It was suggested that Moses looked up obituaries, daily newspapers, biographies or "The Annual Register" to research the history of deceased people. Joseph McCabe described Moses as a "deliberate impostor" and wrote that his apports and all of his feats were the result of trickery. Science historian Sherrie Lynne Lyons wrote that the glowing or light-emitting hands in séances could easily be explained by the rubbing of oil of phosphorus on the hands. Moses was caught twice with a bottle of phosphorus.