The herald., 1897-03-14
!: 4 BABY JUMPER At A SEAMCE ;

Prof" George D. Search is the idol
of the East Side spiritualists. He has
ORGANIZED q new spiritualistic society
on East Ninth street, where 1t is said
he nightly invokes the shade of former
chief of police, the grandmother OF an
ex-mayor and the spooks of his faith
full followers.
But recently he came to grief IN a
most novel manner. In an evil moment,
lured by various seductive promises of
money, he crossed the trocha and ven
tured into the enemy's country on the
West Side. The seance was held at the
house Of Peter Robertson, S14 West Sew
-sutssuth strsetThe house has a large
parlor with an alecve room at one side
entered by an arched doorway and sep
arated from the parlor by curtains. In
TO this aicove, for want of better cabi-
net, the professor" retired to evoke
the spirits which were to wave their rub
ber hands at the audience, play mando'
Inns and guitars, ring BELLS rattle tam
bourines and 60 through the ordinary
antics Of the trained conventional
spook A baby chair, or jumper, hung
suspended from the top Of the arched
doorway and before the professors ar
rival 1t had been drawn aside and tied
tc q gas pipe in the ceiling Of the alcove.
The audience took their seats. The
room was darkened. The professor re-
tired to the alcove The curtains were
drawn and the show began. Soon the
curtains swayed In and out; outlines OF
forms were seen; hands appeared sim
ultaneously at different places between
the curtains; instruments played by un-
seen hands were floating about the
room; women were trembling with fear
and awe.
All was proceeding merrily when sud
denly there was q great commotion in
the inner room. A loud crash was heard.
There was a Violent knock, smothered
cry of terror, followed by the sound OF
a heavy body falling to the floor. In
an instant the lights were turned up,
the curtains thrown aside and there sat
the professor on the floor with look
of wild amazement on his face, while
the innocent baby chair was calmly
swinging back and forth in the doorway
unconscious of the havoc it had created.
In some way 1t had become loosed from
Its moorings and descending with full
force from the ceiling had struck the
professor" in the back Of the head and
bowled him over like nine pin.
The unfortunate professor" was as
sisted to his feet with many expressions
of sympathy and coincidence, but he re-
fused to be Modified. Notwithstanding
the ocular evidence of the position of the
baby Jumper, and the solemn assertions
of his hosts that they tied it up. as they
supposed, out of harms way, he declar-
cd that some one had entered the room
from the rear and struck him in the
head with a club.
Strange as it may seem, Mr.. Job Hill
linger, a son-in-law to Mr.. Robertson,
had come home unexpected and was at
that moment trying to enter the alcove
by rear door, the location Of which was
unknown to most of those present. He
was as much surprised as anybody at
the sudden commotion.
The believers declared that the spirits
were enraged at the attempt to invade
their precincts and had unloosed the
chair which struck the medium on the
head, as spooks always take out their
spite on the medium and thump him
around when disturbed or interfered
with.
"Bosh." said the unbelievers.-New
York Herald.