fact which makes any investigation of Spiritualism difficult and expensive.  My opinions are not based exclusively upon what I have seen and recorded in my work with my colleagues, but also upon observations made at various times in a private capacity; and there is but one conclusion to be appended to them all.  I subjoin notes of seances, recorded by myself as Secretary of the Commission.  Their somewhat disjointed form arises from the fact that I have not thought it desirable to make changes in my notes, except such as were necessary in taking the Records, which are of value as evidence, out of their contextual connection with records of business meetings and matters of no interest to the public.  Nothing which could be looked upon as evidence has been purposely suppressed.  I have intentionally left out a description of several things which we have been unable to use, and which would have merely swelled our Records; as, for example, the account of our sealing slates for the experiments with Dr. Slade, he afterwards having refused to have anything to do with slates sealed by us.  My notes were made during the seances, or as soon as possible after them.  They were arranged and copied in no case later than two days after.  Explanations and additions, which do not belong to the original Records, but have been inserted later, are put in brackets.

For a justification of the opinion of Spiritualism expressed above, I refer to the Records which follow.

Geo. S. Fullerton.

* * * * *

March 13th, 1884.

On Thursday, March 13th, 1884, the Commission met at 508 S. 16th Street, at 8 P.M., for the examination of Mrs. S.E.  Patterson, Spiritualistic Medium.

For the first test, a small piece of slate pencil was placed within a double slate, and the leaves fastened together with a screw, which passed through one wooden rim into the other.  The Spirit-writing upon the slate should be indicated by the pencil appearing upon the outside of the slate.  The slate was laid upon the Medium’s lap for one hour and a-half without results.

Meanwhile the Medium wrote what purported to be messages from several Spirits upon slips of paper, the handwriting varying with each message.  One message was signed Elias Hicks, another Lucretia Mott, another signed H.S. was compared with a message from Mr. Henry Seybert to Mr. T.R.  Hazard the day before.  The initials were somewhat different.

The Commission sat in a circle, the Medium at a small table with folding leaves.

One communication, signed E.H., declared that the person sitting opposite Mr. Hazard (Mr. Furness) was endowed with great Mediumistic powers.

The writing failing to appear on the slate it was opened, and Dr. Leidy, having written upon a slip of paper a question, enclosed it in the slate, which was again fastened.

After half an hour’s waiting, no results being obtained, the Commission addressed some questions to the Medium and then adjourned.