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{{Style P-HPB SB. Title continued|A Distinction That Must Be Made|1-186}}
{{Style P-HPB SB. Title continued|A Distinction That Must Be Made|1-186}}
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{{Style P-No indent|End Medium.” Why call her a medium now, when there is not the slightest proof that she ever did or ever can produce any manifestations without the aid of trapdoors? Week before last the statement was made that “some people had been too hasty in pronouncing an opinion upon Mrs. Bennett. This was virtually making capital for this fraud. Its effect was seen in the attitude of Bennett, the carpenter, who thought that the trapdoor was so skilfully concealed that Mrs. Bennett would soon be “vindicated.”}}
The Herald took an expert master carpenter to the house. He at once located the trap-door, showed where the floor had been pieced, the cross beam cut and mended, the difference in laths, and the plaster paris patch in the kitchen underneath. There it was plainly revealed and can be seen by anyone who cares to take the trouble to see it. We hope that those Spiritualists who are arranging to bring Mrs. Bennett into court will not hesitate to do so. We are in favor of a few months in the House of Correction for these cursed traders in the most sacred of all truths.
We have no charity for impostors and very little for those Spiritualists who would relegate all trickery and fraud into the spiritual domain on the hypothesis that some spirit ''made ''the “medium” (?) do it. Mrs. Bennett would have been vindicated by the " veterans,” if the Herald had not wisely called in this expert carpenter. Now that the trap door is discovered, we have no doubt that some “veteran” will get up a labored argument to prove that “the spirits built the trap-door and then covered it up.” A spiritual journal should protect the mediums of Spiritualism. This ''we ''intend to do; but, in justice to them, we will never call detected impostors “mediums.” We require strong evidence against mediums who have been proved genuine, to believe them guilty of intentional fraud, but when individuals ''claim ''to be” mediums " and refuse to be tested as such, we are not surprised to hear of bogus materializations, kid gloves, spirit hands, masks, paraffine moulds, trap-doors, manufactured, prepared and manipulated by greedy vipers, who are crawling close to the earth to pick up the' Almighty Dollar.
{{Style S-Small capitals|Later}}. —Since writing the above. Mrs. Bennett has held a “vindication” seance. The Herald's full account of the proceedings is republished on another page. According to the “veteran” Uncle Thomas' theory, and his organ, the Banner of Light, the results are explainable on the ground that some members of the party went ''expecting ''to take up the floor, and ''expecting ''to find a woman underneath, consequently they saw what they expected to see and found the materialized spirit there. That it should have been a tangible flesh and blood woman, having a local habitation and a name, (and a bad one at that) born, but not buried, does this prove to the “veterans," fraud on the part of the “dear persecuted medium?” No! never. It was a “spiritual manifestation.” Some “evil spirits” through a mysterious process, placed the woman there to injure the reputation (?) of the medium (?) This may seem like badinage to our readers, but there are persons claiming to possess a fair share of reason and common sense who have advanced, and are advancing theories and explanations fully as ridiculous as the above.
That this Mrs. Bennett should attempt to continue the shameful farce in the face of the glaring expose made a week ago, that she should play such a desperate game, and take a risk where detection was sure if a careful investigation was made, only points strongly and unmistakably to the fact that some prominent individuals are at work to stem the rushing tide of enquiry that is destined to sweep away all the drift wood of sensuality, imposture and corruption that coyer the surface of Spiritualism, and show the bright waters in all their purity, with the glistening sands of truth beneath. Who these persons are, and what their object is, whether they themselves as individuals are not above criticism, and knowing this fact ward off the opening touches that sooner or later will clasp them in its searching embrace, we leave our readers to determine. We fear not the truth and will follow wherever it may lead. Spiritualism can never be exposed; but the hypocrites, libertines and impostors who are sailing under its flag, will soon step from the quarter deck down to the guard room.