What is the cathode ray? How was the Nature of cathode rays determined?

Cathode rays are streams of electrons observed in discharge tubes. In 1897, British physicist J. J. Thomson showed that cathode rays were composed of a previously unknown negatively charged particle, which was later named the electron. Cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) use a focused beam of electrons deflected by electric or magnetic fields to render an image on a screen.

they it depends on if one believes about radioactivity, they make a geiger counter beep but maybe it was going to beep anyway electronics do wierd things all the time or it was programmed to beep near certain metals.