A SPIRITUALISTIC HOAX.

West Coast Times, 3 September 1909, Page 4

A SPIRITUALISTIC HOAX.

CONJURING AND SPIRITUALISM

[BY TELEGRAPH — PER . PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

WELLINTON, Sept. I.— The New Zealand Times announces that as a result of a conference of city editors, Thomas Driver, a conjuror, and \villiam McLean, representing diaries Bailey, an alleged spirit medium of Melbourne, a wager of £100 a- side has been arranged. Driver is wagering that he will perform by conjuring what Bailey professes to do iflnongh spirits. The conditions are that Jjsiilejr will be stripped, medically e.cariiined, and placed in a bag. The hag will be sealed and placed inside a carriage. If Bailey produces "apports" under these conditions^ which Driver ' acknowledges he cannot do under the same circumstances, Driver will pay £100.

For some time past the Wellington papers have been giving a good share of space daily to the doings of a professional spiritualist named Charles Bailey, who came from Melbourne. He professes to be a medium of verbal communicaitons from Professor Den ton and various other deceased persons, and to obtain "apports" or articles that come from distant lands Jby spi'it agency. He submitted to cross-exam-ination at the seances, which is somewhat unusual. The New Zealand 'I'i'nes which has paid particular attention to Mr Bailey, on Thursday last had a leading article on the subject, begimung as follows: — "It is not too much to say I

that the citizens- of Wellington have during the last week or two gained more practical information about spiritualism by reading the newspap?rs than they would derive from the perusal of a dozen volumes of the literature dealing with that elusive subject. Even if any number of them have not been converted from any opinions they previously held concerning the essential doctrine of spiritualism they have had very convincing evidence that it is possible for a most palpable fraud to masquerade as a specially endowed "medium" for the manifestation of what spiritualists regard as unanswerable evidence of their special belief — the existence of a spirit world and the possibility of communication by spit its to carnate humanity. . . That this man is humbugging the people who go to hear his " lectures " and sec his " apports " there cannot, except among those who are childishly credulous, nny } longer ba a shadow of doubt.'' j

(CLOTHES THAT SHOULD BE WHITE. But whhich come from the wash yellow, have probably been blued with a new blue and a bad blue.