My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

348 MY LIFEthis curtain on which sat the medium and two personsfrom the audience. Another black curtain was passedin front of them across their chests so as to enclosetheir bodies in a dark chamber, while their heads andthe arms of the outer sitter were free. The medium'stwo hands were placed on the hands and wrist of thesitter next him.The stance began with purely physical phenomena.The tambourine was rattled and played on, then ahand appeared above the curtain, and a stick wasgiven to it which it seized. Then the tambourine waslifted high on this stick and whirled round with greatrapidity, the bell being rung at the same time. Allthe time the medium sat quiet and impassive, andthe person next him certified to his two hands beingon his or hers. On one occasion a lady, a friend ofProfessor Elliott Coues and a woman of unusualability and character, was the sitter, and certifiedall critical times during the whole seance that themedium's hands were felt by her. After these andmany other things were performed, the hand wouldappear above the curtain, the fingers moving excitedly.This was the signal for a pencil and a pad of notepaper(as commonly used in America) ; then rapidwriting was heard, a slip of paper torn off and thrownover the curtain, sometimes two or three in rapidsuccession, and in the direction of certain sitters.The director of the stance picked them up, read thename signed, and asked if any one knew it, and whenclaimed it was handed to him. In this way a dozenor more of the chance visitors received messageswhich were always intelligible to them and oftenstrikingly appropriate. I will give some of themessages I thus received myself.On my second visit a very sceptical friend wentat