Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-30

'CdlleQ III
The alleged music put the gathering
in a fit mood for anything, even
speech At this juncture Arthur S.
Prentice came forward with speech
which implied great wonders to be re-
vealed, but ended with an anti-climax
and a suggestion that he was Always
from Missouri" The well known and
well fed Mrs. Dean acted as mistress
of ceremonies and introduced all Of the
persons inflicted upon those who paid
so cents.
Detectives Give Added Zest
All would have undoubtedly been un-
Willingly buncoed had it not been for
the touch of life and action injected by
the police detectives. Handsome
Harry or Diamond Dick" never fur
nished a more spectacular feature than
that staged by the police, and Hawk
shawe," in his most dramatic rescues
of Jack Dalton" never had anything
on Parker and Mack, from Chief Dish
mans office.
After the address by Prentice elabo-
rate preparations were made to get
Helena ready for her part in the per-
| formance. A black curtain was stretched
across the back of the stage and fas-
tened to a piano. The little girl was
placed in front of this black cloth and
her hands were supposedly bound so
that she could not possibly remove
them. Then a curtain of the same
| black material was pinned around her
neck by her father and mother, who
| took a long time in accomplishing the
task.
Anyone was welcome to come up on
the stage and help pin the child fast
but as the meeting had been carefully
scanned by the doorkeeper no one but
loyal Spiritualists Of unimpeachable
faith were supposed to be in the house
and there were no volunteers. Besides
that, spirit-chasers who pay so cents TO
get into an affair of the kind pulled
off" are not the type of people who
are capable of doubling anything, and
If told that Santa Claus" the Man in
the Moon," "Old King Cole" and Tom
the Piper's Son" needed money to start
spirit clearing house they probably
would contribute their mite of good
hard cash.
Old Timers on Front Seats
Also it was impossible for anyone not
in the spirit trust to get chance of too
close scrutiny of the works of the ghost
ly world, for a few very early arrivals
who crowded the front seats and who
seemed to be old timers did all OF the
examining which was to be done.
In the front row, on the left hand
side of the house, viewed from the en-
trance, sat some fairly intelligent ap-
pearing people, among them a couple
of very pretty girls, who appeared to
be sisters On the other side of the
house a bunch Of comical monstrosltles
in facial construction were to be OBJ
served, and Hogarth never could have
been able to conceive of anything more
funny than some Of the "dopey" faces
of the spoolS enthralled bunch. Several
counterparts Of we'll known funny paper
freaks were in evidence, and one man
was the living image of Gloomy Gus.
Helena began her seance by getting
the spirits around her and then, after
a few lights in the front of the house
had been turned out, the inhabitants OF
the unseen world got busy.
That they could not have been or q
high mental caliber was evidenced by
the fact that their actions were childish
and they permitted themselves to be
ordered around in an aimless and ar
bitrary manner by Mrs. Norcross' VINO
stood at the left of the stage. Old
Nick Carter may have been great
detective, but If he is the spook who
played on the string instruments be-
hind the curtain, he is nowhere near
being as good a musician as he was a
detective, and he Lad better get back
to sleuthing in the other world, other
wise he may get transferred TO place
visited by Dante.
Spirits Seemed Too Noisy
Nick knocked on tables, waved few
things above the curtain and made
great deal of noise for spook.
People came up on the stage ana
passed water through a curtain to the
great sleuth, and he finally made a
horrible din with the harps at the COM
mand of his friend, Mrs. Norcross.
Some unknown spirit wrote a letter,
amidst a surprising rattling of paper.
That the ghost who was the author OF
the manuscript is unlettered and poor
pencil weilder, is certain, for the spell
ing in a message of a few words which
called upon a lady in the second row
from the back, and ordered her to SIT
,1pon the stage, was far from CLASSY.
Also it is hard to see why the spook
should have taken several pages OF
paper to write a few words. The
handwriting appeared to be that of
little school girl, who was having
fearful time making mark with
pencil welded from position in back
of her.
Helena never moved her head during
the manifestations, but it is apparent
that her little hands were not idle, for
in whatever way she managed the
tricks and illusions there was no slack
ening of spirit noise. The passing of
things over the curtain was over
worked, because it was such good
trick.