MR. MASKELYNE AND MR. SLIDE.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."]
Sins—Though my time is just now too valuable to allow me to be drawn into a controversy either with Mr. Massey or any other Spiritualist, I quite agree with you that some notice must be taken of his letter to you, appearing in your issue of April 30th.
It is perfectly correct that I stated in Dr. Weatherly's book, "The Supernatural," that I was called as an expert in the Slade case, and that I performed Slade's tricks in the witness-box. That statement I now repeat. When Mr. Massey says he knows it to be "simply and wholly untrue," he merely provides another example of those little flowers of courtesy which only grow to perfection in a spiritualistic soil, and of which I have been favoured with occasional specimens for many years past.
The impression Mr. Massey's letter conveys—intentionally or not, I cannot say—is that I was not in the witness-box at all. This, however, cannot be his meaning, since he cross- examined me himself. I presume he means that the tricks I explained were not Slade's. The matter, then, resolves itself into a mere difference of opinion between Mr. Massey and myself. Well, Sir, I don't for one moment suppose that my explanations could possibly be satisfactory to any one suffi- ciently far gone to accept the clap-trap of Spiritualism ; for I know full well that had Slade himself confessed to the tricks, such persons would not have believed him. I must remind Mr. Massey, however, that it is rather late in the day to cavil at evidence which I gave at a moment when there were in London alone hundreds of persons—among them some of the most eminent in the land—who had seen Slade's "manifesta- tions," and who were satisfied that I had accounted for all that he did.
Since Mr. Massey has publicly accused me of deliberate falsehood, may I be permitted to refer you and, if space permits, your readers also, to the appended report, taken from the Daily Telegraph of October 11th, 1876, containing part of my evidence as given during the Slade trial on the previous day ?— " Mr. Lewis : Have you examined the table that has been pro- duced here as that which Mr. Slade uses P—Mr. Maskelyne : I have glanced at it. It is a very convenient table for the business. Mr. Lewis : A good many tricks are performed with slates P— Mr. Maskelyne : Oh, yes, in a variety of ways; they are very use- ful for con3urers. Mr. Lewis : Have you had experience of writing on slates ?— Mr. Maskelyne: Yes, ten or twelve years ago I practised a little slate-writing. Mr. Lewis : Is it possible for a message or some writing to be on a slate and yet invisible P—Mr. Maskelyne : Quite possible. Mr. Lewis : Have you a clean slate there P—Mr. Maskelyne : Yes (holding one up) ; a perfectly clean slate. . . . . Mr. Maskelyne : It is a very good trick—but the point is that it seems impossible that a slate can be held under the table by the performer's hand. It is, however, easy, especially if there is a slight projection or peg beneath the table, or if you have a crass-piece such as there is in the table that has been produced. You push the slate against that and thus gain support from it; the greater support if the slate can touch both the frame- work and the cross-piece. The Elate can in this way be. supported by the thumb, and the fingers left free to write. The best way, however, to do this trick is by means of a small appliance (produced), a sort of thimble or metallic cap, with a pencil fixed in it ; and when you have done with it, it is easy, by a little frippery, to shoot it un- perceived up the sleeve. Writing with the pencil under the finger-nail is impracticable.—Witness then held the elate against his breast, keeping it in position by pressing with hi thumbwhile he wrote with the appliance attached to his finger, and then handed the slate to the Bench, when Mr. Flowers read from it : The spirits are present.'—Witness further described how an operator, by shuddering and other movements, could draw off the attention of the visitor while a second message was written on the other side of the slate, which, being held to the under-side of the table by the visitor, would of course appear when the slate was turned up. Mr. Maskelyne proceeded to write- upon the slate the words, 'The spirits are present,' and then to rub them out with a damp sponge. He then carefully dried the slate, which appeared free from any writing whatever; but in the course of a few minutes, the message which he had apparently obliterated distinctly reappeared. Mr. Maskelyne explained, by- the-way, that he had not written upon the slate with a common slate-pencil, but with what some of the comic journals called a Slade pencil.'
Mr. Simmons, one of the defendants, asked witness to show him the slate.—Mr. Maskelyne : Oh, surely, Sir, you know all about it
Cross-examined by Mr. Massey: Suppose I brought you a slate from a shop, and never let it go out of my sight, and that you put your hands upon it and I mine, and you found it covered with writing, what would you say to that P—Mr. Maskelyne: It is very well to be told a thing of that kind, but I should say a medium could not do it.
Mr. Massey : If I sat with you or Dr. Slade, and the slate became covered with writing—a slate just brought from any shop —what would you say P —Mr. Maskelyne: That it is a great pity Mr. Slade does not always do it.
Mr. Massey : Would you say that such a thing would be im- possible to be produced by your art P.—Mr. Maskelyne : I say I could not do it as you describe it without any physical interference.
Mr. Massey : Do you believe any mortal man could do it ?--Mr. Maskelyne : I believe that a man who believed he saw such a thing- would be labouring under a delusion."
I think the extracts I have given will fully justify me in saying that I was called as an expert, and that I did perform
Slade's tricks.
Any one desiring further information respecting the im- postures of Slade will find an entire corroboration of all I have said concerning him, together with his subsequent addi- tions to the "phenomena," in the "Report of the Seybert- Commission," published by Lippincott, Philadelphia.—I am, Sir, &c., Egyptian Hall, W., May 3rd. J. N. MASICELYNE.
[It is obvious that Mr. Massey would say, as Mr. Maskelyne himself suggests, that Mr. Maskelyne did not do what he (Mr. Massey) saw, or thought he saw, Slade do, and would not be accusing Mr. Maskelyne of deliberate falsehood in making- that assertion, since he and Mr. Maskelyne differ as to what. "Slade's tricks" were. We cannot prolong a discussion on this subject. We do not believe that Mr. Massey accuses Mr. Maskelyne of deliberate falsehood.—ED. Spectator.]
Previous page
