Circumstances had brought me to this house, and I did not at first know her. I soon found, however, that this was the most famous of the celebrated trio of witches, the Fox sisters, among the earliest spiritualistic mediums in this country. She is also the widow of Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, the heroic Arctic explorer, who died of the effects of his exposure in searching for Sir John Franklin and his ill-fated party. Mrs. Margaret Fox Kane has lately returned from England for a brief visit here, and she purposes in a very short time to deliver just one lecture, and no more, which shall shame and dumfound all the spiritualistic frauds who have not yet repented into poverty or exile of their nebulous ways. She will reveal one after another of the methods by which willing believers have been so briskly duped and robbed, and will herself demonstrate how simple, natural and easy are most of those methods. Brooding upon the troubles that had been brought upon her by Spiritualism and on her personal guilt in connection with it, it is hardly strange that Mrs. Kane, even when bent upon making a sweeping confession of the whole imposture, should in intervals of nervous excitement have turned to the thought of suicide. "'My troubles weighed upon me,' she said, 'and when I was coming over on the _Italy_, I do believe that I should have gone overboard but for the Captain and the doctor and some of the sailors. They prevented me, and when I landed, I could not express to them the gratitude I felt. I had very little English money with me, but all of that I distributed to the men.'" As Mrs. Kane told of her impulse to commit suicide her manner became tragic and she clutched her listener's arm. After a moment, however, she reverted quietly enough to the original subject. But she speedily became much excited again, as what follows will show. It was but natural: "Since you now despise Spiritualism, how was it that you were engaged in it so long?" I asked. "Another sister of mine," and she coupled the name with an injurious adjective, "made me take up with it. She's my damnable enemy. I hate her. My God! I'd poison her! No, I wouldn't, but I'll lash her with my tongue. She was twenty-three years old the day I was born. I was an aunt seven years before I was born. Ha! ha! "Yes, I am going to expose Spiritualism from its very foundation. I have had the idea in my head for many a year, but I have never come to a determination before. I've thought of it day and night. I loath the thing I have been. As I used to say to those who wanted me to give a séance, 'You are driving me into hell.' Then the next day I would drown my remorse in wine. I was too honest to remain a 'medium.' That's why I gave up my exhibitions.