William Clark.

The appearance of this writing was much the same as that of the first day, when another long written communication was produced, but it bore no resemblance to the scrawls which were exhibited in answer to questions.

A special minute is here made of observations by members of the Committee upon certain features of the Medium’s operations, which tended to discredit the assumption of a supernatural agency in the production of the slate writings.  In the above instance a slate which had been noted as standing against a leg of the table and behind the chair of the Medium, but conveniently within his reach, was dexterously substituted by the Medium for the slate taken from the table and the one upon which ostensibly writing was to appear.  This was observed by one member.  In another instance a member (Mr. Sellers) observed the same substitution, so far as the motion of the Medium’s hand and arm was concerned.  By certain private marks, adroitly applied, the same member noted the fact that the slate on which the writing was exhibited was not, as the Medium represented it to be, the same slate which had been taken from the table.

[The foregoing note by the Stenographer is somewhat incoherent, owing to his unfamiliarity with Slade’s seances; yet we prefer to let it remain as it is.—­G.S.F.]

(Mr. Sellers adds, parenthetically):  That is, I watched the Medium’s operations specially with a view of informing myself whether the slate used in both instances was the same.

(Resuming, from notes):  The Medium proposed that the Committee should retain the slate upon which the long message appeared.  The slate was accordingly retained by the Committee.

Professor Thompson (addressing Mr. Sellers):  Was not that slate the one that I held at the time referred to?

Mr. Sellers:  It was.  The slate was held by you at the same time that it was held by the Medium.

Professor Thompson:  Then there is an additional fact to be noted in regard to it.  That fact is this.  When the sounds indicating the writing process had ceased, I endeavored to pull the slate away from under the table, but the Medium resisted my effort, and by powerful exertion jerked the slate out toward himself.  The substitution of one slate for the other was probably made at this time, and the slate so substituted was then placed on the table.

Mr. Sellers:  That is true, most assuredly I saw the substitution, and Mr. Furness also saw it very plainly.  From his position Mr. Furness saw the Medium take up the other slate.

NOTE.—­An explanation was here made by Mr. Furness to the effect that his knowledge of the substitution here spoken of was inferential, but that at another period of the seance he did distinctly see the Medium grasp an unused slate.

Mr. Sellers here resumed, from his notes: