THE SEANCE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 592, 21 August 1909, Page 6

THE SEANCE.

No. 11. THE MEDIUM STRIPPED AND SEARCHED. "APPORTS" STILL FORTHCOMING. Tho unbelievers who suspect trickery in oonnwjtioii , with . tho? demonstrations of tho medium Bailey, of Melbourne, now on a visit to this city, have asked that ho should be stripped and searched before proceeding to produco the "apports" which his "spirit controls" aro said to bring to him from distant parts No search would bo complete, it was contended, which-did not' include ' tho stripping of the medium to tho flesh The unbeliovers will bo interested, to learn that their contentions have not passed unheeded by the "spirit controls " Bailoy, before producing tho "apports" at the second of the Friday evening seances last evening, was under instiuctions from the controls, stripped and searched, and tho "apports woro. still forthcoming; The Searching Process. The circle of forty persons assembled at tho usual time, and Bailoj armed shortly b< fore 8 o'clock Dr Ins chief control fioin spiritland,' quicMv took possession of tho me>hum, and instructed that the stnppmg and searching procoduro should be cuned out behind a tcrcen at the far end of .the room. A committee ofthreo I —Messrs H B Mason, Dargic, and tho I representilivo of Tim Dominion —stripped Bailoy and examined him and his clothes, while others of tho circle looked on or searched, tho clothing. For- the '-benefit of tho unbeliei. ers it might be explained th.it Bailey was stripped horn neck to ankles His socks were not remotcd, but tho writer can \oi'oh that he felt them \ery thoroughly in search of "ipporls" of any description, and others of the committee did the same E\cu with the baro flesh c-posod some of tho committco did not meiely tiust to thoir eyesight, but ran their hands over tho medium in search of the artificial hiding places which have been hinted at At tho close of the search, Bailoy was dressed again, his coat alonO being discarded, and ho was then escorted back to the "cuclo" at the other end of tho room and enclosed in the mosquito net described in last Saturdav's issue Those of our readers who lead tho description of tho first soanco will remember that tho medium on that occasion was enveloped in two different co\cuiirs—one fitting fairly closely and leaving only, tho hands and head free, and preventing him getting at his pockets or clothing, tho other being the mosquito netting which cut him oil cqmplctely frojn those present Last evening only the mosquito netting cutting him off from those present was rwnsitiDned Ho was free to got ut his clothing—'vhich, as explained, had been thoroughly searched—but nothing appaiently could bo passed in to him through the | netting | Those arrangements haung been satisfactorily carried out, "the control" announced that'ono apport would be produced that night This was a httlo disappointing, and the unbelie\ers who had witnessed or taken part in tho search felt that the stripping process had not boen without some effect. After the usual pddress from "Professor Denton," now of spirit laud, during which the Professor evidenced a close acquaintance with tho contents of tho d-uly papers of this city, and showed somo heat at tho treatment which the medium had received, tho i 2indu spint who produces the "apports" announced himself as having control of tho medium j ipparently jt was "Abdul," es ho announced that "Selim," who is the active performer of tho feats, had not arrived yet. By instructions of "Abdul," the lights were extinguished, and tho circle eat in pitch darkness, not oven tho white mosquito netting enclosing tho medium being visible A call for music produced "Shall We Gather at the Rrvor" from tho circle, while the unbelieving element strained ejes and ears in tho dnection of tho medium Tho writer, who was not a yard away from Bailoy. could hear a lustlmg within the mosquito netting, and imagined ho heard a sharp click, but as tho medium is very restless most of the time, and moves, about in his chair a c;oud deal, not much could bo made out of this. 'lho , "apports," ' however, wero slow in , .comingslow as compared with the first night's seance. Then they/ wero produced within a fow seconds, last night it 6ceracd several minutes before "Abdul" called for light. When the light was turneXlion, the medium was soon to bo re?chmg out with his hands "pawing tho air" Two seconds later ho was displaying to the "circle" two small birds' eggs, brown with dark brown spots He held those in hLS hand while thoso prosont wero perniitted to gaze through tho mosquito netting. "Abdul" was very careful of those egg 3, "Mind jou don't break •um," he warned, as an o\er-eagor gazer sought to touch them, through tho netting "Mind jou don't break 'um. Break very easj " ' "Abdiil," a httlo later, undor simij lar conditions, produced a email bird's n<?st, mado of'a brown fibre This nest had a very crumpled appcannro Needless to sa\, the behovers wore highly delighted with these further demonstrations of the modram's powers —what of the stripping and searching now' Sceptics Unsatisfied. 'Weie tho sceptics satisfied by this latest performance of the medium' Thii writer thinks not. Then, why? Well, foi one reason tho eggs disappeared. No w.»s mado about the uibappeauncc. It was explained after their production that thoj would disappear again. The spirits uavo a strong repugnance to taking lito, and these particular eggs wore fertile, and had to bo replaced in the nest from which they wpro talien in tho Malay l'emnsula. This was very proper, no doubt, on the part of "Abdul" and "Selim," but it is a matter for regrot that the eggs should have been hurried back before thoso present at tho could assure themselvos bejond all shadow of doubt that thej wore bud's oggs. The) looked liko bird's eggs, but wore the> ? What if thej wore dummy eggs, of rubber, or wood, or anjthiug else- not easily broken? Real birds' oggs are very fragile, and to conceal them anywhere about one's self without breaking them would be extremely difficult. But unbueakablo dummj eggs—and vory small dummj eggs—could bo hidden in quite a variety of ingenious wajs. Possibly our readers may recall that at tho previous seaiico the writer suggested that one of tho two "apports'' then produced should be sent back whence it came, and" the medium then bo searched for it The idea behind this suggestion was that having something definite to search for tho searchers would not bo likely to miss it if the medium had it concealed about him This proposal was cried down on that occasion on tho ground that if the "apport" was sent hack there would be no tangiMo proof that it had ever been produced Yet these oggs were sent back when they wore badly needed to prove, not that v they had been produced, but that they were real bird's eggs So mnch for the first "apport" Tho second, the bird's nest, as already stated, arrived in a rather dilapidated condition It is composed of a brown stringy fibre resembling that on tho husk of a cocoanut, and it could bo compressed into a very small space Tho sceptics therefore can argue (1) that the bird's eggs wero not bird's eggs, and that not being bird's eggs thoy could bo concealed in a vory small supaco and with small risk of detection, (2) that tho small nest produced could bo compressed into a vory small space, and that it Iwre signs of having boon so compressed Henco it might also liavo been concealed in a way to escape detection. But, if so, what of space and with small risk of detection, (2) can offor no excuse they were given ovory chance Thoy could discover nothing. Perhaps on tho nett occasion "Abdul" will inform thorn in advanco what, ho intends to bnng, nnd they will then have something definite to look for. Questions and Promises. It may bo ndded that during question timo various questions wero asked,, somo. of which wero ansn'ered to tho satisfaction of tho questioners, and somo of which apparently were not One, who probably should bo classed as an unbeliever, wanted to know how tho "spirit controls" justified tho committal through tho medium of what was regarded horo as criminal actSj tint was tho production of "apports" which belonged tothepooulo. Fox mfitiuoOj at tlio grevioue Mtmoo a

