International Congress at Paris Declares Cult Is Based on Mediumship.

PARIS, Sept. 11 (AP).—The spirit of battle hovered over the International Spiritualist Congress today, and the members attacked their attackers in a stormy session.

Harry Houdini, the American magician, was assailed by Mrs. M.D. Cadwallader of Chicago for his “persecution” of spiritualism. During a general debate on the proper protection of mediums, Mrs. Cadwallader declared herself “all the more in favor of strong action to protect them because, at the instigation of a certain magician, some of our best mediums, principally in Boston, have been prevented from holding séances.”

This speech was enthusiastically received and influenced the congress in its adoption of a British resolution declaring “that mediums should be protected from charges of fraud and insanity,” and that “spiritualism is base on mediumship as a means of acquiring higher knowledge.”

The congress also accepted Mrs. Cadwallader’s plan to erect a monument at Rochester, N.Y., to the Fox sisters, famous in the middle of the nineteenth century as the founders of spiritualism.

The congress approved the giving of free spiritualist services when it adopted a committee recommendation that mediums should hold séances and heal without charges. The task of shielding mediums from poverty, it was argued, should devolve upon the Spiritualists themselves.

At tonight’s session Sir Arthur Conan Doyle delivered the lecture which he tried to give at the opening session last Sunday, when he was interrupted by “malicious spirits,” but it was not an easy task.

At 8:30 o’clock, when the lecture began, more than 4,000 persons crowded the hall, and at 9:15 others still were trying to force their way in. All through the speech the noise could be heard of a mob of 1,500 outside struggling with the police.

The noise became so bad that the lights, which had been turned off, were switched on and Lady Doyle hurried off the platform to order that no more persons be admitted. At the door, however, she was met by the head of the crowd, which had just forced its way past the police and through he entrance. Lady Doyle was rudely jostled, doors were broken and curtains torn down.

Sir Arthur picked up his case and papers and prepared to leave the hall, but the audience finally was stilled and he resumed speaking.

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