n boy, and gave lengthy
accounts of his manifestations. The arrangements for his exhibition were
very simple. A dulcimer, guitar, bell, and small drum being placed on a
sofa or several chairs set against the wall, a clothes-horse was set in
front of them and covered with a blanket, which came to the floor. To
obtain "manifestations," a person was required to take off his coat and
sit with his back to the clothes-horse. The medium then took a seat
close to, and facing the investigator's left side, and grasped the left
arm of the latter on the under side, above the elbow, with his (the
medium's) right hand and near the wrist with the other hand. The
"manager" then covered with a coat, the arms and left shoulder of the
medium including the left arm of the investigator. The medium soon
commenced to wriggle and twist--the "manager" said he was always nervous
under "influence"--and worked the coat away from the position in which
it had been placed. Taking his right hand from the investigator's arm,
he readjusted the coat, and availed himself of that opportunity to get
the investigator's wrist between his (the medium's) left arm and knee.
That brought his left hand in such a position that with it he could
grasp the investigator's arm where he had previously grasped it with his
right hand. With the latter he could then reach around the edge of the
clothes-horse and make a noise on the instruments. With the drumsticks
he thumped on the dulcimer. Taking the guitar by the neck, he could
vibrate the strings and show the body of the instrument above the
clothes-horse, without any one seeing his hand! All persons present were
so seated that they could not see behind the clothes-horse, or have a
view of the medium's right shoulder. When asked why people were not
allowed to occupy such a position, that they could have a fair view of
the instruments when sounded, the "manager" replied that he did not
exactly know, but presumed it was because the magnetic emanations from
the eyes of the beholders would prevent the spirits being able to move
the instruments at all! What was claimed to be a spirit-hand was often
shown above the clothes-horse, where it flickered for an instant and was
withdrawn; but it was invariably a right hand with the wrist toward the
medium. When the person sitting with the medium was asked if the hands
of the latter had constantly hold of his arm, he replied in the
affirmative. Of course, he felt what he supposed to be