Omaha daily bee., 1914-06-28
TIPS ON SPOOKS' SECRETS
Method Of springing Spirit Portraits
on the Credulous.
MOST BATTLING OF TRICKS
Investigator shows How Mediums
Work n simple Process and
Dumbfound the Average
Spectator.


ceived the credulous. often to the great
financial profit OF the deceiver. has been
printed by David p. Abbott, Of Chicago.
II is the secret Of the so-called spirit
portrait, secret which has defied many
inVestigators. even when their efforts
were spurred by offers OF handsome
purses II they should succeed.
Abott has long been known as an ex-
poser OF fakes. For 30 years he practised
as spirit medium" and in that time
learned most Of the tricks Of the faker
Several years ago he printed a book IN
which many Of the secrets were revealed
BY rather sardonic turn OF clrcun-
stances his greatest discovery resulted IN
pecuniary gain to another. After he had
mastered the secret OF the spirit por-
trait, he gave the result of his inquiries
to an Englishman who, he thought was
fellow investigator. The Engllshman
promoted a vaudeville adaptation of the
mystery and had received royalties run
ming up into the thousands Of dollars be-
fore Abbott learned of the use to which
his Information had been put.
The spirit portrait mystery challenged
detection for several years. Two women
who advertised themselves as mediums
practiced It in Chicago and Kansas City.
Hundreds of persons are believed to have
been confirmed In their beliefs in spirit
ualism by II. Countless others, unwilling
to believe that the souls of the departed
are lowering about the earth, simply con-
fessed they couldn't understand this phe-
nomenon and let It go at that.
Watching the Myatery.
A letter from a Kansas Cityan in 1905
first enlisted Abbott's interest In the af-
fair. The letter declared that II was ''the
gretest mystery in the world" and said
that one man in Kansas City had spent
$4,000 for pictures which. he was con-
vinced, had been painted by spirit artists
The writer said OF his own experiences:
Having met by appointment at the
residence of the mediums, my doctor
friend and myself were ushered into a
studio. The object was to secure a por-
trait In colors of the doctors sister, who
w-s killed some six years ago in a run
away accident.
The doctor was requested by the me
diums to select two canvases from a
dozen or more that were leaning against
the wall. This he did from the middle of
the pile, holding them up to the light and
rubbing his hand over them to determine
If there was any coating or film over
them. I also examined them very closely
and was satisfied there was not. One of
the mediums now took the framed can
vases and, placing them face to face
stood them upon a small table in front
of window which looked out on one of
the city's principal boulevards. The can
vases we're leaned against the window.
Arranging Light Effects.
"one OF the mediums stood upon a chair
and pulled the blind to the top of the
canvases. and then each of them drew
a soft curtain from the side of the win
dow to the frames, thus Gardening all OF
the window except where the light came
through the canvas; they appeared
clear and white. My friend held picture
of his dead sister in his hand being re-
quested to fix the expression of her face
in his mind We were seated directly in
front Of the window. not more than three
feet from the canvas, while the me-
diums stood at the two sides of the table
holding them and talked to US.
After waiting possibly five minutes
one of the mediums said, You will OBJ
serve how the canvases are drawing.
They are being sized The front canvas
did seem to be stretching on the frame,
ihdhlAk d SitSht uOiSe az II u LnuInD were
being drawn along the side Of the frame
Presently the noise stopped and there
peared on the outer edge of the canvas,
or rather between the two, a slight
shadow.
II did not notice the shadow until our
attention was called TO 1t by the me-
diums. II continued to darken. while the
center remained white and clear In a
few minutes ! noticed a pale pink almost
directly In the center. 1t seemed like
the glow OF sunrise. but there was no
form. Next We noticed an outline. The
face was forming. We noticed two dark
blue blurs that grew more distinct, and
saw that they were eyebrows and eye
iashes of closed eyes. The lines of the
mouth appeared and the outlines of the
head became visible. while the shoulders
were distinct and then the eyes opened
out. giving a life-like effect to the por-
trait.
Startling Results.
WAS dreaming? felt like pinching
myself to see. A woman's face was look
ing at us from between the canvases,
beautiful in form and feature. . .
The doctor now saw a string OF beads
around the neck, one bead at a time
They changed in color from white to
amber and then to gold. Meanwhile the
background had changed In color several