onclusion of his speech, called for thirty persons
(ladies and gentlemen) to come upon the stage and form a Committee. A
gentleman and I first answered the call. We were soon followed by a rush
of ladies and gentlemen who rather inconveniently filled the stage, but
this did not interfere with the performance, as the majority of the
ladies and gentlemen kept at the back of the stage while Yoga Rama
carried out his experiments with a limited number of the members of the
Committee. In order to be more at his ease, Yoga Rama removed his
turban. I placed it under a table which stood on the stage. I then had a
good look at him. I found he was a black man with short crisp curly
hair. From his appearance and the fluency with which he speaks English,
I came to the conclusion that he is not an Abyssinian, but an American
or West Indian negro.

Amongst the members of the Committee were Mr. Zancig and Mr. William
Marriott. Both of these gentlemen I have had the pleasure of knowing for
some years. They, together with Mr. Charles Guttwoch (a friend of Mr.
Marriott), three or four other gentlemen, and myself, were the only
members of the Committee who actively endeavoured to ascertain whether
Yoga Rama's experiments depended for their success on trickery or on
other causes. The other members of the Committee remained passive
spectators. As regards the lady members with whom Yoga Rama tried a few
experiments, they declared themselves, at the conclusion of the
performance, to be believers in his alleged supernormal claims.

Before the experiments commenced, Yoga Rama asked that some one should
blindfold him with some articles which lay on a small table in the
centre of the stage. These consisted of two pieces of folded paper just
large enough to cover the eyebrows and eyes, a piece of porous plaster
perforated with holes, a thin white cotton handkerchief, two gloves, and
a long red silk scarf. Mr. Marriott offered to blindfold him. I stood
close to him while this was being done. Mr. Marriott placed the pieces
of paper first on Yoga Rama's eyes, then the porous plaster, then the
cotton handkerchief, after this the two gloves, and finally the red
scarf which he wound several times round his head. The tip of Yoga
Rama's nose could be seen under the plaster, the white cotton
handkerchief, and the scarf. Yoga Rama, who remained standing, then
requested some one to sit on a chair in front of him, to think of a
name, then to hold his left han