This was the name of Slade’s deceased wife, a fact which Truesdell happened to know. He replaced the slate as he had found it. Slade presently appeared and the seance began with the general phenomena of moving chairs, etc., preceding the slate-writing. When the name “Mary Johnson” appeared plainly written on the slate Slade said it was Truesdell’s sister. Upon being told that this was incorrect, Slade, pretending to change the light, drew the table over by the sideboard. As usual he _lost control_ of the slate, letting it fall to the floor, and as he stooped over to pick it up took the prepared one instead. When he read the two messages he became livid with rage and turning to Truesdell demanded to know what it meant and who had been meddling with the slate. “Spirits,” was Truesdell’s reply. There were a few tense seconds and then the seance continued serenely. I was too young in Slade’s time to seek an audience with him but I have the good fortune to know Mr. Frederick E. Powell, a prominent magician and a member of the Society of American Magicians. He is one of the very few persons now living who had seances with Slade and with his permission I quote the following description of his experiences with Slade. [Illustration: HENRY SLADE] “In the Autumn of 1881 or 82, Henry Slade, the famous Spirit medium, came to Philadelphia and took quarters at the Colonade Hotel, where he opened a room, in which to hold seances. At that time I was instructor of Mathematics in the Pennsylvania Military College at Chester, Pa. Reading the announcement of Slade’s seances in a Philadelphia paper, I wrote to him, and made an appointment for myself and Capt. R. K. Carter, to be present at one of them. Capt. Carter was at that time our instructor in Civil Engineering. Reaching the Colonade at the appointed time, we were ushered into Slade’s presence, in a room, bare of furniture, save a rather long table and several chairs, placed in the center of the room, while at the side and just back of where Slade was to sit, was a smaller table on which were piled a number of ordinary looking school slates, of various sizes. The center table had no cloth on it. Several small articles were on the mantelpiece, such as a smoker might use, viz.: a match box, etc. “According to my recollection, Slade was rather tall and slim, and of an ingratiating presence. He was expecting us and at once placed me at a long table.