The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-26

SUSAN.
You see, went on Mr.. Davis, dropping
the pose, III | we're a regular, genuine
medium. it. odds on | wouldn't know who
wrote that line, and it wouldn't do to catch
a spirit upon little point like that
Now II this were a real sitting I'd con
you for about ten minutes more before
handed back the letter. but as it is-smell.
He thrust the envelope under THE sun
reporters nose. It ernelled like drug
store. He held it up TO the light. It was
perfectly transparent. Every letter could
be read.
THE best % per Gent. grain alcohol,
said Mr. Davis. He stripped of his coat.
Under his right armpit was rubber bulb,
and from this tube ran down his arm to
the edge of his cum. He pressed the bulb
by forcing his arm close TO his body. The
tube emitted fine. wide spray.
See how it's done? got your eyes of
that letter the sec md time | took it up
and wet it down with alcohol on the adj
. dress side. In ten minutes the alcohol will
have evaporated and the letter will be
opaque and odoress again, The smell Of
printers ink in this shop killed the alcohol
smell while | was working. The medium
in a sitting always carries n heavily scented
handkerchief or has fragrant flowers On
the table,
In fact, ten minutes later no one could
! have told that the letter had been tempered
with.
Il sometimes think unused the ex-
medium, that men are awful fools 10 be
wire tappers and bunco men and green
goods men, considering the difficulty and
danger Of their professions The money
the medium gets is the easiest and safest
coin ever wrng by human hands from
the ready Rube.
Now for Mrs Pepper. whether or not
she has the alcohol game in her repertoire,
she doesn't need TO use It, because her
methods are 50 much easier. Besides, she
usually has a string Of observers on the
platform these days, and they often ask FOR
the letters as soon as they are read. DR..
Funk has special platform seat reserved
for him Her best work is done W it'll the
aid of confoderates.
Notice some time that. with few eI-
ceptions. it isn't the intelligent looking
person in her audience who gets his letter
read. No. sir! It's the ignorant and
stupid.
-The confederate Is busy all over Brook
lyn.
-'WhatT says the confederate TO her
washerwoman- Can't pay your rent?
! That's too bad. You ought to consult
Mrs. Pepper the medium. tn only cost
you rs cents TO attend the services. Here
write letter TO her, and remember to mark
It SO that you'll know it when you hand
it up--here-Il show you-print X u
on the corner
And then the confederate writes to
Mrs. Pepper about like this:
There's dope going TO send YOU a letter
| Sunday night asking how she can manage
| TO pay her rent She old. black hair strcaked
| with gray. dressed in mourning, and her name
| IL Mary Smith. Her father ia dead His
name was John Her letter viii be marked
~ T. -
What a wonderful revelation she getsl
Mrs Pepper rubs that letter against her
| forehead and gets the name John She
! says that John ia right there beside her ard
( helps him up on the platform. She gets
] the name Mary in connection With the letter.
| John tells her that Mary wrote the letter
and that she mustn't worry. And 80 forth
and SO forth.
Letters begin to come up to her pile
! at about 7.20. She doesn't enter the pulpit
until nearly r. All that time the ushers
are running back and forth, to and from
/ that pile Of letters. bringing new onec,
arranging the flowers. and all that How
much sleight-of- hand would it take for an
| usher to pinch three or four letters from
/ the pile ard get out with them TO the church
| parlors. where Mrs. Pepper could operate
with ulcohol-the only spirit that ever APP
| pears at her services. And having read
! them she could carry them into the pulpit,
| and, while she was opening and shutting
( the big Bible, or operating one Of the big
/ hymn cards used in her services, she could
| drop them unobserved into the pile all ready
| to be guided to them by her control
| mind, don't say that L know Of my own
| certain knowledge that she does it in either
Of these ways 1t IL just my opinion Of
her methods-one expert piping OF another.
l have pretty good proof Of the confederate
system That, believe. is her main re-
! lance.
Mediums all work together. passing the
/ credulous from hand to hand If I'd been
a real medium and you a real dupe when
read that letter a while ago I'd have said
somewhere in my remarks
Have you ever visited the Jones's
that paint those marvellous spirit portraits?
ask because Susan tells me if you go to
likeness Of herself BY the time | got
through with you, I'd have had you firm
/ believer Az soon as you had gone. I'd
/ have written to the Jones's about like this:
I There's a dope coming TO see you about
! the end of this week Soak him for 5000.
/ He'll stand Cor it | shall expect one-thrd.
| Please send me your check for 500 IA soon
Is you collect.
I'D add your name, a description Of you,
/ and all the spirit names and general infor-
! nation I'd worned out Of You on your
/ visits to me.
Returning TO DR.. Funk and his spirit
/ paintings. 1t is possible that he didn't
/ take any photographs with him when he
visited the Bangs sisters. l didn't ask
/ him about that point. But lie has had
mediums in MS house again and again-and,
as l said, mediums work in gangs.
The Weather.
The area OF low pressure which was central In
/ the nciRhbornood Of Oklahoma Territory Friday
4 mid lv nd