The mother and her daughters went again to Rochester, and there placed themselves in the hands of the first of many "committees of friends" who were used as tools or confederates, according to their character, to "humbug" the public more completely. The character and functions of these committees may be judged from the following, which is found in Leah's book: "The names of this committee were Isaac Post, R. D. Jones, Edward Jones, John Kedzie and Andrew Clackner. _They were faithful friends, who never permitted any one to visit us unattended by themselves or some reliable person._" The so-called spirits soon urged in laborious communications that it was needful to make their demonstrations more public, and that an "investigation" of the "rappings," ought therefore to be made by some well-known men. The "spirits" were even so kind as to spell out by means of the tentative alphabet, the names of those whom they wished to have appointed to perform this part. The desire for advertisement, indeed, was not likely to cause the rejection of the name of any available person, whose prominence would increase the public interest in the movement. We are not astonished, then, to find that Frederick Douglass was one of those present at this earliest farce of investigation. It was the forerunner of many others which were like unto it, and gradually, in their stations in various cities, the "Fox Sisters" drew to their séances nearly all of the conspicuous persons of the time, who regarded the effects exhibited to them in as many different lights as their minds and characters were different. Naturally enough, after this compliance with their desires, the "spirits" directed that a public exhibition should be given. The largest hall in Rochester was hired for the purpose. And here the infamy of bringing forward two little girls to do the work of base and vulgar charlatanism, appears in all its revolting character. The eldest of the children was then but nine years old. Had she been dressed in accordance with her tender age, it would have taken only very slight observation to detect the secret of the "rappings." Those persons now living, who were present at this and at other public exhibitions of Spiritualism at that time, will easily remember that Margaret and Catherine Fox appeared on a platform in long gowns, as if they had been full-grown women. The dresses were expressly prepared by order of Mrs. Ann Leah Fox Fish, the evil genius of these unfortunate victims. Without these robes nothing whatever could have been done in the way of "spirit rappings," under the matter-of-fact scrutiny of the public. To carry out the delusion to the utmost, every detail touching these earliest exhibitions was directed through "spirit rappings," even to the insertion of grandiloquent notices in the newspapers.