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(Kellar's) performances were given nightly to crowded houses. At that time, however, Kellar was
evidently an honest inquirer, if I may judge from a letter published by him on the subject in the
Indian Daily News for January 13th. He there confesses that he had followed with much interest
a correspondence regarding Spiritualism, and more particularly "the accounts of
Visit to India. 93
manifestations said to have taken place in the presence of Mr. Eglinton." He continues: "am far
from wishing to sneer or throw discredit on what is said to have taken place, and which has only
reached me on hearsay. At the same time I should be glad of an opportunity of participating in a
seance, with a view of giving an unbiassed opinion as to whether, in my capacity of a
professional prestidigitateur, I can give a natural explanation of effects said to be produced by
spiritual aid. I trust that my character as a man is a sufficient guarantee that I would take no
unfair advantage, or violate any of the conditions imposed at a seance to which I was invited."
After such a letter, Mr. Eglinton had what the Yankees call "a bad time." The public were
loud in their demands for an answer, and the Spiritualists begged him to give Kellar a seance. For
a long time no response to these calls was made, and Mr. Eglinton at first was obdurate and
refused point blank to comply with "either request. Experience had taught him that conjurers
were, as a rule, animated in all they did, as regards Spiritualism, solely by a desire to make capital
out of it, and he naturally regarded this letter as a clever ruse on Kellar's part to advertise himself
at another's expense. Ultimately, however, Mrs. Gordon prevailed on him to meet Kellar, and
confident in his own integrity, and the reality of his mediumistic gifts, he did so. With what
result, the following extracts from some of the conjurer's letters to the Indian Daily News will
show: "In your issue of the 13th January I stated that I should be glad of an opportunity of
participating in a seance with a view of giving an unbiassed opinion as to whether, in my
capacity of a professional prestidigitateur, I could give a natural explanation of effects said to be
produced by spiritual aid. I am indebted to the courtesy of Mr. Eglinton, the Spiritualistic
medium now in Calcutta, and of his host, Mr. J. Meugens, for affording me the opportunity I
craved. It is needless to say I went as a sceptic, but I must own that I came away utterly unable
to explain, by any natural means, the phenomena that I witnessed on Tuesday evening. I will give
a brief description of what took place."
After describing several successful experiments, Mr. Kellar proceeds: "In respect to the
above manifestations, I can only say that I do not expect my account of them to gain general
credence. Forty-eight hours before I should not have believed anyone who described such
manifestations under similar circumstances. I still remain a sceptic as regards Spiritualism, but I
repeat my inability to explain or account for what must have been an intelligent force that
produced the writing on the slate, which, if my senses are to be relied on, was in no way the
result of trickery or sleight of hand."
On the 30th of the same month Mr. Kellar addressed another letter to the Indian Daily News,
reporting some experiences of another kind with Mr. Eglinton, one of the witnesses being Lord
William Beresford, V.C., and regarding which the clever conjurer said: "In conclusion, let me
state that after a most stringent trial and strict scrutiny of these wonderful experiences I can
arrive at no other conclusion than that there was no trace of trickery in any form, nor was there
in the room any mechanism or machinery by which could be produced the phenomena which had
taken place. The ordinary mode by which Maskelyne and other conjurers imitate levitation or the
floating test could not possibly be done in the room in which we were assembled."
Thus once more was a professional conjurer nonplussed when brought face to face with
94 'Twixt Two Worlds.
spiritual phenomena. The call for testing by prestidigitateurs is, after all, only a parrot's cry on
the part of, those who, driven from pillar to post to find an excuse for shutting their eyes to
facts, refer to conjurers as the Alpha or Omega court of appeal, forgetting that they have, over
and over again, tried "to find out the trick," and failed.
Mediums, who are the instruments of an external agency, have, as I have stated, more than
once been confronted with conjurers who deceive by sleight of hand; but in the same manner as
no man of science who has thoroughly and fairly investigated the phenomena of Spiritualism has
failed to become convinced of their reality, so no conjurer who has been confronted with the
same facts has been able to explain their occurrence by prestidigitation. The sensation caused by
Kellar's conversion was indescribable. Some suggested that the conjurer had been "squared" by
the medium, because both were brother Masons; others began to think there was "something in
it;" while the poor sceptic who wanted a convert of a conjurer, never opened his lips again! It
may be interesting to note that Kellar made an offer on the spot of a very lucrative engagement
for six months if Mr. Eglinton would produce the same results on the stage, an offer, it is
perhaps unnecessary for me to say, never accepted.
I see from the American papers (1885) that Kellar has since "ratted." Probably he found out
that it pays better to abuse Spiritualism than to endorse it. I fail, however, to see how he can
possibly explain away the very explicit statements he made in India, although, as "a matter of
business," it may suit him to thus gull a very gullible public.
The discussion about the instantaneous transmission of letters from London to Calcutta, and
vice versa, outshining as they did the alleged phenomena of theosophy, waxed warm and furious,
and Mr. Meugens determined, if possible, to put the matter to a decisive test at the first
opportunity, although as a matter of fact the evidence for the spiritual facts was then, and has
ever been, incomparably superior to that adduced for so-called occult phenomena, both in quality
and quantity. At no time have the former been so stringently tested, nor have they been examined
with such scientific acumen. Returning from Colonel Gordon's late one evening, Mr. Meugens
and Mr. Eglinton were sitting, as was their wont, on the verandah, when the latter felt a strong
influence come over him, and inquired of his companion whether he would like a manifestation.
"Yes," he replied, nothing unwilling. "What shall it be?" asked Mr. Eglinton. Remembering what
he had previously determined upon, Mr. Meugens replied, "Bring me Mrs. Fletcher's wedding
ring." Mrs. Fletcher was then in Tothill Fields Prison, and Mr. Meugens was a warm
sympathiser, believing that she had been most unjustly convicted. Knowing that she would be
stripped of everything else belonging to her, he thought if the wedding ring were brought from
England to Calcutta, some six thousand miles away, the test would be decisive. Mr. Eglinton,
under control, asked for a tumbler to be held high above his head. The lamps were brightly all the
time, and Mr. Eglinton was now, reclining on a couch a little distance off. Suddenly a chink was
heard in the glass, and on lowering it for examination a wedding ring was found in it. It was old
and worn, and although Mr. Meugens was of course unable to identify it, yet he was naturally
immensely pleased at a wedding ring having been brought to him it all under such conditions. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]