Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-03-30
WAS 1T SPIRITS OR A CYCLONE

DIR TOnk Smokes an Empty Clay Pipe
and the Audience Drink Guinea Pig
Wine.
Is it spiritualism, mesmerism, hyp-
notism, psychology or what in the world
can 1t be, say Professor Starts audiences
as they sit gazing in astonishment and
amazement upon the wonders which are
nightly taking place at his seances at
the City hall. E. NJ. Hotchkiss, super
intendent of Hotchkiss Paper Co; Edgar
A. Moree of the Waterbury Manufactur-
ing Co; George Black of the Farrell
Foundry and Machine Co; and DIR Tonk,
were the investigating committee Sc
lected by the audience last night. They
were given unlimited privileges but
were as completely mystified as the
audience.
When Mr. Black went into Professor
Stars cabinet he was dressed no in his
Sunday best, but when he came out he
looked as though he had been the central
OBJECT of cyclone and that most of the
debris which had been uprooted by the
wind had lodged upon him. His coat
and vest were both gone and it looked
at drst as though his trousers leg had
been torn off at the knee, but upon
closer inspection it was simply showed
up. Dinner bells and cow bells were
dangling from him on all sides, bells in
his pockets and bells in his boot tops, a
ftsh horn was sticking out of his shirt
collar, one suspender was hanging
down, necktie on wrong side before.
and he looked completely dazed when
he surveyed himself. He declares he
heard the voices of a lady, child and
an old man, in the cabinet, but he
couldn't account for his strange appear
ance or how he came to be standing on
his feet, when the door opened. He re-
membered that he was sitting down when
the door closed. His coat and vest were
found on Professor Starr. The audience
will never forget the scene as long as
they live, neither will Mr. Black,
DR. Tonk examined a couple of CLAW
pipes, found them empty, yet upon
putting either one of them into his
mouth, upon Professor STAIRS command
he smoked away just as though they
were full OF tobacco. He broke the
stems all to pieces to see if there was
not something concealed, but could
discover nothing. He then smoked the
empty bowls and finally smashed them
all 70 pieces with his foot, but the mys-
terry remained as deep as ever.
Professor Starr borrowed lady's gold
ring, and after a boy had apparently
pounded it all to pieces with a large
hammer, it was loaded into pistol and
Professor Starr said as he fred the pistol
that he had sent the ring to the spirit
land to be mended. He then came
down into the audience, and proceeded
to pour from bottle Of water, wine,
whisky, rum, gin, etc, whatever the
audience called for, the different
liquors being sampled by good Judges
and pronounced genuine. Professor
Starr then, without turning around or
taking the bottle out of sight, broke it
all to pieces with a hammer, and
found it contained live genuine pig
with the lady's gold ring tied to ribbon
around it's neck.
All the other wonders of the evening
were equally good. Professor Starr and
wife are simply immense. Their expert
ments are done with a neatness, style
and finish that entitle them to the name
of masters. Those who miss going to
the City hall tonight will regret it, It
is only one chance in a life time to see
such wonderful people.