Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1923-05-18

Of the chair, tie his hands behind his
back, and place a gag in his mouth so
that he could not speak. He performed
his task with the thoroughness of
police officer trained in the work;
and when he informed US that the
medium could neither move nor speak,
l believed him.
At Bartley's suggestion we seated
ourselves around the table. 1t was
small one, not very heavy in construc-
ton. We placed our hands on It's
surface as directed, and linked them
together by hooking the thumb and
little finger of each hand around the
finger Of the hand next to 1t. We
were told that under no circumstance
were we to break this circle.
BARLEY spent some time in making
sure that we were arranged In the
proper manner. 1 was seated with
Currie on my left, my little finger
clasped around his thumb, and Bart
ley himself on my right. He rose and
turned off the lights, then groped his
way DuNh " LJ anu q SCCOhu
later his finger closed around mine.
l confess that I felt a bit like a fool
as l waited there in the pitch dark
ness. What we were doing seemed
childish; yet back of it all there was
such a general air of expectancy that
l was tense with excitement. The
great draperies had been drawn over
the windows, and not even ray of
light penetrated the room. Just what
1t was that we were waiting for !
did not know. Something might or
might not take place. the medium
had said. We sat in silence for a
number Of minutes, minutes that
dragged endlessly. l must confess
that to me they were not the most
pleasant l had ever spent.
Someone drew deep breath, and
l thought the table had started to
move. Then a silence followed, SO
deep that l could not hear even my
neighbor breathing. l felt as if l
were all alone in the darkness. Only
the reassuring touch of the fingers on
each side Of me drew me back to
sanity.
Suddenly, when I was least expect
ing it, l felt the table under my fin
gers sway back and forth for a sec
ond, then fall back upon the floor with
a little bang. Currie breathed hard,
as if afraid; and his grasp on my
fingers tightened. Then without
warning came a series of ten knocks,
family, as if someone were knocking
at a distant door. / could not tell
where they came from. They seemed
to be in the air, on the floor every
where but on the table. One thing
was sure: they did not come from the
direction in which the medium sat.
Besides, he had been tied too tightly
in his chair to have been able to
make them.
little running rapS, never very loud,
that would start and stop a second,
then trip away like little feet run
ming to and fro
"Are you thereY" Bartley's voice
asked, hesitatingly.
Almost before his words had died
away, there came a series of loud
raps, almost falling over each other.
Then Bartley's voice again, cool but
low, Can you communicate with usY'
1 had expected that the raps would
reply at once, but instead there was
long silence. Several times BARLEY
repeated the question, and still no
answer
At length he asked, "Shau we try
some other method?"
Raps answered, tumbling over each
other in their eagerness, and the table
tipped so violently that l expected it
would fall over. It returned to an
upright position with bang, then
silence again. A deep moan from the
direction Of the medium startled me,
then more means interspersed with
signs.
A shrill, thin voice, ghostly and far
away said brokenly, "Oh-O-oh-I-
ff-feel you; l know-you are-there-
there"
A silence, in which l hardly dared
to breathe. The table tipped a second
time and deep voice which seemed
familiar, though could not place it,
said, II am here-here, though you
do-not SCENE. / was murdered
by-by-"
What it might have added we never
knew. Miss Potter suddenly cried
out, not in fear but In joy, ITS Mr..
Slyke-his voice"
BARLEY, afraid that she might rise
in her excitement and break the circle,
whispered to her, and she settled
back.
now recognized the voice as that
Of Slyke, little changed, it is true,
but enough like it to be easily identi-
fed. l was too dazed to think the
raps, the darkness, the voice, and the
fear that was creeping into my heart,
We're almost more than l could bear.
Silence again, broken only by the
uneasy means of the medium. Then,
without warning, someone cried in
terror, Look The stairs, the
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