“JOCK” GRAHAM IN MELBOURNE.

Evening Star, Issue 3421, 7 February 1874, Page 2

“JOCK” GRAHAM IN MELBOURNE.

(From the Arrius.) An snaividu.il named John Graham, who calls himself the editor of ‘ Graham’s Review,’ i\ew Zealand, managed to draw about eighty people together at the Trades Hall in Lveon street on the evening of January 28, by the announcement that he was going to expose spiritism. After stating that he was not actuated by any mercenary motive, he put a money-taker at the door, and then went round himself amongst his audience, saying—“ Come put your hands in your pockets, and let’s see what you’re going to give.” After this practical commencement he began a loud-voiced abuse of Mr Tyerman and spiritists in general, ihe speaker read his “credentials” at length witti yieat unction, and asked if they 'were not something like credentials. “ He stood there upon his native heath, and they were most miimpeachable credentials.” He commenced bis experiments upon a little four-legged table upon whose top the hands of a number of little boys were placed, and after observing that the phenomena about to be explained were the result of natural laws, and not of the intervention of spirits, he gave the table a preliminary tdt with his own powerful hands, and then left it to the little boys to manage at the word of command given by himself. He declined the services of three volunteer adults from amongst the audience, stating that ‘die was the lecturer, and that he had already been taught a lesson in Otago.” It was indeed a most contemptible exhibition. A repetition of it was announced for to-morrow night, when the electricity necessary “to work the thing” would be in better order. Some irreverent, questions having been asked from the body of the meeting on the subject of “fish.” the speaker .admitted that he had had profitable th.at kind of food, and that, like Wmttington,” bo bad wade a sood thing by

sending live cats to the West Coast. He had been for twenty-one years chairman of a working man’s association in New Zealand somewhere, was the founder of the eight-hours movement, and was so much beloved by the working men of this City that they had already presented him with a requisition asking him to stand at the next election as the working man’s candidate for Collingwood. He hailed from no university, but belonged to the U.W., or brotherhood of the Universal World—he went in for the brawny sons of toil and the rights of all; besides that, “look at his credentials.” The speaker, who possesses dauntless effrontery, was rewarded throughout the evening with the most lively marks of derision.