El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-17
Spirit Answers and Portraiture
Possible By Fraud and Chemistry
v-SPIRITUALISM AND MAGIC.

MO other one feature of medium
| IN istic work may be used with
! such convincing effect as spirit
portraiture, especially when in cOnnec-
ton with other spiritualiStic manlfes-
| tatiOns. This was illustrated in the
/ experience of a wealthy citizen of Ill
inois He had attended one seance af-
! ter another, and while still an honest
| inquirer, had mot been sufficiently i'm
| pressed to accept the doctrines of
| spiritualism without question. While
| in this state of mind he was referred
to a group of spirit portrait painters
in the city of Chicago, and he went
! to see these picture taking mediums
A Message From the Dead.
When his turn came he was asked TO
| write a message TO some dead per-
son, fold 1t along with two blank sheets
| Of paper, all taken from his own writ
| ing pad, and to place them in a sealed
| envelope, which, in turn, was to be
placed in a book on which he was to
rest his hand during the remainder of
the seance. He did this, and while
waiting for the reply, TO his message
to appear, he engaged in conversation
about spiritualistic phenomena with
the medium. When a sufficient time
had elapsed, he was asked TO remove
his envelope from the book, and to
his mother, who 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 a
certain future date she would sit for
the portrait.
Mothers Picture Appeared.
He went away from the seance very
deeply impressed, and completely mys-
titled. On the appointed day he re-
turned, selected a canvas from among
number of blank canyases, and had ii
placed upon an easel. While he sat
there looking intently at the bare can
vas lights and shadows began to an
pear, and In less than twenty min
utes completed picture of a woman
ABOUT 80 years old stood out upon the
canvas 1t resembled the sttter's moth
er when she was about that age. The
man was so impressed by this marvel
Gus 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.
Doubters Convinced.
In another case a woman although
a professed doubter, called on these
spirit painters and asked for a spirit
portrait of her dead son. She too was
given a message from beyond the veil.
declaring that all was well with the
son, and that he would be delighted
10 Sit for his picture. In this casa
NUMBER OF calls were necessary before
the portrait could be completed. but
When 1t was finished. she decided that
she would like to have his name on il
ana 10, the name immediately appeared. /
without any seeming natural expIana- (!
.ioh- one was completely converted TO !
the doctrines of spiritualism.
Another instance of the mysterious
art Of spirit portraiture was thai of q !
man who had asked for q portrai+ of !
MS daughter who had died in infancy.
he, 100. was doubter. When he Wis
lteo the place the second time he was
loio 10 select canvas among the dozen
.. more lying loosely upon the floor
OF room adjoining the seance room. He
ala so, and the canvas was placed in a
window. In due time picture of bean~
tl1ul girl about II years old anDearad
on the canvas all in broad dayliehtand
right before his skeptical eyes. After
The picture was delivered to him he ex
pressed the wish that there might be
licWer In her hair The medium told
hill IoV 10 worry. that in due time such
a floWer would appear. He took his
picture That evening flower din
appear in the hair of the child in thp J.
portrait
Messages Are Substitutions
NO one can conceive of combination
o1 circumstances that would he more
completely mystifying than those in Ell
her one OF the foregoing cases And
yet the explanation is net difficult even
ior the unfinished to understand In
ne first place the messag written
md concealed in the books were OBJ
AIMED and read by the mediums and
ne answers written through a process
II substitution such as is used in tho
sealed letter and pellet tricks. The
lata ABOUT the people whose spirit por-
rats were desired was obtained ns,+1,,
hrough the medium and the runners who
lad sent the sitters there. and partly
rom conversation with the sitters who
lnconsciously revealed some of the ,
hlnss the medium needed TO know
Chemicals Produce Pictures.
"hen the sitters selected their car