A few minutes later the aged Doctor said: “The spirit of Detective Hutton, who died a violent death, hovers near you.”
The medium then spoke of matters that were known to nobody but Chief Crowley and the dead detective. This greatly puzzled the Chief, who was later deeply affected over purported messages from a son and others who had been dear to him in life.
Speaking of the purported message from his dead mother the Chief said: “I cannot explain this, which is marvelous, for I do not believe a human being in San Francisco knew that my mother’s maiden name was Elizabeth McCarthy, that she died in New Jersey and was buried in New York.”
Chief Crowley then wrote down a list of years, among them the year of his mother’s death. Dr. Schlesinger pointed to the year 1833 as that of her death.
“Correct!” replied Chief Crowley; whereupon the medium said, “and the name of your father, Patrick J. Crowley, is also here, and he comes with your son Lewis, who has not been dead long.”
The Chief thought it the most wonderful performance he had ever seen. “He does marvelous and inexplicable things,” said the Chief, “and I’ll admit I cannot tell how it is done. While I cannot believe he converses with spirits, I am puzzled. I want to see him again and look into the matter further.”
EX-CHIEF OF POLICE P. CROWLEY.
The experiments with Mayor L. R. Ellert, who sprang from his chair and positively declined to be thrown into a trance condition when the doctor requested him thus to visit the spirit world, were fully as startling as those with Chief Crowley.
Mayor Ellert took a chair in front of his official table, which had thus been dedicated to spiritual uses, and asked if any spirits desired to communicate with him, whereupon the medium grasped his Honor’s hands and the line of communication with the spirits was declared fully established. Quite distinct raps were then heard on the table, and Dr. Schlesinger looked at the Mayor and said: “You are a medium yourself, sir! My, what a power!”