The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-07-22
THAT CANTON VISION,
Alleged Expose of the Picture Miracle a
Canton, MINI.

Canton, Mimi.
CHICAGO, July 2l.-A special from
Canton, Mimi, says; The great mys-
tory which has surrounded the little
wooden Catholic church in this city,
and famous throughout tine whole
world. has again broken out and greater
than ever before. Notwithstanding
the TACT that the windows were all
taken out OF the church and replaced
with rough pine boards by direction oil
Bishop Cotter, Of WiRona, in order that
the vision OF Mary and her child should
forever bs a thing Of the past, the
claim has gone out that the vision Is
plainly seen on one OF these pine
boards. The excitement, which is be-
ing renewed, is something beyond CONF
p%rehension. Five citizens Of the place
swear they can see the woman with her
child IN her arms as plainly as she was
seen when the windowpane was in.
But the miracle does not end here A
number Of tho faithful claim that down
on the gilt altarinside the church the
vision is us plainly seen as 1t was in the
west window, and many are frightened
hall outof their senses, Tor they say 1t
is "the hand Of God marked on the
wall" for some good or evil purpose.
Already q second pilgrimage has begun
to pour into Canton as before, made up
oil people anxious to be healed OF their
ailments by the touching Of the altar,
There Is q tact or two, however, con-
neCted with this great Canton "mys-
tory" which has never been mentioned,
and which to all thinking people will
forever put a dead, cold damper upon
this great fake OF the nineteenth CEN
tury, Your correspondent has taken
great pains to ascertain the cause Of nil
this trouble, anxiety and suffering, and
believes that what has been learned ia
all there is to it. First, six months ago,
Bishop Cotter told the writer there was
nothing unnatural about the appear
ance" mind his stress upon the word
"appearance") of the picture on the
window glass, II there were any such
picture it came there in a natural way,
and in fact the whole thing was q hallu.
cination. In part the bishop is right
and in part wrong. That the cause ia
natural is true, but the theory that it is
q "halluciuation' is wrong. Now for
the facts:
A very good man by the name Of
Jones has been the priest at this Gath
olic church. Mr.. Jones is the celebrated
magnetic and spiritual healer known
throughout the east, especially in Phil
adelphia. and who, it is claimed, per-
formed some good work in relieving
pain for a short time. at this business
he continued until he attained u large
fortune, not in charges but in gifts, for
it was his method to take what was
offered.
The majority of his patients were
credulous and looked upon his ''miracu-
lous" powers as those from another
world and an omnipotent hand. Losing
q large amount OF his patronage, how
ever, he came here as q priest. After
he had been here some months, part Of
the congregation learned OF the true
character Of Father Jones and "kicked'
on his continuing at the head Of the
church. Fearing he would lose his
pastoral mission, Father Jones and his
followers invented, it ia said, this pict-
ure.on-the.window scheme. There is
in reality nothing to be seen on this
board or on tho front OF the altar, but
Father Jones is possessed Of that power
known Us hypnotism, and upon certain
of his flock exerts such influence as to
cause them to see something purely
conjured in his brain. This is true, for
those who SOC this apparition are riv-
eted to the spot and cannot turn away
from the vision" until the Operator
has brought them out OF the hypnotic
state, at which time the appearance"
vanishes.
In conversation with several who went
to see the vision it ia learned they could
not see anything, but felt a torrible
feeling come over them, Us if they were
going to faint, showing that Jones'
power was a little too weak for his
strong-minded subjects. Whatever the
claim may be regarding this wonderful
face on the board" there is nothing in
1t, for your correspondent thoroughly
investigated and knows the whole thing
is h%ypnotism. 1t is not denied that
Jones has taken in since January, 1892,
$4,000, besides his salary, and positive.
ly not a man, woman, or child has been
cured, and 10000 people have come
here on crutches and every other way.
paid enormous board bills, carried their
crutches home under their arms, and
nra now uainO than nuaiu. .