THE DAVENPORTS INTERVIEWED.

Evening Star, Issue 4437, 19 May 1877, Page 4

THE DAVENPORTS INTERVIEWED.

[By Telegraph.] (From our own Correspondent.) Auckland, May IS. The ‘Star’ publishes two columns of an interview with the Davenports. They trace their career from the excitement over the Rochester knockings. For some years the Davenports were under the direction of speculators.—Reporter : Yon claim to be the originator of this cabinet business?— Pro fessor Fay ; Yes ; there never was any successful imitation.— Reporter : Have you not g4ances to support a belief in Spiritualism

Professor Pay : Perhaps we have done more to stir up the excitement about Spiritualism than all the spirit mediums put together. The Davenports then described their first engagement by having chambers in New York under a theatrical speculation with Ferguson, a strong believer in spiritualism. It suited their purpose, and they en--ga. e 1 the latter as lecturer,—"Reporter : I believe at this time there were many spirit mediums who j. retend to imitate your performance by supernatural agencies.— Professor Fay ; Yea ; but they never did them successfully.—lra Davenport : They wanted to ride into notoriety on our backs.—Reporter : There were many so called mediums then who tried to imitrte your feats.—Professor Fay : Yes. 'there were blood writers, mediums, speaking- and writing, table-rap-ping, and trance medium^.—Reporter ; How did the mediums spring up?— Professor Fay : —On this spiritualistic excitement that arose about i hat time, after the Rochester rappiijgs. —Reporter j When did the liddy Bros. s‘ai t ? —Professor Fay : Oh, long after we startled. The Eddy family didn’t amount to much. They attempted the cabinet business but failed. Reporter : Now, frankly, do you claim that these feats of yours are done by any supernatural aid?— Professor Fay : We do not say so. —Repot ter : But the phenomena you pro luce are the same as those which the spirits represent to be supernatural.—Pro lessor Fay: Oh, yes.—Reporter: Well frankly, are the~e things done by mere conjuring, and not by any supernatural agency whatever ’—Professor Fay : Do you think if you were a spirit that you would come at tie call of anyone te play mush al instruments for the amusement of a crowd, I know I would not. —Reporter: But there are spiritists who persist iu saying these things are done by supernatural agency ; and if you were all to take a solemn oath that they are not, these same spiritists would still say that you were afraid to tell the truth.—Professor Fay: That is \tdry they do say so.—W. H. Davenport: We are condoned by the Spiritualists because we refuse to go with them and adopt their programme.—Reporter : Did you ever try table tilting ?-Professor Fay (with a mixture of pity and contempt) : Ob, we have gone through all that years ago ; writing and all kinds O' 1 media.—R- porter : What do you think of table turning?— Professor Fay ; Does it follow, because you can make a table jump by sitting round it, that therefore it must he moved by spirits. We know that there is a certain force which emanates from ourselves. All we claim to do is to move ponderous substances, and we challenge you to find out how, Reporter: Wiiat do you think of Homo ?—Professor ; He’s a snob ; he only gives private scanccs. Pie fancies that there is no one who can do these things but himself. Anyone can do what he docs Reporter : That was a singular exposure of Kate King.—W. Davenport : Yes, that woman was rather clever. hhc kept up those deceptions with a wonderful amount of skill ; but I don’t think it was very creditable to her to turn round on her friends in the way she did.—Reporter : Have you had any deaFng with Auckland spiritists ?—Professor Fay : When we landed in New Zealand we received a telegram from an Auckland spiritist telling us to persevere in the glorious work, and not to be deterred by the prejudice of bliud|materialists. 1 took no notice of the telegram.”