The contents of every letter written by the sitter were evidently known to the intelligence which wrote the replies, for every letter received an appropriate answer, save one, which will be noted further on. The answer to each letter was addressed to the name signed to the corresponding letter, and each answer was signed with the name of the person to whom the corresponding letter was addressed.
Six letters were written by the sitter, as before stated. Three of them were written to deceased friends of the sitter, and were couched in such general terms that the replies did not require any specific knowledge on the part of the intelligence which wrote the replies.
Two of the letters were written to living persons, and they were also couched in general terms, requiring no specific knowledge to enable an appropriate reply to be framed.
Each of these five letters received a reply which assumed that its writer was a denizen of the spirit-land. There was no difference in their replies so far as that was concerned.
The sixth letter was addressed to a deceased relative, and was as follows, omitting names:—
Dear A.B.,—Whom did you desire to have appointed administrator of your estate? (Signed) C.D.
To this letter the only reply was from the medium's "control," who reported as follows:—
"A.B. is here, but cannot communicate to-day."
The conclusions which are inevitable may be summed as follows:—
1. The slate-writing was done without physical contact with the pencil, either by the medium or any one else. It all occurred in broad daylight. The slates were not handled by the medium, except to wash them and to place his hands upon them (in all cases but one) while the writing was going on. The slates were not for an instant out of sight of the sitter during the whole séance, nor were they out of his custody during that time, after they were washed by the medium. They were then carefully inspected by the sitter, the pencil was placed between them by the sitter, they were tied together by the sitter, and opened by him after the writing was finished. In short, there was no chance for fraud or legerdemain, and there was none.