"SPIRITUALISM."

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 95, 21 April 1906, Page 13

"SPIRITUALISM."

A SENSATIONAL "EXPOSCSE.

ft is reported that Chartes Eldted, regarded as the most gifted of extant "materialisation mediums. 1 ' m to* presence of an. assembly of spiritualists- who bad come together to- field a seance wfth him as medium, entered inztt an. nnctertsking never to act as medium again. This has interfered with, some experiments which it had Been arranged should be lie Id by Sir Oliver Lodg-e and oilier scientific men Interested !n the occult, with Eldred as the snbjerr.

For rhe last sis montbs EldrPd had been creaming a great stir In spiritualistic eirrfes in England. Hia supposed powers tverp nrst manifested a.t the village of Clowne, near Chesrsrfieid, where he purported to call up the ghost of the late Sir Hector ITacdonaJd and otter celebrated people. Oα February 22 last Eldred held a seance at the house in El-irin-irescenc at another medium, ilr Ronald BraLly. From a cabinet In the half-lig-ht with which the room was iiInminated spirit forma were seen to come forth. But as form after 7 form appeared there kept ringins fn the ears of Mr Eraily. whose speciality is clairvoyance and peychonieti-j-. the words. "This Is false." -This is false." When, the medium went away from rtie heuse. incendiaj ti> return. c« give another seance, lie Inadvertently left behind iim a ('hair whicA he used In his cabinet. Mr Brsiily says he applied the process of psychometry to- this enair,. and discovered that It contained a. secret caTtty. The chair was photographed and a feey made tn fit a locfc that was discovered.

■When the night of the next seance came, none but spiritualists were present, and the nnsuspecttag Eldred waa challenged by the company to prove the bonaffdes of his chair. Ht» offered to substitute another. Someone took hold of the chair and pointed one the keyhole. A key was found to fit it—the key that had been made—and then to the horrified gaze of the company wei-p laid bare several

"Mpirir" face masks and a quantity of diaphanous drapery. At this moaieuf. Dr. Ahraham Wallace, of Harley -street, who is a .spiritualist, and a detective from. Scotland Yard, came rushing into, the toom. Dr. Wallace said: "In the name of God. what do you call this?" When Eldred had recovered from the shock af exposure h'' is said ro have adm.rtr.Pd the fraud, explaining that his spirit "controls" had warned him not to "sit" away from Nottingham, and that he had disobeyed. He therefore had to use deceit ti> produce result*. The money which had. been, paid by th.a sitters was returned to and the exposed medium was made to give aa undertaking never to ait again.