Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-12
LETTER BAG.
DR.. Cookies spooks Again.

item in yourlissue OF Sunday in regard to
the writer, to some points of which 1
wish to reply. The item is signed Zone
who is mystiied." Well, l think any
one in the audience will agree with me
that he was certainly the easiest man
to mystify they ever saw, especially
after all the tricks had been exposed.
The gentleman speaks of his article as
being sarcastic. Well, ii he said any,
thing which was very sarcastic to me l
failed to see that part, unless it be
where the gentleman (or critic), which
ever you see fit to call him, comes out
with the following: II assert that oc-
cult or psychic science has reached too
grand proportions for small minds to
TOW with it in 80 heartless a manner"
/ agree with him there exactly. If his
is one of those verv small minds which
is so weak as to be overcome by 80 poor
sleight of hand performance as DR..
Cookies, / would advise him to, by all
means, stay away from such places.
When wrote you on this subject be-
fore l only noted some of the DOCTORS
best tricks, taking it for granted the
others were familiar to the entire audi
ence and deeming space in your very ex-
cellent paper too valuable to be taken
up in exposing such tricks as our friend
wishes us to explain. But as you have
allowed him space in which to call at
tentIon to them, | trust you will allow
me space in which to explain.
Again, our mystified critic Il wish he
had given his name, for | don't know
what to call him) says he thinks his
personal pride would have asserted itself
if he had caught the doctor in one of his
tricks and had not bawled it out at the
top of his voice before the whole audi
ence. We did object to many OF the tricks
at the time. But what we said was
not repeated to the lookers-op.
Now, would ask your many readers
which exhibits the most gentlemanly
personal pride, the man who jumps up
before crowd like that was and bawls
out, 'I've got him." or the man who
goes quietly home and writes out an ex-
pose OF all the tricks worthy of note and
publishes it in the best paper in the
city? 1t certainly seems to the writer
that the former would be nothing short
of an upstart. Now, to the insignificant
tricks not exposed in my former COM
munication, suppose it unnecessary
for me to explain that the cords were so
tied that by drawing the knees closer
together the hands would be released.
Major Toler was mesmerized before the
curtains were even closed, and that did
not take up any of the fifteen seconds.
The gentleman says the committee sewed
up the coat on DIR. Cooke. will not de-
ny that DIR. Wise did this, for l do not
know positively; butI think Mr.. Powell,
DIR. Cookies hired man and not one of the
committee did the sewing. Anyway, if
DR.. Wise did it he did not try to make
tailor's fit on him, nor had he any idea
what it was being sewed on for. 1t was
very loose so much so that any of us
could have done the same thing. No,
Mr.. Whitney was not mesmerized, nor
did he lose his watch without knowing
it. He told the doctor he had his watch,
and said he felt him take it. The doc
tor only gave Mr.. Whitney one of his
hands, and used the other to take the
watch. I stated in my other letter, 1
believe, that we were dictated to as to
how we should tie the strips of cotton,
and that way left DIR. Cooke twelve or
fifteen inches use of his right hand
sufficient to do anything he did while
in this position. do not think it neces-
sary for me to explain again about the
table, for it certainly seems to the writer
that that trick was made plain
enough in Tuesdays issue for any
one of clear mind to under
stand it. But if Mr.. "Mysty" wants to
see it fully explained and will call on
me will do the trick for him, as he has
admitted he is afraid to toy with the
spirits on account of his diminutive
mind. l like for man to be honest.
San honest confession is good for the
SOUL" Now, our friend says there was
an iron ring put in my hand while l
grasped the hand of DR.. Cook. Not go.
My eyes had been closed some five or
ten seconds when l was asked by the
out my knowing l answered in the
heard outside. Then the doctor told
me to take hold of his hands, which 1
did. But the ring was on his arm be-
fore took hold of his hand, and was
then thrown on mine by motion of his
arm which l felt very perceptibly.
Now comes the poorest of ALL l am
no chemist, but if you will ask
good chemist he can tell you
what chemicals to rub on the bottom of
the glass and what to put in the water
to make it change color. The water was
not turned to wine or not even to the
color of wine. 1t was almost black
When Christ changed water into wine
he did not merely change the color.
Our mystifed man refers to w. E. Glad
stone, Richard Hodgson and other smart
men and infers that we may believe in
spiritualism because they do. Well,
why not all turn infdels because Bob
Ingersoll and Tom Paine believe that
way? II the gentleman sees fit to answer
this sincerely hope he will give his
name if he is not ashamed of his faith.
Yours very truly, @. W. INNEs.