The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-11
DOLLAR DOZEN.
~w,,y1ILE DUPBRY AT MRS. sTOD-
MN GHOST SHOP.

----t.Hs HenttnH "
II".,Th,. Grave-Cioth Vaudeville SHOW.
.. N, middle OF the block In Thirty-fourth
-, between Eighth and Ninth avenues, there
=. r..ort for spirits. 1t is kept oy Mrs stoddard
nsr'..a her son, Dewitt c. Hough. aud . lot
ian and women go there regularly 10 see the
o~... ~ everybody. from St. John the Divine
snrw,s. charles OF sweden and their sisters and
w pI,. sou.ns and their aunts, stalk all over the
'.,. They can sec the ghosts for q dollar
p,... Among the patrons Of tho place, THE
/. in,o,med. are several men who have
.u. r,oninent, and one at least has been
-.aainV hi. money buying material Christmas
y...nt. for the cabinet ghost, which wears the
p...,.,Ion name OF Star Eyes. The names OF
49,. men. for obvious reasons. are not printed
T., sry reporter has accompanied one or two
Uncomfortable prominence to ssanoes at the
80. These men were believers, and hoped 20
v.nv,n,e the reporter that there was something
~ Al, show. The whole thing was such q bold
"a n.lpable cheat that 1t is difficult TO sec how
..,hody could be duped by It Always, when
AZ. ,,por,er was present. the ghosts kept at .
,..,.ottu, distance, aud II wasn't possible 70 lay
Mid Of ore. But the sham was transparent
.,or,h without a captive spook for evidence.
I,rtil recently there was, and perhaps there II
.,Iil. n crayon picture department to the show.
Nm, mi. department Is out of the ordinary
.root picture line. the ordinary line being the
an. ouera,ed by Diss Dcbzr to milk the wealth
:, Iutber II. Marsh. At this Stoddard Gray
Uoush show. according to Mrs. Gray, the vic
,,n brings a picture Of himself or herself to
,how TO the ghost that comes to SEQ him or her.
The ghost admires the picture and wants the
s.mboo1led one TO order . crayon or half q
.do,en crayons copied from the picture and
enlarged. The pictures are made and vendcd
h, the art department. Mrs. Gray told the re-
no,,sr that the artist IL n boarder In tho house,
and that he has nothing to do with the show.
The night that Mrs. Gray said this there were
three different crayons on the piano. One was
AZ man who is connected with . publishing
house in this city. The second was Of = man
whose name Mrs. Gray mentioned. and the third
vas the picture OF q woman. There we're half .
dozen OF the woman's pictures. and Mrs. Gray
,aId that they had been made on the order OF
the woman whose ghost friend had suggested
that she get them.
The seances take place Sunday, Wednesday,
and Friday evenings. They are open to any
body properly introduced at . dollar . visit
But the ghosts are on tap on all days from 10 In
the morning to . In the afternoon for Sc q tap,
and the mediums cards say that Private
mAterlAllElDg ethuCcs AIo klNou W appointment
at parties own residences" so the ghosts, Of
course, are not stationary, but portable. The
Sun reporters visits to the ghost house have been
made generally on Sunday evenings. and the
same sort OF a show has been gwen on each &C.
casion. A description Of any one Of the visits
will answer for ali, and the one on Sunday night
Of last week will do rs we'll as any. Mrs. Stod-
dard Gray's house is n brown-stone front and
stands In a row OF Just such houses. There are
two rooms on the hrst foor-a front and back
parlor. The front parlor contains a square p-
sno and the ordinary parlor furnishings, mostly
Of a cheap character. There are lace curtains
at the windows. The exhibition of tho work of
the art department Is usually on the piano. Be-
tween the two rooms are sliding doors. The
rear room Is smaller. though wider. than the
front room, and IL 10 In this room that the
Fhosts walk. There Il q door from this room
Into the hall; Besides this second entrance
Of The room. The cabinet where the ghosts arc
generated stands on that side Of the, room, one
side Of 1t being within a foot Of the closet door.
This cabinet is made Of thin boards and has no
top The interior 10 lined with muslin. The
side away from the closet is about four feet
from the rear window. and between II and the
window there stands . high screen that covers
mp that corner Of the room. Reddish curtains
lsins there is a table on which are two or three
bells, q mouth barmonica. q pile Of common
straw paper. and q book or two. In the cabinet
bamboozled have presented to the ghost Star
Eyes. They include. among other things. q
music box. a ehild's trunk, and q doll. which,. as
10 a ghost as crayon pictures can be. There Is q
chandelier In the centre of this room. IL Is an
ordinary Old.tasaioned affair. only one burner
rounded by heavy blush green cloth or paper.
which effectively prevents any general diffusion
Of the light around the lower part Of the room.
Around the room arc ChAira- and IN the back.
facing the cabinet. Is an old sofa. Tho chairs
and this sofa are for the use OF victims. On the
man. This Mrs; Gray gravely assured the re-
porter Was a picture OF Col. Z. L. Baker, 4" the
control" that had charge OF the materializing
department.
The assembly on each visit Of the reporter
numbered about twenty. and. with few excep-
Their. wa. Temporary blonde With a sisIriiinTiy
red waist who told the reporter that she came
70 sc one OF the anctent." an Lgyptian who
After the year. This EQyptiAn was q friend OF
ners, she said. and often visited her In her room.
Ihete was an old lady who told the reporter that
found that Ss sRe = was sS wong. ah ssf for thirty yssF; y. sna
,ihee she had been, a Spiritualist. She came
who zee ,hd Ger daughter and her mother,
: co!ored woman who came to see and &c
HAD always ' Kept Ws Tt so over HTh h.r ra' T R,srs was Sno :
"a. and distinguished look ing Swede and his
~, VINO appeared to be on Intimate terms
SNh all the ghosts from King Charles OF
eneaeh up and down. whether dead before the
nooa or since. They called many OF them by
Who csn nseTe vas a very pretty young woman
guy sslu she was studying music and had n.
.ended several seances. She still had
Souo!s, aud had never had any ghosts
sAIi 10 see her, but she was mystihed by
many things she had seen and had not beer
ssooe 70 explain. Her friend was a more thar
mil believer. too. There was q good-looking
Drahp woman, who was dressed all in black
snu WIN her were two girls who looked like
s",ns, ana who were both very pretty. They
~eie az In hack. too. An Interesting thinp
~Suu' these Two young women ID that " hen theJ
sh H ~ on sunday evening, and the seance wal
ssout 70 begin, Mrs. GRAY was very Holicltoui
soout where they should sit. They sat where
~ had AVA 5 sat, and Mrs.Gray remarked Al
III conducted them to their seats: They're
tr..utrh' You know, and as this 10 their mrs
M ! wouldn't want them 10 get frightened"
peslaes these there WAS q dear woman WHIT
TShmne 70 see two of her departed husbands
tsne had left one at home. There were hal
sco@aeh men, including two club men and on
.evuef The scofer wandered In alone from
mny Knows where. He was fat, and wore q
in Inc lie said privately that he was look
~ ,or any old ghost. He sat back In q corner
NV nent TO him sat a woman In widows weeds
tL "a rall she Mas trying TO believe in the hop
tknAt she could get some news OF O friend VIII,
1na disappeared. The scofYer wasn't intro
NITreu' and how he got in nobody knew.
,sne 'eahce was 10 begin AZ . 80 O'Clock. Be
WS y opened Mrs. Gray took the strangers Ii
~ showed them the cabinet. She passed owe
~ Sloset with The remark that that was to
WIN the remark that there wasn't anythipl
oehIha them and they were never used an,