THE UNALTERABLE VERDICT.
The “Seybert Commission”[3] examined every known form of spiritualistic manifestation to which they had access, and implicitly under conditions imposed by the “mediums” themselves. These conditions are everything that could be devised and plausibly used to prevent the hoped-for dupe from detecting the fraud that is practised upon him.
The Commission put the indelible stamp of fraud upon all so-called spiritualistic manifestations. Of the “spiritual rappings” they say:
“To the subject of ‘spirit-rappings’ we have devoted some time and attention, but our investigations have not been sufficiently extensive to warrant us at present in offering any positive conclusions. The difficulty attending the investigation of this mode of spiritualistic manifestation is increased by the fact, familiar to physiologists, that sounds of varying intensity may be produced in almost any portion of the human body by voluntary muscular action. To determine the exact location of this muscular activity is at times a matter of delicacy.
“What we can say thus far, with assurance, is that, in the cases which have come under our observation, the theory of the purely physiological origin of the sounds has been sustained by the fact that the ‘mediums’ were invariably, and confessedly, cognizant of the ‘rappings’ whenever they occurred, and could at once detect any spurious ‘rappings,’ however exact and indistinguishable to all other ears might be the imitation.”
Mrs. Kane has expressed amusement over the manner in which she eluded the inquisitions of the grave and conscientious Commission and left them puzzled over the “rappings.”
Even then, however, she cared so little for the preservation of the secret, that when she declined to be further examined by the Commission, she admitted to Mr. Furness that the gentlemen had ample ground for looking upon the manifestations which she had given as unsatisfactory. Mr. Furness says:
“I told her that the Commission had now had two séances with her, and that the conclusion to which they had come is that the so-called raps are confined wholly to her person, whether produced by her voluntarily or involuntarily they had not attempted to decide; furthermore, that although thus satisfied in their own minds they were anxious to treat her with all possible deference and consideration, and accordingly had desired me to say to her that if she thought another séance with her would or might modify or reverse their conclusion, they held themselves ready to meet her again this evening and renew the investigation of the manifestations; at the same time I felt it my duty to add that in that case the examination would necessarily be of the most searching description.
“Mrs. Kane replied that the manifestations at both séances had been of an unsatisfactory nature, so unsatisfactory that she could not really blame the Commission for arriving at their conclusion. In her present state of health she really doubted whether a third meeting would prove any better than the two already held. It might even be more unsatisfactory, and instead of removing the present belief of the Commission it might add confirmation of it. In view of these considerations, she decided not to hold another séance.”
Mrs. Kane declares that with her muscles and the joints of her toes so educated by long practice, and her ability to produce the noise of “raps” with no perceptible movement, she could have gone on deceiving the world indefinitely without being detected. She explains that the making of the “raps,” when she is stationed on glass tumblers, requires a far greater effort than when her feet are in contact with the carpet or floor. The shock must in that case be conveyed through a comparatively non-conducting substance. For this reason, when the floor was especially hard or thick and lacking in sonorousness, she sometimes failed in the expected effect. In every instance, it was most difficult to produce the “raps” under those circumstances.
The verdict, however, is now complete. Spiritualism is guilty.
The court of mankind so declares it.