the artists preceded the other by a few
hours, engaged rooms, and attended to sundry preliminaries. "Mr. Howard"
donned a white choker, put his hair behind his ears, and mounted a pair
of plain glass spectacles; and such was his profoundly spiritual
appearance on entering his apartments at the hotel, that he had to lock
the door and give his partner opportunity to explode, and absolutely
roll about on the floor with laughter.

"Well, they rigged a clothes-horse for a screen; and to heighten the
effect, the assistant, who was expert in portraiture, covered this
screen, and, indeed, the walls of the room, with scraggy outlines of the
human countenance upon large sheets of paper. These, they said, were
executed by the draftsman, whose right hand, when under spiritual
influence, uncontrollably jerked off these likenesses. They added, that
the spirits had given information that, before the mediums left town,
the people would recognize these pictures as likenesses of persons there
deceased within twenty years or so. Price, two dollars each! They
absolutely sold quite a large number of these portraits, as they were
from time to time recognized by surviving friends! The operation of
drawing portraits was also illustrated at certain hours, admission,
fifty cents; if not satisfactory, the money returned.

"Other tricks of various kinds were performed with pleasure to all
parties and profit to the performers. The artists stood it as long as
they could, and then departed. But there was every indication that the
towns-people would have stood it until this day."

Thus far my friend's curious and truthful account.

A little while ago, there was exhibiting, at Washington, a "test-medium"
whose name I would print, were it not that I do not want to advertise
him. One of his most impressive feats was, to cause spiritual hands and
other parts of the human frame to appear in the air a la Davenport
Brothers. A gentleman, whose name I also know very well indeed, but have
particular reasons for not mentioning, went one day to see this
"test-medium," along with a friend, and asked to see a hand.
"Certainly," the medium said; and the room was darkened, and the
"circle" made round the table in the usual manner. After about five
minutes, my friend, who had contrived to place himself pretty near the
medium, saw, sure enough, a dim glimmering blue light in the air, a foot
or so before and above the head of the medium. In a minute, he could
see,