mat from Samoa had been produoed. , Wnat about the owner of that mat? The "control" hastened to explain that the spirits never took the property of anyone living. ,• The owner must have been dead. Savages Bornetimes fought and killed each other, and left their clothing and weapons, lying about •in tho forest.' But, retorted the questioner, this was a brand-new mat, that, had never been worn. Tho- "control" replied'-to this with a mildly sarcastic romark, liaving.for,its point the fact that savages .sometimes wore brandnow : mats. '•. A, pressman , seemed for a moment to get the..■; who happened to bo. .Professor; ,Donton, oft his guard. The V-professor earlier in the evening had boon assailmg,something that had. appeared inthatday'e paper. The, pressman .later asked him,if ho had read that day's paper, to;,which tho professor—who is a bcllicoso spirit—rapped out sharply that he never; read the rubbishy ; rag. "Then how do; you know that what you hav« 1 boon talking. about' appeared in; it ?" rapped back the .pressman! hesitatingly, and,'.then, iwith -increasing'confidence,. mj friend Dr." Whitcomb: told 'me about; it.'.' Dr Whitcomb, as already explained,' is the principal, "spirit control' '■ ot • I Bailey. H should' be remarked: ';that; ; tbo "controls" stated that the bestrosults from a spiritualistic . senso wore: not-Mn£ obtained at thest , seances,>because of the nature of..th/pro codings.;.» Th'o.i "matcrialisatioiis"; were nol tho .elevating side of-ispiritualism;.and. the disputations which took, place. provented "controls"' of' the, higher ; grades .taking' part It was announced by a-new "coniroll" ,on< Mahmud, a one-time Indian fakir, 'that nexi Friday he would/make a. manso whici ono of-the circle stated ho possessed, thfov out roots and-stem and leaves; ; This perform ance would lpe, carried but ', with a, market seed, and. the .procedure 'w.ouldjje,;as,follows Seed marked, placed in flower-pot,i roots madi to sprout; pot handed' round- to"audience,.fo: inspection so that;. they- ■ could ; see.:'' root, springing from marked, seed;; pot .handed 'bacl to .medium, and.then "shown';'with .leave sprouting.from-.plant., .This' should; be' inter esting, v but ;its bearing , .on epiritualism 'i a little "difficult -to, seo." ; One: would thin) that Dr. Whitcomb, would have, foreseen tha the introduction of an Indian fakir into th ropertoire of. "controls"! would actually giv to unbelievers a further ground for. scoffing.