ASPR Journal, V14 - Iapsop.com

582 Jot4rnal of the American Society for Psychical Research.
inner room, at the end of the hour, he emerged from the door in
his own clothing, his wife led him over to the chair to the left of
the couch where she had been sitting. and he supposedly quietly
came to. While he was doing so, I could see that he was buttoning
his vest, settling into his clothes, smoothing his hair by running
his fingers through it, straightening his tie. Presently
he sat quiet, breathed a little deeply, yawned once or twice, rubbed
his eyes, and said with an attempt at sleepy tones, " Well, did
we get anything?" I joined the affirmative chorus, feeling that
I had indeed got Mr. Blank's money's worth-of vaudeville and
buffoonery.
It is almost superfluous to state that the various persons said
to have " materialized " during the seance were none of them in
any way convincing and no evidence of their individuality and.
no similarity to any one other than Mr. Hernnan himself could
be noted. They were all alike and all like him. In one or two
instances the " form " tried to disappear by dropping through the
floor into nothingness, and Mr. Blank enthusiastically noted the
effect of "disappearing through the floor," but I held my peace
for I could see through an inadvertently opened rift between the
portieres the full sized form moving about in its illuminated
robes at full height. In several instances I caught such glimpses
ancl on one occasion I noted that the dark shade must have been
raised at the back window, for light was penetrating the buff
shade as it had not done at the beginning of the seance, before it
had become necessary to adjust turbans, quills, et cetera to the
head of the medium.
It is only fair to add that reputable Spiritualists have informed
me subsequently that Mrs. and Mr. Herrman have long
been engaged in a nefarious deceptive mediumship having by
their advice and suggestions caused family rifts and like disturbances
in a number of instances. ·
The only bit of work of the whole hour and more which way;
at all evidential could have been hit upon safely by guess, by a
shrewd trickster who noted my own age. Had I led him on, no
doubt "Mary" would have been said to be my mother, but I
carefully avoided giving any leads or misleads.
Digitized by Goog I e