Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-12

While there are some things connected
with the phenomena Of a few Of the world
grcatest spiritualistic mediums that cannot
be dismissed with wave of the hand and
q declaration Of fraud on the other hand
there is no fact better sttcstcd than that
at least 80 per cent OF all commercial
spirtualism Is unmitigated fraud. Fort
unatey 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 purpose to give a
synopsis OF the tricks and receptions Of
commercial spirtualism 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 an
other method TO do the same thing, and
the brotherhood OF spiritualists is a clear
ing house in which the discovery of ono
medium is made the property OF all. But
enough will be shown to make II plain that
ono cannot always believe his eyes
To begin with it is important TO get well
into the mind the fact that there is a
brotherhood of spiritualstic mediums, and
that what one knows they all know As
Dun and Bradstreet are sources OF full
information about the financial RESPONSE
bility Of every man who buys or sells i'm
the commercial world, so the spiritualistic
blue book is filled with information about
people with whom the spirtualists>to. 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.
This information is by no means limited to
generalities. Indeed, the aim is TO get spe-
cfic and intimate details Of family life,
reavements. and the like. There are many
ways by which this accomplished, but
the basic idea of the plan is an actual
canvass of the cities and towns where the
mediums are located. The mediums them
selves do not fare forth undisguised to
learn family history and to pry into pri-
vate affairs. 1t is more productive of re-
suits, and not at all harmful in conse-
quences that these things should be done
by canvassers for articles which take them
into the homes of the people. 1t is called
planting" town. and is done as care
fully as the census taker or the directory
worker does his work. Photographs often
are secured, family Bibles peered into,
cemetery lots visited, the newspapers care
fully read, and if any confirmed habitue
OF the spiritualistc seance thinks to long
escape being listed in the blue book, to-
gether with his full pedigree let him once
= for all abandon that idea. They are as sure
III to get him as Dun or Bradstreet is sure
to get the man who sets up in business
II OF course this blue book is not a list of
II the names of all the people The spirit
u ualist cares nothing for information except
about people who have the seance bug
!, And this enables the descriptions to be full
and complete. Even the style Of the clothes
{ of the departed relatives is listed and any
" particular marks of Identification or ply
y steal peculiarities OF deceased persons likely
U to be inquired after are noted. BY the use
of this information the mediums, in the
{ darkness or semi-darkness and the sup
pressed excitement of the seance room
(, have made thousands of credulous persons
" identify the materalized spirits of dead
. men.
:, The act Of Undertaking the dead is
: regarded as the highest attainment of the
spirtualistc medium. Doubters who have
! stood out against every other form of
= phenomena unconvnced have been con
verted when they have beheld these APP
partitions of lost loved ones, have been
y made to repent of their former doubts and
. have been firmly anchored to the belief
that there is all truth in spiritualsm.
: Honest and highly intelligent men have
=, been unable after serious investigation to
= explain these phenomena. Yet when II
: is explained it becomes as clear as any
= magcians trick. To illustrate how com
: petely puzzling may seem the material
- zlng 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
u finale Of the-circus fashion, all seven to-
gether, the while he himself was strapped
to a chair and the sitters examined hin
- between each act of the ghostly drama
:, There were thiry-fve stters in tn,
= room The cabinet was a large wal
= closet with a wooden ceiling. After tn,
- medium had been strapped and tied to hi,
chair and the chair duly nailed to thu
floor, the stters were arranged the light!
were put out and a music box set going
- Shortly there appeared on the floor nea
the curtain Of the cabinet a spot OF lumi
) nescent light Gradually il grew int
the startled spectators the apparition o
II pretty young woman. Diamonds spar
II killed. in her ears and also at her throa
y and on her fingers. She moved around n
the room for a while and then raped TO
light. A. dim red light appeared and tn,
woman of mystery went over and helt
a whispered conversation with a well-to
DO benevolent old man among the sitters