes
of last Sundays proceedings introduced Mr..
w. Il. Mclaughlin.
The speaker had attended the seances Of
Mrs. Foy in this city sometime since and
proceeded to give an outline of his discover
les. Hewas not spiritualist and had set
about his work with his mind biased against
the ism, believing that the rappings which
formed the most material part Of the manip-
ulation were either produced by the medium
herself or by an accomplish.
After the announcement Of the seance he
left the hall unobserved and passed behind
the stage on which Mrs. Foy was seated In
order to ascertain from just what place the
noise proceeded. he at first thought the
rappings were located in the fly Of the stage
or 10 feet above the stage, buthe no sooner
began to investigate than they were found to
come from position very near the lady her.
| self. He then crawled under the stage and
| completely satisfied himself that the noise
| was directly under the woman. On return
| ing to the main hall and resuming his form
| er seat he paid particular attention to the
| position occupied by the medium with the
result of noticing that every time rap was
made in answer to a question the folds q
her dress moved quite perceptibly. One
foot was concealed from view while the 9th
er protruded slightly, and Mr.. Mclaughlin
became fully conviced that the noise wa;
made either by the lady's foot against the
floor of the stage or by some method of strik
ing her heels together.
The next evening he attended Mrs. Foy'.
demonstration in Congress Hall and went
armed with a buffalo robe. During the eve
ning's proceedings he asked her If she would
undergo that one test. namely to place hel
chair upon the robe, and after some hesita'
ton and conference with her spiritual ad
visers she refused.
Mr.. Mclaughlin watched her very closely
as he had done the previous night and again
detected the movement of the dress which
thoroughly demonstrated to him that the
| sounds were made by the woman herself.
At this stage of the discussion times
up was shouted by some member Of the
fraternity. but on motion of Mr.. John Todd,
the speaker was allowed five minutes more
| count of again seeing the woman in Boston
| later, and of his discovery of how the read
| ing of the folded ballots and the so-called
| spiritual answers were accomplished. he
closed. saying that II the audience desired
| he could show them that he could read the
| names in the manner. Mrs. Foy had done so,
| and show his hearers by what trick 1t was
done.
The boy medium. Frank c. Algerton, spoke
| next in a rambling, fyaway, ungrammatical
/ gfVla the 0ufanma of which w fhaf
| McLaughlin's conclusions were not warrant.
| ed by his experiments, and that even If they
were 1t would only prove Mrs. Foy false, and
| In no way become reflection on Spiritual
ism in general, which he said had been ac-
cepted by men of great scientific knowledge,
| and was making converts at the remarkably
rapid rate OF one hundred thousand annual.
| ly in this country alone.
Mr.. j. b. White then spoke, stating that
since Mrs. Foy's appearance here she had
been Invited to give private seance to ten
| gentlemen, she to be paid $40 and
| travelling expenses and that she refused be-
cause her spiritual guide did not wish her to
undertake the task Of private seance. She
was afterward Offered 500 and expenses il
she would give public seance and admit OF
| tests being applied and she refused.
j. ID. Aarons though believer in spiritual
Ism thought the letters referred to by Mr.
| White and which he proceeded to read
showed conclusively that Mrs. Foy was an
."PoosSh. LIZ ut SSd thO pCOplC WIN Wloucu
| to understand this matter to pay more at
| tention to home mediums and let out of town
| ones alone.
j. A. Magnusson followed in a TRADE
against the whole subject yehemently stating
that he would not disgrace himself to the
| extent of allowing the spirits of his departed
friends insulted in such a manner. He
| thought there were a great many people
| ready to be humbugged and that the
spirltualists were well represented in thai
| class.
| Mr.. Mclaughlin closed the discussion by
| further reference to some of the remarks OF
his opponents and stated that on next Sun,
day he would give further expose of ballot
| reading