There used formerly, even in my time—I don't go back so far as the reign of the Charles's, but to the days of the "charlies," as the old watchmen were called, and before the "new police" were introduced to the public,—in those days ghost tricks were played in various parts of London; one favourite spot was in front of St. Giles's churchyard, near unto a "spirit vault." It used to be reported that there was a ghost every night in this churchyard, but it was an invisible ghost, for it never was seen, though there was a mob of people gaping and straining their eyes to get a peep at it; but during this time, some low cunning spirits used to creep out of the adjoining spirit vaults, mix amongst the crowd, and having very light fingers, used, instead of tapping the people on the knees, as the spirits do at the "séances" they dipped their hands into the "atmosphere" of respectable people's pockets, and "spirited away" their watches, handkerchiefs, pocket-books, or anything else that came in their way, and then bolt into the vaults again.
N.B.—These spirits could swallow spirits, like those described in the preceding pages.
Spirits of the old style used to delight in the darkness of night, but sometimes they'd show their pale faces by moonlight. A "séance" is described that took place by moonlight. I don't mean to assert that it was all "moonshine." A table was placed in front of a window between the curtains; the "circle" round the table and the space between the curtains was the stage where the performance took place. Query: How did the mediums know, when they placed this table, that the spirits who "lent a hand" in the performance would act their play at that part of the table? By the by, the table plays an important part in these spirited pieces; the spirits surely would not be able to get on at all without a table! At each side of this stage, lit by the moon, and close to the window curtains, which formed as it were the "proscenium," stood a gentleman, one on each side, like two "prompters," one of whom was Mr. Home; and when one particular hand was thrust up above the rim of the table, and which hand had a glove on, Mr. H. cried out, "Oh! keep me from that hand! it is so cold; do not let it touch me." Query: How did Mr. H. know that this hand was so cold? and had it put the glove on because it felt itself so cold? And out of whose "atmosphere," or "life sphere" had the spirit made this hand? if it were so cold, it must have got the stuff through some very cold-hearted "medium." Then comes my clothes test again, where did the hand get the glove? Suppose it was a spirit hand, the hand of a soul that once did live on earth, could it be the spirit of a glove? Whilst waiting for an answer to these queries, I would suggest to these "mediums," that if they see this "hand and glove" again, they should ask, "Who's your glover?" Yes, it would be important to obtain the name and address of such a glover, as such gloves, we may suppose, would not wear out, nor require cleaning.
An old and valued friend of mine attended a séance in 1860, of which he wrote a short account, and which he keeps (in manuscript) to lend to his friends for their information and amusement, upon this subject; and although he confesses that, as a novice, he was rather startled upon one or two occasions during the evening, that the extraordinary proceeding of the séance had something of a supernatural tinge about it; nevertheless, upon mature reflection he came to the conclusion that the whole was a very cleverly-managed piece of trickery and imposture. As I am permitted to quote from this manuscript, I will here give a short extract to show the reader how an American medium—a Dr. Dash—assisted by two other "mediums," also Americans, managed the spirits upon that occasion. A party of eight were seated round a table:—
"Shortly and anon, a change came o'er the spirit of the Doctor. He jumped up and said, 'Hush! I hear a spirit rapping at the door.'
"The Doctor told us there was a spirit which wished to join our séance, the door was opened, a chair was most politely placed at the table, and there the spirit sat, but, like 'Banquo's' Ghost, invisible to the company."
In the Waterloo Road there resided—next door to each other—some years back, two paperhangers, who vied with each other in doing "stencilling"—that is, rubbing colour on walls through a cut out pattern; there was great opposition between them, and one of them (No. 1) wrote on the front of his house in large letters, "The Acme of Stencilling," upon which No. 2, determined not to be outdone in this style, wrote upon the front of his house in letters double the size of his neighbour's, "The Heigth of the Acme of Stencilling." Now, I do not know whether this pretended introduction of an invisible spirit, and putting a chair for this worse than nothing to sit in, when he had nothing to sit down upon, may be considered as the heigth of the acme of unprincipled, impudent imposture; but it goes far enough to show that trickery can be and is carried on, and carried on even as a trade or "calling" in this "spirit-rapping" business, for I have seen a printed card where a professional "medium" gives his name and address, and has on it, "Circles for Spiritual Manifestation—hours from 12 to 3 and 5 to 10 p.m.;" to which is added, "Private Parties and Families visited."
If such a card as this had been introduced in "The Broad Grin Jest Book," some years back, it would have been quite in place, but to think that such a card as this should be circulated in this "age of intellect," as a business card—the card of a "Maître de Ceremonie," who undertakes to introduce invisible spirits, into parties and private families, is something more than I ever expected to see, on the outside of Bethlem, or in the list of impostures at a police station.
As this Dr. Dash pretended that spirits were "mixed up" with this party—were indeed surrounding the "circle," and who had come into the room without knocking, and were not accommodated with chairs, why should this ghost of nothing knock at the door, and how did the Dr. know that he wished to join the séance, and why should this invisible Mr. Nobody have a chair, and the other spirits be obliged to stand? And then was this spirit dressed in his best? for as it was an evening party, he ought to have been "dressed with care."