Mr. Wallace, the naturalist, gave evidence of a less striking
kind to the same effect ; and Mr. Joad gave evidence that on the inside of a slate of his own, which had never been in Mr. Slade's hands, and which he firmly tied to one of Mr. Slade's with a crumb of slate- pencil between, the writing was obtained which he produced in Court. Dr. Wylde's evidence was similar in effect. Mr. Simmonds testified that Mr. Slade had practised as a clairvoyant phy- sician in America, but that the demand for the phenomena had gradually worked out the medical practice, that he had joined Mr. Slade to help him conduct the business part of his duties, and that he shared equally with Mr. Slade in the proceeds. In giving judg- ment, Mr. Flowers very justly insisted that the real issue was as to the reality of the individual fraud which Professor Lankester and Dr. Donkin had sworn to, and that it was not affected either by the ability or inability of common conjurors to imitate the phenomena which happened in Mr. Slade's presence, or, again, by the strange occurrences to which other witnesses had given their testimony. He held the charge under the Vagrant Act, relating to "the using of subtle and crafty means and devices" to defraud others, to have been proved, and sentenced the accused to three months' imprisonment with hard labour,—a sentence on the severity of which we have commented sufficiently else- where. An appeal—which, oddly enough, goes, we believe, to the Court of Sessions, of which Mr. Serjeant Cox is a member, though he will probably leave the case to his colleague, Mr. Edlin, was allowed—indeed Mr. Flowers expressed his satisfaction in the appeal, and the prisoner was liberated on bail.
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