The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-27
WITH "CHRIST'S MEDIUM
A PERFORMANCE or WHICH row.
PLANT HAS BEEN MADE.
''Mann. straford's Description of Herself
Notes Of the Proceedings at q Meeting At
tended by a Woman and a Reporter What
She Srid and Did in Her Trance"

~ '"' i'beiob 'A'ssse
Of the newspapers there has appeared lately
the following advertisement
SPIRITUALISM-C Celestial divine circle; Christ ron
troll; Sunday. Wednesdays, : and : nightly won
drltul tests. revelations. sitlings daily, MANNA
STRAff0RD. Christs medium, AlO W oNh st
Letters have been received by TuE SUN pro-
testing against the publication Of the adNer-
tiscment. which has Fever HTreaI'd in TIE
SUN, as a sacrilecc and an offence against good
taste and good morals. Areror,er attended On
Sunday a meeting" 10 the fat Of Mamma STRAIT
ford NJ the above address and saw the woman
who calls herself ",hrist's medium" in the
process of what she calls Christ control" or
the sacrilcgious nature Of the performance II
il only necessary to say that the woman pre-
tends 10 go into a trance. in which she speaks
with the voice and under the direct inspiration
and guidance OF jesus Christ; or. to put 1t in
her own way, she pretends that she is the aotuGl
Instrument Of Christ through which He speaks
and speaks In the first person. In this charaC-
terization she gives advice TO her hearers, TN"
principal point of the advice being that they
shall follow my instrument" in oil matters
and have entire faith in her.
Mamma STAFFORD is a Jewess named Schurk.
She is apparently about 40 years old. Paint
and an elaborate carelessness in the dl9ar-
rangement of her hair are designed TO give her
a look Of youth. but only cause her Ia look like
a worn gypsy. All appearance TO which n pair
Of very dark and bright eyes add force. Her
meetings are held in the front room Of a fiat.
on the ground floor al present. This is only
a temporary arrangement. she SAYS, until She
can get a hall. Al Sunday afternoons meeting
there were but two persons present throughout
besides the medium, The SrN reporter and
a woman who said that she was a widow named
Bragg. She seemed very conversan, with
spiritualistiC matters, but took occasion 10 rs
sure the reporter. who was there ms IA student
of psychology attending the lectures Of Prof,
Hyslop Of Columbia and Investigating on his
own account. that il was her first experience
at any Spirituaiistic meeting except large public
gatherings. An intelligent mongrel dog and
a white cat were present during part Of the
proceeding. and toward the end an old man
with a white beard came in and Informally
helping himself to a chair went fast asleep, in
which occupation he was Joined by the chi,
N.t"r waiting for a long time for more people
To turn ny Mama StraTnrd opened tho meeting.
" the outset she explained that some wears
ago she was taken under The control Of
Christ and realized tina, -he must do His
work and that He would use her A. His
living voice. lie ESQ UT'fI'n ntT DN
compelling her 10 write and taught her n
PRAYER with which she was to open all her meet
ings when she began active work as a spiritual
medium. He was 10 b. always her guiding
power. control" in the sriritualietic slang.
With this prayer she opened the proceedings.
It was n mixture of the Bible. the Declaration
cf Independence and bits Of the professional
patter of spiritualism of he medinmistic variety,
A.. - H.. l-aa,
inspiration of Jesus. While giving it she
seized the two visitors by the hando and dragged
them around the room at n pace which proved
almost too much for the endurance of The widow
and had her breathing hard AZ the end. Com
ing out from under the control thereafter
ia" medium showed -ome ;ertinonials which
she had received and then asked whether her
hearers wished TO hear one ~ the three revela-
tion- which Christ had made 10 her. and even
-Hjd that sh" would give two Of them If desired
hldoous tumble, The widow BRACE seemed 10
ike it and said Amen al inaprrorrlat" Places.
Then came the actual m"d.uini.tic part, of
the performance. stepping ON to the other
end Of the room Mama made faces and waved
hcr hands strenuous!y until sh" passed, As was
10 h" inferred, under the control She did
with an obvious effort n deepening the tones
of her voice. ~ fr;', wha, he aid was all
meaningless r%latitudes' words, chiefly scrip
turai, strung together like a chapter In Mrs.
Eddv's book on Christian Science. suddenly the
medium dariod forward and caught the widows
haud Naturally the reporter wasn't in n position
where he could take uot's unobserved, but The
conversation which followed was much like this.
the medium assuming II /. TO b" understood,
The voice and personality of hrist. She even
went 80 far a. 10 rub her chin in the manner
Of n man with a beard md when she sat down
81" assumed masculine attitudes. Evidently
she was por~onifying the human manifesto
ton of Jesus a. IA" understood II.
The Medium-Nou have trouble. Trouble
inside, Trouble. trouble trouble lnsid" hot
in the abdomen with her finger and reaches
around 10 whack her on the back
The Widow coughing Yes. yes.
eur" YOU. Inside. not outside. inside. ! will
cure Won Through this, my instrument Beating
herself on. the chest will cur" YOU. !, |, !.
The Widow ,hmen, ahmen; yes. yes.
Tn" Medium You have trouble viii, your
amily Nou are In bad health here Labs her
in the region Of th" heart widow Shrinks hut
not quickly enough to avoid Il e blowl bad, bad
Inside not outside. u j. your family They
make holes in You. They Tour those holes full
You my Rfa y5' MONEY! ya%sg' I TI knew ;S"' il YOU
n""dn,, hav" told me, knew i all know
viii caro- for YOU. ! will You understand?
] T.! ! Ahmen, ahmcn. ahm'n double
GuiCkl Observation-Disclosures
The Widow Ahmen, ahmen, ahmon,
The Medium Yes. Yes. yes YES. will look
after Won. will l." in your home. will make
holes IN them # they make holes in YOU, But
you have trouhl" inside, soon You Will pass
over to ~" other side. There shall b" wait
iuG for Won. But not for a while. on ml"'
follow This my instrument and do all that She
tells Won Nou must one here alone soon and
! will advis" Won. Come in n week or ten days.
! viii be- al your hots" To help YOU. lho-" 81
Your family want your money, Don't
= We it I" them; If YOU do, yol will have trouble
and sickness and all tho evils Of the planet. II
is my will that You keep that money, Keep II,
keep II, keep, keep keep, keep, keep. Ahm"n,
Hhnpn. almcn Hhmcr-mpn-n pl-mpn-ntn
The Widow Nes, yes. That'Srigni. Ahmcn.
phmen.
The Medium Vibrations vibrations. will
send You vibrations. will send ron my vi
brGtion~. Ha,
The Widow Thank Won.
The Medium There are conditions. Con
ditiOn-. Understand? Conditions. Mldlyl.
Conditions. conditions. conditions, conditions,
con "
The Widow IsoorhinsIyl Yes, Yes: com
df!Ou~.
The Medium Conditions vibrations. vlbra-
tious, conditions. \hmor, ahm"n, ahmen.
The Widow Conditions conditions Ahmen, |
The Medium You have lost enc dear To You.
\ child;
The Widow Ne, | haven't los, a child.
The Medium Hnmph, No; ! knew that
Know H. knew It, knew II ! know all. am
not like Won ! know all things. Higher.
higher. higher. lou do not wish to pass over
vet? No. viii save YOU Heed tho guiding
of my instrument Tapping herself IN the
breast. Heed them. She l. my instrument
ThrouGh her, through her, inder-tard' Her.
her. her. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Widow Nhmen, ahmen.
The Medium turning TO tho reporierl . ! Ike
this Young man. Yes; | like this man. He