Taking advantage of the expressions of kindness on the part of the control, I sought an early opportunity to express to the medium what I desired. To my surprise, she made no objections, saying that she was entranced, and did not know what the forms were, nor was she conscious of taking any part in what came before the audience; that she was simply the instrument, not the operator. I thanked her, saying I trusted that I should do nothing which would be distasteful to her or the control; that the first step would be a thorough investigation of the cabinet.
On my first visit to Mrs. Fay's, the cabinet consisted simply of a curtain drawn across the corner of the room. It was soon after changed to a light, portable structure, which could be easily moved to any part of the room.
I had this cabinet moved out, the floor, wall, and everything connected with it thoroughly examined. There was no chance for confederates to be used here. I have since assisted in moving it out for the satisfaction of others, and have seen it placed in the opposite corner of the room, where it remained for weeks without in the least affecting the manifestations. Whatever may be the cause of these phenomena, they are certainly not due to confederates.
I herewith submit a [carefully drawn plan] of the cabinet and its surroundings, made by a competent architect, who has never seen any of the manifestations, and consequently is not a believer in them.
There could be no doubt; it was impossible for any one to enter the cabinet except through the door of the séance-room, in the presence of the whole audience. To be perfectly sure on this point, I sought and obtained permission to sit next the cabinet, which place I occupied for more than forty sittings. I know that it is impossible to use a confederate in this cabinet without its being instantly detected.
Having settled this so thoroughly that it could not come up as an element of doubt in any future investigations I might make, the next step seemed to be a plain one.
Diagram of Mrs. Fay's Séance-Room.