The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-08-29

/ | AAC AbAOo9 IN cNASo Vi
IL mediums are catching.
For example. no spirit exposed to
the grammatical errors Of a medium
can resist the infection.
Summarily, small personal peculi-
arities such as a lisp, a halting gait,
or stopped shoulders invariably are
communicated from medium to spirit.
Mrs. Anna Thronsden. a some
what genial and easy-going medium
at Chesterfield. never takes pains
to pronounce names correctly.
When l was introduced to her on
the night of July 20, just before her
seance opened, she addressed me az
Miss Simon" instead of as Miss
Simmons, the name l used during
my stay at camp.
The first spirit presented to me
through her trumpet called herself
Grandmother Simon."
The coincidence struck me.
Spirit F1atters
Mrs. Thronsden's trumpet circle
was more informal and less elabo-
rate than that of Hart and Clark.
She Is inclined to let the spirits more
! or less take. care of themselves.
Her trumpet was laid upon the
table within easy reach Of her hands,
which, by the way, she did not ask
anybody to hold.
She too has her quota Of. Indian
guides and spirit doctor to ad-
wise her clients.
But her chief stock In trade Is
a large number Of spirits versed
in the arts Of f1attery, She-prophe-
sled that 1 soon would meet a hand
some man who would be worthy"
Of me.
This information was augmented
by the remark of the spirit of
somebody's dead husband who en-
tered the circle a short time later,
and said he would like to meet the
young lady sitting over there, "be-
cause he always, did like brown-cyed
girls"
Which remark not only failed to
appease me but caused the wife Of
this spirit to give me the icy Shout
der as we left the seance.
Make Same Errors
Throughout Mrs. Thronsden's
work" she was handicapped by this
inability to pronounce names. l was
Miss Simon. Mrs. Rentfrow was
Mrs. Renfew" and a Mr.. Robert
son was Mr. Robinson" The spir-
it's made the same mistakes.
The mediums voice was also a
handicap. 1t was a strangely child
ish treble, Which could only with
difficulty be converted into the pro-
found bass of the doctors and pro-
fessor's and big Indian chiefs who
came through the trumpet.
Anonther instance Of the con-
tagiousness of personal idiosyncracy
in mediumship l observed at a ma
terializing seance of Mrs. Mary
Langley, the Kentucky medium
whose nightgown 1 had caught
masquerading as a spirit robe.
I again was introduced to the
spirits Of my dead grandmother and
dead brother, as we'll as to an aunt
or two equally fictitious.
When my brother appeared, clad
as usual in the nondescript black
robes, topped by the white shirt
front and tie. he was much excited
over my inability to recognize his
| features.
| Sees Teeth
Leaning toward me and pretend
ing to turn his face so that the
dim light would fall upon 1t, he
pleaded with me after the fashion of
spirits. Cant you see me, sister?
Don't you recognize me?"
And like most pilgrims to Chester
field I could not bear to hurt the
feelings Of a spirit friend, and 80 I
said, Yes to give him peace.
Not a feature had l seen, under
the shadows Of the~Seiled nightcap.
But the light had caught a dull
golden CLEAN from his teeth.
This phenomenon had not occurred
in any other Undertaking seance
that I had visited. But it CONTINUED
to occur at this one.
My grandmother also opened her
mouth and displayed the same dull
metallic CLEAN. My aunt's presented
the same POPULARITY
I began to think that it was n
family trait
An old man seated beside me was
typical Chesterfield victim. He
was old and crippled,l and querulous-
ly anxious to reach some of the dead
friends.
Man Is Shrewd
But he did not lack shrewdness.
When the spirit of his dead wife
appeared to him. he stared at il,
shook his head and stumbling back
TO his seat, remarked to me that he
did not understand why Martyrs
mouth seemed to have light in t.
So It seemed that the Simmons