The investigations of the "Seybert Commission" in other directions than that of the "rappings," were far more fascinating and productive of results. It would be impossible to give an adequate idea of them here. The Commission employed the most celebrated "mediums" within their reach, and paid them liberally to place them in communication with the "Spirit world." They saw (and they show in their report that they did see) the secret of every "wonderful" thing done by the "mediums," and found it in most instances exceedingly simple, and generally rather clumsily performed. Professional jugglers constantly outdo professional "mediums." This, the latter cannot deny, and they seek--oh, monumental impudence!--to make people believe that jugglers are nothing more nor less than "mediums," and that "mediums" are never in any sense jugglers! Thus the notorious Slade: "MR. SELLERS. Do you know a man named Kellar, who is exhibiting in this city? "DR. SLADE. I do not. I never knew him. "MR. SELLERS. You may, however, be able to explain to me a very remarkable slate writing experiment which Kellar has performed. (Mr. Sellers here describes at length Mr. Kellar's trick with the fastened slates.) How did Mr. Kellar do that? "DR. SLADE. He is a 'medium.' _He does that work precisely as I do it._ "MR. SELLERS. But can he not do it by trickery? "DR. SLADE. No, it is impossible. He is a 'medium' and a powerful 'medium.'" This is from a memorandum of Mr. Sellers. He says further: "The inquiry was then addressed to Mr. Slade: Do you know a man named Guernilla, who, with his wife, gave séances? "MR. SLADE. Yes, I know him very well. "MR. SELLERS. Well, how does he perform his wonderful exploits in 'rappings,' etc.? "MR. SLADE. He is a 'medium,' a powerful 'medium.' I know him very well indeed. I can assure you that all he does is done solely by means of his mediumistic powers. "I now state to the Committee that the Guernillas exhibited in Philadelphia some years ago as exposers of Spiritualism. They did not expose it, but they performed experiments which, prior to that time, were said to have been accomplished by the aid of 'spirits.' Guernilla himself, at my house, in my presence, in broad daylight, performed all the feats and exhibited the phenomena that were produced at the dark and other séances, and he repeated them until I myself became as expert as he in performing them; for which I paid him a consideration. So much for the mediumistic power." Mr. Sellers explained with reference to Mr. Kellar: "I pause here for the express purpose of having the fact noted that, being thoroughly familiar with the details of the methods of those experiments, I can positively assure the Committee that there is no mediumistic power in Mr. Kellar, so far as his methods are concerned, that those methods are as easy of solution as are any other physical problems." CHAPTER XIII. THE UNALTERABLE VERDICT.