, 1891-04-14
LOST HIS COAT.
A Serious Trouble Under Which
Judge GrOssbeck Labored
Until He Found His Prince Albert
Coat on Another's Back.
A Lively Sunday Night Scene at the
Opera House.

house Sunday evening, to see Professor
Slade give his spirit manifestations.
The professor does the work more for
the amusement of the audience than to
convert skepticts. He p~refaoes Lis re-
marks on the entertainment with the
statement that he will do what the spirit
mediums claim to do. He had the usual
cabinet and other paraphernalia generally
used in such exhibitions.
A committee of investigation consisting
OF John Charles Thompson. Judge Groes-
beck, j. A. England and A. r, Troxell,
were picked out by the audience to go on
the stage. The professor had fun with
the committee, and furnished lots of
amusement for the audience.
He had a stout rope IexamIned by the
committee aud then retired to his cabinet,
and in about thirty seconds had the cur
tains thrown open, and was found by the
committee securely tied to the chair with
the rope
The scene which created the most amuse-
ment during the whole evening was when
Judge Groesbeck was called forward by
the sleight of hand man. The Judges
rotund form was decked out, among other
things, with a handsomely fitting Prince
Albert coat, tightly buttoned from top to
waist. The operators hands were tightly
bound with ropes. He aud Groesbeck
went into the cabinet together. The
judge was placed in a chair just in front
Of a chair 10 which Slade was seated with
injunctions to keep his hand behind him
and allow them to rest on the operator s
knee. Then the curtains were closed and
both men were shut out from the audi
ence. In a IN Slade asked: do
you feel the spirits, judge?" l feel some
hands moving about me" was the reply.
In 4 few moments the curtains were
thrown back and a loud shout went up
from the audience. GIoesbeck looked
somewhat dazed aud turned toward Slade.
The latter wore the Judges tightly but
toned Prince Albert coat, and the express
sion Groesbeck wore when he looked
down at his shirt sleeves was worth the
price of admission to witness. The in
slant he discovered his coat was zone his
hand went hurriedly to his pocket to see
that his pocketbook was safe. The move
ment was so palpably instructive that it
created a roar of laughter.
After the performance. when asked
how the magician had got his coat away
from him, Judge Groesbeck explained by
saying he had been hypnotized during the
few seconds he was In the cabinet. He
felt the hands OF the spirit moving over
him, but did not miss the coat until he
was on the stage.
The professor also had fun with Gen.
Thompson, being tied hands and feet in
the cabinet and then stealing Thompson's
watch.
The exhibition was a good one as a
sleight OF hand performance, and Prof.
Slsde claimed nothing more for it.
At one time S!ade posed as a medium,
and was quite slick at mis- business, but
was exposed IN Manchester, England.
and spent some time in Jail for obtaining
money under false pretenses. He has
now come to the conclusion that he can
make more money by giving exhibitions
for amusement than by being a medium
In private conversation he related a
very sad scene that produced his change
of heart. He was 10 Chicago about a
year ago, and had a lady coming to his
rooms, to communicate through him as a
medium with her dead son. She would
weep, and call to her son to come back to
her, ask him if he was happy, and tell
him all about his sisters and brothers, be-
l%Ieving, poor woman, that the spirit she
saw was that of her son instead of a mere
delusion. The same scene was repeated
day after day, until at last Slade became
disguised with the farce, and, since then,
has practiced no more deceptions of the
kind.