El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-12

NJ connected with the phenomena
of a few of the worlds great
est spiritualistic mediums that cannot
be dismissed with a wave of the hand
and declaration of fraud. on the other
hand there is no fact better attested
than that at least SO percent of all
commercial spiritualism is unmitigated
fraud. Fortunately the literature of
exposure is large, authentic, and largely
written by those who have been
mediums themselves.
In this series of articles it is the pur-
pose to give a synopsis of the tricks and
receptions of commercial spiritualism
and magic This Will not embrace every
trick, or even many of the most recent,
for as soon as one trick is exposed
some brain evolves another method TO
dc the same thing, and the brotherhood
of spiritualists is a clearing house in
which the discovery of one medium is
made the property of all. But enough
Will be shown TO make it plain that one
cannot always believe his eyes.
SpirituaIists Have "BIue Book"
To begin with, it is important TO get
well into the wind the fact that there
is a brotherhood of spiritualistic
mediums, and that what one knows
they all know. AS Dun and Bradstreet
are sources of full information about
the financial responsibility of every
man~who buys or sells in the CONNER
cial world, so the spiritualistic blue
book is filled with Information about
people with whom the spiritualists do,
or hope TO do, business. That this blue
book is comprehensive is indicated by
the fact that there are 1000 names
listed for the city of Boston alone.
As Sure as Bridstreet.
This information is by no means
limited to generalities. Indeed, the aim
is TO get specific and intimate details
of family life, such as ones love affairs,
marriages, bereavements, and the like.
There are many ways by which this is
accomplished, but the basic idea of the
plan is an actual canvass of the cities
and towns where the mediums are 10
Gated. The mediums themselves do not
fare forth undisguised to learn family
history and 10 pry into private affairs.
1t is more productive of results, and
not at all harmful in consequences,
that these things should be done by
canvassers for articles which take them
into the homes of the people. II is
called planting" a town, and is done
as carefully as the census taker or the
directory worker does his work. Photo
graphs often are secured. family Bibles
peered into, cemetery lots visited, the
newspapers carefully read, and If any
confirmed habitue of the spiritualistic
seance thinks to long escape being list
ed In the blue book. together with his
full pedigree, let him once for all aban-
don that idea They are as sure TO get
him as Dun or Bradstreet is sure TO get
the man who sets up in business.
CreduIOus Persons Listed.
Of course this blue book As not a list
of the names of all the people. The
spiritualist cares nothing for informa-
ton except about people who have the
seance bug And this enables the des-
Criptions to be full and complete. Even
the style Of the clothes of the departed
relatives is listed, and any particular
marks of Identification or physical
peculiaritieS of deceased persons likely
10 be inquired after are noted BY
the use of this information the mediums,
in the darkness or semi rkness and
the suppressed excitement of the
seance room have made thousands of
credulous persons identify the material
lied spirits of dead men.
Produce Many Ghosts.
The act of Undertaking. the dead
is regarded as the highest attainment of
the spiritualistic medium. Doubters
who have stood out against every other
form Of phenomena unconvinced, have
been converted when they have beheld
these apparitiOnS of lost loved ones,
have been made to repent of their for
mer doubts, and have been firmly
anchored 10 the belief that there is all
truth in Spiritualism.
Honest and highly intelligent men
have been unable after serious investi-
cation to explain these phenomena. Yet
when it is explained. it becomes as clear
as any magicians trick. To illustrate
how completely puzzling may seem the
materialiZing Seance and yet how clear
and plain the fraud when laid bare one
needs only relate the confession of a
medium who brought into a room not
one, but seven ghosts, one at a time
and then, grand finale Of the-circus
fashion, all seven together the while
he himself was strapped to a chair and
the sitters examined him between each
act of the ghOstly drama.
Strange Phenomena.
There were 50 sitters in the room. The !
cabinet was a large wall closet with
wooden ceiling. After the medium had |
the chair duly nailed TO the floor the
sitteIs were arranged, the lights were |
put out, and a music box set going
Shortly there appeared o. the floor near
the curtain of the cabinet, a spot Of |
luminescent light. Gradually it grew |
into shape and form until there stood
before the startled spectators the ap-
partition of pretty young woman |
Diamonds Sparkled in her ears and also |
at her throat and on her fingers. She |
moved around in the room for awhile |
and then raped for light A dim red |
light appeared. and the lady of mystery |
went over and held whispered CONVEX |
sation with well-to-dO, benevolent old |
man among the sitters.
While she did so she gave others op- 8
portunity to grasp her hand which was /