AN EXCITING SEANCE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1160, 25 May 1894, Page 32

AN EXCITING SEANCE.

The man James Ilackett and his sister, Priscilla Ilackett, were charged in the Magistrate’s Court on May 18 with having conspired together to defraud one Frederick A. Vaughan, the male prisoner being further charged with having pretended to exercise enchantment and give communion with the spirits of the dead. The accused, it is alleged, have been for somo time past practising spiritualism in various parts of New Zealand, including the City of Wellington and suburbs, the man professing to bo a materialising medium and his sister acting as his assistant. Among his clients, it appears, was Mr Vaughan, who is an investigator of the philosophy of spiritualism, and who was also imbued with a desire to discover whether the man was an impostor or not, and if he found him wanting in good faith to make the public acquainted with the fact. Accordingly he attended one or two so-called seances given by the Ilacketts, including the last one, which they gave on Wednesday night in a room at Petono engaged for the purpose. About 15 persons were present, including Constable Butler in plain clothes, who had received instructions from his superiors to watch the affair closely, and to seize anything which might prove to be material evidence in a case against the medium and his assistant.

A black curtain divided in the centre was stretched across one corner of the room, and in the recess thus formed ilackett ensconced himself for the purpose of bringing before the company the “ghosts” of departed individuals. The proceedings commenced with the singing of a hymn, and the lamps having been lowered, a luminous spirit clothed in a gauze-like material quickly put in an appearance. In response - to a question by Mr Vaughan Miss Hackett stated tliat it was the spirit of her deceased sister “ Rosie.” Mr Vaughan addressed the spirit in a coaxing manner, urging it to come to him, and as soon as it had got close enough he immediately seized tight hold of it and called for the lights to be turned up. A scene of considerable confusion ensued. Miss Hackett became hysterical; matches were struck, and by their light Mr Vaughan found that he held in his hand nothing but a piece of white muslin, the “ spirit ” of course, disgusted by such rough handling by a person of rougher clay, having decamped to “ Borderland,” or whenever such spirits have their abode. Miss Ilackett had meanwhile been urging those present to lower the lights, which she said would injure the medium, who was for that evening supposed to be “controlled” by the spirit of an Indian, and who was in that character jabbering

an Indian language, or what was supposed to bo such. However, the lights were not lowered, and Constable Butler immediately proceeded to confiscate the “ properties/’ which consisted of the muslin aforesaid and a bottle of phosphorised oil, and to arrest tho man and woman, the former of whom showed a decided inclination to decamp. That, however, ho was not allowed to do, and the pair were brought into "W ellingtion and lodged in the police cells. When tho accused were brought before Mr Martin, S.M., yesterday, Mr Poynton, who appeared on their behalf, asked for an adjournment till the 25th instant. The application was granted, and the accused were liberated on two securities of =£2s each, and their own recognisances of a similar amount.