SPIRITS IN A CELLAR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7733, 1 March 1909, Page 1

SPIRITS IN A CELLAR.

DETECTIVE AND " SPOOK."

An amusing case, which, in the revelation of its details, is likely to prove embarrassing to several well-known citizens of Buda-Pesth, will shortly be investigated by the Courts. The Public Prosecutor is taking action against two men and certain members of their families, who- are charged with obtaining money-by fraud under circumstances of a distinctly entertaining nature. It appears that the attention of the police was attracted by the fact that numbers of well-dressed people were in the habit of frequenting a humble eating-house in an out-of-the-way part of the city, appearing always,to make their way to an underground room or cellar. The visitors were of both sexes, j and included many boy and girl students. By the exercise of strategy, a detective ascertained that spiritualistic seances were being held in the cellar for the benefit of persons who had formed themselves into a species of society, and at length obtained access to one of these weird functions. It proved highly interesting. The two men referred to above officiated as presiding genii,-and their wives and daughters were present as mediums. I rhe spirits of several celebrities who ; have "passed over" were conjured up, iimongst them that of Maurice Jokai, ■md then a novel feature was introduced into the programme by the appearance, in the spirit only, of several >rominent people still living. Finally, i select number of those present were >ermitted to sit in separate compart.r.ents of the cellar, which was divided up by - curtains, and to call on the ghosts of the great ones of history. The observant detective noticed, as a remarkable fact, that the lady spiritualists summoned up phantoms of the male persuasion and vice versa; and, accepting this as the recognised custom, made a bold plunge, and expressed a wish for an interview with Cleopatra. After waiting (in darkness) for some minutes, a hand touched his face. It was not a clammy hand, and the ■-.enoation, so the detective says, we, not altogether unpleasant, but he thoiight that matters were getting too phenomenal when a lady spook, considerably above the nornial weight of such 'things, sat on his knee after the manner of humans, and at this delicate juncture he switched on a powerful electric pocket lamp. ■■■ The' sequel' was painful. Cleopatra fled shrieking, and her cries attracted two dead heroes from adjoining compartments, who stood revealed in very oarthly white wrappings, and submitted in an unheroic manner to the questioning of the police officer. The ;eance broke up in Avild disorder. The remarkable circumstance of the whole business is that many really well-edu-cated people seem to have been genuinely swindled.