358 MY LIFE 



occurred was to be anticipated. I cannot remember a single 

 instance in which a confederate has been secured by such a 

 seizure, though cases have occurred in which the seizure of 

 the spirit form has resulted in the seizure of the medium — 

 which is not remarkable if we remember the amount of evi- 

 dence showing that these forms originate from the body of the 

 medium, and either visibly or invisibly return to it. Also, 

 considering the demonstrated fact that clothing, flowers, hair, 

 and other objects pertaining to or brought by these psychic 

 forms have sometimes a permanent, sometimes a temporary 

 existence, the fact of any such objects being found on or 

 near a medium is of itself no proof whatever that they were 

 brought by the medium for purposes of imposture, except on 

 the assumption that no such phenomena was possible, in which 

 case no evidence one way or the other is required, since the 

 question has been already decided against the medium. 



In Washington, where I resided several months, I made 

 the acquaintance of Professor Elliott Coues, General Lippitt, 

 Mr. D. Lyman, Senator and Mrs. Stanfield, Mr. T. A. Bland, 

 the Indians' friend, and Mrs. Beecher Hooker, all thorough 

 spiritualists, as well as many others unknown to fame. With 

 the three former gentlemen I attended the seances of a very 

 remarkable public medium, Mr. P. L. O. A. Keeler, and both 

 witnessed phenomena and obtained tests of a very interest- 

 ing kind. The medium was a young man of the clerk or 

 tradesman class, with only the common school education, and 

 with no appearance of American smartness. The arrangement 

 of his seances was peculiar. The corner of a good-sized room 

 had a black curtain across it on a stretched cord about five 

 feet from the ground. Inside was a small table on which was 

 a tambourine and hand-bell. Any one, before the seances 

 began or afterwards, could examine this enclosed space, the 

 curtain, the floor, and the walls, as I did myself, the room 

 being fully lighted, and was quite satisfied that there was 

 absolutely nothing but what appeared at first sight, and no 

 arrangements whatever for ingress or egress but under the 

 curtain into the room. The curtain too, was entire from end 



