During the time I was in Paris, and arranging the ghost for exhibition at the Théâtre du Châtelet under Mons. Hostein, I was surprised to find that the conjuror, Mons. Robin, was showing the ghost at his séances. My lawyers interviewed him, and discovered that, some years before, a little toy had been brought out and patented in France by which a miniature ghost could be shown. It consisted of a box with a small sheet of glass, placed at an angle of forty-five degrees, and it reflected a concealed table, with plastic figures, the spectre of which appeared behind the glass, and which young people who possessed the toy invited their companions to take out of the box, when it melted away, as it were, in their hands and disappeared.
In France at that time all improvements on a patent fell to the original patentee, and under that law I lost the patent in France; but Mons. Hostein honourably paid me a large sum of money for the use of my improved ghost at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris. Query.—Had Mr. Dircks’ patent agent, in his searches after patents, ever come across the toy invented in Paris? Because it is substantially the ghost apparatus and produced that illusion; and thus it shows how correct are the words of Solomon, who has told us “There is nothing new under the sun.”
If the reader will consult a book written by me, entitled “Cyclopædic Science Simplified,” formerly published by Messrs. Frederick Warne and Co., but now bought and published by Messrs. Lippincott, the great American publishers of Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A., he will find a very near approach to the ghost apparatus copied from Robinson’s “Recreative Memories” published in 1831. The same author describes how the famous magician (so-called) Nostrodamus deceived even the astute and wily Marie de’ Medicis by a vision which appeared in a looking-glass. Moreover, Sir Walter Scott, in his beautiful poem, “The Lay of the Last Minstrel,” has introduced the use of mirrors for producing ghostly appearances, in the vision seen by the ill-fated Earl of Surrey, in the mirror huge and high of Cornelius; the vision being “That fair and lovely form, the Lady Geraldine” (verses 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, canto vi.).
Before travelling about so much I had a trunk full of letters referring to the ghost illusion, many treating it as a supernatural phenomenon, and not an effect from natural causes.
In about four months my secretary wrote at least 1,000 letters in answer to those addressed to me.
I was offered house property in exchange for the right to exhibit the ghost and a full description of the apparatus on attendance at the Polytechnic to see how things were manipulated.
I publish one of the most amusing letters, which has no address or proper signature, but only the initials “R. C.”:—
“Whereas the directors and managers of the Polytechnic Institution believe and maintain the phenomenon called ‘spirit-rapping’ to be produced by trickery, jugglery, or some natural agency, and to be an imposture, I, the undersigned, on the contrary maintain that there is some non-human agent which moves the tables, chairs, etc., and carries on an intelligent conversation with spectators by knocking, or tilting, or other signs. I am ready to wager from £5 to £50 with any one who chooses to accept my challenge that the phenomenon shall take place, and that no one present shall be able to detect any sort of trickery or jugglery in the matter. It is to be clearly understood that mere opinions that the thing is done by natural agency are to go for nothing. The natural agency must be proved. On the other hand I defy any one to produce the same phenomenon by natural agency without my being able to detect that agency. In making this proposal I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not place any trust or confidence in the so-called ‘spirits,’ as I maintain, in opposition to the whole body of so-called ‘spiritualists,’ that the intelligent agent which moves the tables, chairs, etc., and converses and answers questions by knocking, is nothing more or less than the evil spirit which dwells in humanity, and is found in every human being. This proposition can be clearly demonstrated. As to the so-called ‘spirits’ being the ‘souls of the dead,’ the idea is absurd, and this absurdity also can be made abundantly manifest. This spiritualism is doing an immensity of mischief, and ought to be exposed, but it will never be exposed if people shut their eyes to the fact. It will not be the less a fact, and will not the less impose on all who witness it, because there are men and women who predetermine in their own minds that it cannot be true, and refuse to be convinced by either their senses or their understandings. In all ages there have been deaf adders whom no music could charm, and there are in these days also many ‘who having eyes will not see, and who having ears will not hear.’ On what grounds does any one assume as a certainty that such a thing is impossible?
“Richard Cruin.”
“If any one is so unwise as to be willing to pay £100 in the event of the phenomenon taking place in his presence, and of his being unable to detect any imposture, I undertake that the ‘medium’ shall exhibit in any private room, in any home, and with any furniture (provided it be not too heavy), and that the said medium shall submit to be searched both before and after the exhibition.