Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-05-16

No other one feature OF mediumistic
work may be used with such convincing
effect spirit portraiture, especially
when in connection with other spirltualistlc
msnifestitatons. This was illustrated In
,ne experience OF wealthy citizen OF Hi
nols HE had attended one seanee stIer
another and while still an honest inquirer,
had not been sufficiently impressed to ae-
Cept the doctrines Of spiritualism without
question. While in this state OF mind he
Was referred to group OF spirit portrait
painters in the city OF Chicago, and he
went to see these picture-taking mediums.
When his turn came he was asked TO write
a message to some dead person, fold 1t
along with two blank sheets of paper all
taken from his own writing pad, and to
place them in sealed envelope, which,
in turn, was to be placed IN book OH
which he was to rest his hand during the
remainder OF the seance. lie did this, and
while waiting for the reply Of his message
to appear he engaged in conversation
about spiritualistlc phenomena with the
medium. When a sufficient time had
elapsed, he was asked to remove his en-
velope from the book, and open it aud read
had been dead for many years, whether
she would sit for spirit portrait for him.
The reply was written in ink and covered
both sheets that he had enclosed with his
message. She announced that at certain
future date she would sit for the portrait.
He went away from the seance very
deeply impressed, and completely my sti-
fled on the appointed day he returned,
cd a
of blank canvases and had it placed upon
an easel. While he sat there looking IN
tently at the bare canvas lights and
shadows began to appear, and in less
than twenty minutes completed picture
of a woman about So years old stood out
| upon the canvas. 1t resembled the sitter $
mother when she was about that age The
man was so impressed by this marvellous
exhibition OF what seemed to him to be
| supernatural power that he more than
| willingly paid the $40 for which the medium
had agreed to produce the picture.
| In another case woman, although pro-
| fessed doubter, called ON these spirit paint
ers and asked for a spirit portrait of her
dead son. She, too, was given a message
! from beyond the veil, declaring that all
was we'll with the son and that he would
| be delighted to sit for his picture. In this
| case a number OF calls were necessary be-
| fore the portrait could be completed, but
when It was finished she decided that she
would like to have his name on it, and 10!
| the name Immediately appeared, without
any seeming natural explanation. She was
| completely converted to the doctrines OF
| spirituallsm.
Another instance of the mysterious art OF
spirit portraiture was that OF a man who
had asked for a portrait of his daughter
who had died in infancy. He, too, was a
doubter. When he visited the place the
second time he was told to select a canvas
among the dozen or more lying loosely upor
| the floor of a room adjoining the seance
room. He did so and the canvas was placed
in window In due time a picture of 8
beautiful girl about IA years old appeared
| on the canvas, all In broad daylight and
right before his skeptioal eyes. After the
picture was delivered to- him he expressed
the wish that there might be a flower in
| her hair. The medium told him not to
worry, that In due time such flower would
appear. He took his picture. That evening
flower did appear in the hair OF the
child In the portrait.
No one can conceive of a combination
OF circumstances that would be none com
pletely mystifying than those in either one
OF the foregoing cases. And yet the ex-
| PLANTATION Is not difficult even for the un-
| initiated to understand In the first place
the messages written and concealed In the
books were obtained and read by the medi-
ums and the answers written through a
process Of substitution such as is used in
the sealed letter and pellet tricks. The
data about the people whose spirit portraits
were desired was obtained partly through
the medium and the runners who had sent
the sitters there and partly from converse
tons with the sltters who unconsciously
revealed some OF the things the medium
needed to know.
When the sItters selected their canvasses