The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-01-02
SPIRlTUALlSM,' !

/ SPlklIUALlSM. IN 81 e /
An Article Written by tho Late Actor E, a
s"thern-iIe Didn't Encourage supersti
lions. i n Z. q 3! 4. "a, 4 sssy.f
There was once IN article In the Spirit
tlal Magazine in which was referred TO
The main count in the indictmen
against mo was thus stated: "a few
years ago a party Of spiritualists in New
York, composed chiefly OF actors and &C
tresses, held regular sittings for the pro
duction OF spiritual phenomena. & One o,
the members Of this circle was an actor
NAMED Stuart, who was recognized BY ali
as a most powerful medium. 4 The man,
ltestations Witnessed at these. seances
were so wonderful as to give to the meet.
ings the distinguishing title OF The
Miracle Circle. They created SO much
interest that 1t was considered a special
privilege to be admitted to this magic
chamber. Mr.. Stuart at that period was
better known as Stuart the magnetiLer,
or nagic-worker,a than Stuart the &C.
tor" S5esss Ss,ss!l .ssii -. 4, y
The actor named STUART was much
better known as the actor named Soth.
ern.' Following sufficiently illustrious
precedenta, l used IN assumed name
when ! entered on my profession, and i
only resumed my own by the adyice Of
my friend, Mr.. James $Wallack The
party Of spiritualists" was not compos.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. md actresses: ,,..It
would have been none tho worse IL it
had been; but in reality it was composed
OIL twelve gentlemen OF high position in
their respective professions, who, actu.
ated by a common curiosity and interest,
Joined in u thorough, practical and ex-
haustive investigation OF the phenomena
Of Spiritualisn. We were quite ready
Tor either result-to believe it II it were
true; to reject it il it were found false;
and in the latter. caselI, at,least, resolved
In due time to expose it. ~ s:isis@55
For more than two years we had week.
" meetings. At these, by practice, we
had succeeded in producing not only ali
the wonderful manifestations" of the
professional mediums but other ef.
tect9 still more startling. We simply
tried to reproduce the appearances and
the results which We had seen-and we
succeeded. Pushing our practice and
experiments further, we attained the ca.
paclty TO execute some feats much more
remarkable than those presented at any.
OF the Spiritual .segnces.h n American
gentleman and myself took the part OF
the "mediums;" the rest of the company.
assisted; andI do not hesitate to say we
outdid everything ever attempted or &C.
complished by Home, or the Daven-
ports, or any Of the other more notorious
spiritual exhibitors. - a
y Not the least Of our discoveries was
that the whole thing was myth. We
did all the spiritualists did, and more
but. we were our own agents, and had no
need OF recourse TO supernatural influ.
ences, bnt We had the power to com
mand them. We commenced our &c.
ances in a spirit of legitimate in yestiga-.
tion;we continued them for the sake Of !
the amusementit gave ourselves and our
friends. = we became, famous in small:
way. We Ind to start an engagement
book, and to make appointments. Peo-
Pile came FROM all parts Of America and
waited for their turn. We got into a
larger line Of business than any of the
professional exhibitors, and we were ex.
tensirely patronized. The only differ.
ence was, we didn't charge anything.
We took no money, directly or Indirect
ly.#Our entertainment, being free, was
literally supported; and when add
that the evenings invariably wound up
with,ajolly little supper, given solely at
our own expense, it may be understood.
that "The Miracle Circle" WAS much ia
vored and warmly encouraged, e Eis'g.,E =;
The indulgence OF our love OF fun cost
us some money, but yielded us an i'm
mensity Of pleasure. ITO speak colo
quially, it was an expensive but! extern
sive, "sell.n We did put pens under, the
table, and get signatures Of Shakespeare
and Garrick, and other valuable auto.
graphs; we did produce spirit-hands
and spirit.forms people did float in the
air=-at least fwe made our audience
really believe they did, which wa, quite
sufficient for our purpose and theirs.
Weexhibited phenomena which were
startling enough in all conscience,
and I'VE made Your visitors believe
in their 81 reality.jl y How we 4 sue
ceeded I in doing Ath;sNhoY, we made
some Of the most intelligent men in
America believeSthat they really saw
and felt what they only fancied they saw
and felt-how we produced results the
causes Of Which were not apparent to
the physical senses OF the Spectators
how, in fine, We! did things which must
have seemed to be, Rand what many OF
our visitors believed to be, supernatural
and miraculous-I. do not intend to ex.
plain. We did themi how we did them
do not feel ny,;motive to declare but
/ have not the slightest hesitation in
saying that we did not do them by spir.
itual agencies. Yet professional and paid
mediums" came and saw, and them.
selves ayowed our superior power over
1.-THE spirits. !" 4 "a
The object Of tho writer in the Spirit.
udi !1faga:ine was to y represent me as
having exhibited Spiritual Smanifesta.
tons. In America. and having exposed
them in EnglanG.ASSfI have stated, II hope
clearly, that Ildid produce all the .s'man.
ifestations' apd did exhibit them but
they were not H"spiritua!'':aad,I did not
exhibit them in public, norsto money
Therefore consider myself free from
the Eimputationa sof having obtained
money under false pretenses, encouraged
idle, superstitions, or perpetrated bias
phemous burlesques of sacred things. 4;
l ~. nnnt Il an III. a, ~. -
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