Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-03-25
SHE is VERY SLICK
wRIGGLEs OUT OF The TRAP
how She Mas Nm Rapport With =
OF Her seane~- Faiis EApo~e<i.

f<btAth thA>b RAPIDS HERALD ftI-
nit me 90 thank A. X. for his admirable
expose IN your yesterdays tissue Of spir-
iiaalism IN general apd - Mrs Maggie
Waite's medliunis,ie decepilons in par
ticular.
Having recently discovered that two
friends one n young married woman
and the other miss 81 about IL had
become the dupes OF spiritualists. who
pretended 10 secure them messages from
recently decreased relative. | thought
would look into the matter and accord
ingiy attended the seance ~ Mrs. Waite
at Lincoln hall on Thursday evening.
Mrs Waite prefacei her so-called spirit
messages with the following convenient
subterfuge: III do not give the name
If a spirit who communicates a message
or the name ~ the person 10 whom IL as
sent u - no use asking me- Thus she
paved the way for that characteristic
ally vague method ~ dealing with eyi-
dence which in many instances Is 80
convenient and without which the trade
Of the medium would soon be gone.
As long a. Mrs. Waite dealt with those
about whom she had evidently inquired
she authenticated her messages with
names and certain other particulars. but
when she came To- deal. as ~ course she
was obliged. with those about whom
nothing certain had been CLEANED in no
ease was such Authorization present.
Her quick eye caught the person who
was moved by message: she would
then Immediately walk down and in
quirc II what she had said was not true.
and by adroit questions elicit FROM the
dupc the very facts with which she her
self should have authenticated her mes
sage.
I'm Rapport With Watch.
There were some instances in which
she thought her guess would amount al
most To certainty. and ventured ac-
corlingly; with the result that. twice at
least. her fraud was as transparent as
daylight. In the first instance she de
clared that watch that had heen
handed up put her en- rapport with the
spirit OF man who used 10 carry
ii. IL was rather large silver
watch. such as would more likely
belong 10 man than youth.
but when she put the question. TO
whom does ii belongy' a youth claimed
ii and stoutly declared no man in the
spirit world had ever carried IL. Now
observe the way in which she wriggled
out II this dilemma: IF no one In the
spirit world has carried il. then some one
there has handled IL. and the spirit I'M
der whose influence lam is either the
matchmaker or your grandfather The
message she had delivered 10 the sup.
posed owner Of the umepiece. whom
she imagined 10 lie n man, was IN no
way suited TO the youth.
Her second bogus message was 10 a
man under the spirit OF whose dead
fathers influence she declared herself Ia
be. After rafting on yoluhly for some
time. she asked: Does not this exactly
fit you." But he thought not. for his
good old dad was still in the flesh, at "a
years az age.
Once or twice when Mrs. Waite be
came especially bcfoggcd upon finding
herself on the wrong track. she said:
The spirit has led me up 10 this point
and now eludes me, and so must drop
the message" Very convenient. was II
not?
Three things in connection with this
seance were very evident 10 me:
The performance was palpahlc de
ceit from first To last. and from certain
salacious hints and suggestions thrown
out. from time Ia time. decidedly I'M
moral in it's tendency.
All the spirits that 81 Henry Clay in
common with others used the same
execrable grammar that Of the medium
herself
The generality IL the audience re-
garded the clever way Mrs Waite
wriggled out II difficulty as equalto
any demonstration Of medlumistlc
power and applauded loudcst when most
humbugged GRAPHo.