The Washington times., 1922-09-03

Martin. In deadly earnest rang out the
detectives words meanwhile.
"Then, Aunt Emma, then, if we are to
be successful 1 put you under arrest.
You're a mighty healthy ghost, Aunt
Emma"
They grappled, fell with a thud, and
rolled. over on the floor, Mrs. Martin and
the ghost. Thompson, the medium, threw
himself into the scuffie and was promptly
quelled by Detective Mclaughlin. Then
Mrs. Martin, stepping to the window, blew
a police whistle. Thompson, the medium,
in the meantime forgot his sanctity
enough to emit some very able-bodied
oaths while the lights went on nobody
knew how.
And on the floor was revealed the
"ghost" of "Aunt Emma"-none other
than Mrs. Eva Thompson herself in a
white silk robe!
Downstairs came the sounds of blows
on the street door, blows thick, furious
and fast.
'1f you won't open, we will break in"
voices of men loudly raised came through
the easement. And the sounds of wo-
men shrieking, shrill, nervous, beside
themselves with the breaking of the reli-
gious spell rang in and out of the more
violent crashing and furniture falling.
At last four police officers bounded up
over the stairs. And then the whole
mystery was revealed.
MRS. Martin" was Policewoman Gene
veive Mclaughlin and Bob" was Detec-
tive Andrew Mclaughlin, both of the
New York force. And the Thompsons
were arrested for having broken the for
tune telling act. The Thompsons, whose
miraculous "materializationsh Just three
nights before had brought tears of rever-
ence and wonder to the eyes of Sir Arthur,
were arrested.
The police also took away with them
the white silk robes Mrs. Thompson wore
when she slipped out of her cabinet into
the darkened room and which had been
supposed to be the materialized vestments
of the spirit; black silk cloth that she
used to give the effect of a mans coat,
some phosphorescent buttons which were
the spirit lights" she waved, spirit
piano, upon which spirit" hands were
supposed to play, but which turned out to
be a clever mechanical device which
played of itself when wound up, and her
trumpet. All these interesting exhibits of
trickery are now at Police Headquarters
Judge Simpson found the Thompsons
guilty of violating the fortune tell
ing act and fined them each one hundred
uOildTS. Anu 10 tnOSe OF US IN LnAt COM
pany to whom the fraud was then re-
vealed came just then much light and
many answers to various things which
before had been riddles. .. ...'
For instance, we knew then why the
two Thompsons, man and wife, always
warned us not to turn on the lights. II
was because they knew we would recog-
nize the features of Eva through the
slit she made in her white veil to talk
through.
We still feel, my wife and !, that there
are genuine mediums in the world. But
we are thankful that the Thompsons were
arrested and exposed, even il 1t had to
be at our house. And the next time that
l, as church trustee, investigate any other
medium, shall see that such tests as the
police use are given to the mediums. For
such tests are the only way to prove the
genuine medium from the false. IL a
spirit fades out of your grasp it's indeed
q spirit. But II II screams and rolls over
on the foor--it is just another fraud.