The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-12
PROFESSOR
STEVENSON
A RANK FAKE
A spiritulliStic Nesting On ths South
side that Had m Unaxpoetaa
Ending.
THE ELECTRIC RAY HASHED
At IN opportuns Moment Showing
the ''Prufessor7 Working the
Nsglphnns Racket

For several months splritualistie
msetings have been held At convenient
hans in several parts Of the city. eSDe-
eiany on the South Side. whore the de-
voices Of the craze appear to be more
numerous than elsewhere Last night
a -seance- vas held At Bshrens' han.
ON Market street. below Tventy-second.
and vas the occasion for showing up q
certain ..Professor' Stevenson a the
raakest Of fates.
Some tWenty-three people had gath
cred in the room. and were arranged In
a circle. In the eenter were two mega
phones, about four or hve feet in
length. Professor" Stevenson. who IS
from Elm Grove. went through the
usual manoeuyres. and wound upbye1-
tinguishlng an the lights, leaving the
apartment in complete darkness. Then
the victims Of the professors smooth
ness and Of their own credulity, were
asked to cail for the spirit Of any de-
ceased person with whom they desired
to converse. Among others the late
Bridge" cracraft's spirit was pro
duced and cOnversed in a most satis-
factory manner.
In the audience were I'VE Ekeptical
ones. who had attended the ssance only
10 expose the fake. II It was possible to
do so-and this they did to the queens
taste. The professor had been asked
to bring forth the spirit Of q little child.
and the child was Just In the act Of
speaking to its mother, when the dark
ness was relieved by a sudden burst Of
light from a pocket electric lamp car
ried by one Of the hye doubtera. And
what was seen?
There was the professor" In the CEN
ter Of the circle, with the megaphone
at his mouth, busIly engaged in imitat-
ing the voice Of the child for the benent
Of It's mother. The professor" was
caught completely. He gave q guilty
start, and the megaphons dropped 70
the door with a crash. Then be turn.
ed toward the man with the light. and
muttered:
II wasn't doing the talking"
As no one had accused him Of any
thing, this admission was sufieient
condemnation. even without what thu
rays of the little lamp had exposed.
The professor and one Of his friends
in the audience, made a move in the
direction Of the man with the lamp.
but he was prepared for eventualIties,
and holding aloft a p0lieeman's lead
nlled club, he warned the professor"
and, the other man to desIst from any
proposed violence. At the same time
the friends Of the man gathered about
him and demanded that the door be
unlocked. that they might depart in
peace. After some delay this demand
was complied with.
Needless to state. the denouement Of
the evening created a sensation among
the bona-fide SpIritualIsts present,
and It would seem likely that they
will give professor Stevenson the cold
shoulder In the future.
After the party had left the hail, the
professor" endeavored to resume OPP
erations, but somehow there was no
spirit in the exercises, and soon the
seanee came to an end. the professor
making the plea that the ''spirits" had
headache.
The professor" and some Of his
dupes threaten. IT is learned. to have
the man who exposed the humbug ar.
rested.
II the professor" hasn't been able to
learn the name Of the man who showed
him upso completely lastnisht, hisname
can be secured upon application at the
Intelligencer editorial rooms. The gen
tleman stands ready to give him an-
other whlrl, this time in the legal
arena, II he hasn't had enough already.