Magician Among the Spirits — Chapter 9 Part II - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

“Faithfully yours, (Signed) “OLIVER LODGE.

” Sir Arthur personally told me that he was convinced of the genuineness of the Welsh miners of Cardiff, or Thomas Brothers.

Stuart Cumberland who was infinitely my superior in investigation (he had a start of 20 years) told me that there wasn’t a chance of the Thomas Brothers being genuine, and related how, owing to the great interest of Sir Arthur in them, the _London Daily Express_ eventually induced them to hold a seance before a committee of investigators.

Cumberland was to have been one of the committee, but the mediums refused to allow him to be “Among those present.

” As they refused to proceed if Cumberland was admitted, it was thought advisable to eliminate him.

Before leaving, Cumberland arranged the musical instruments that were used and instructed the investigating committee how to detect fraud.

The feature of the seance was the passing along in the circle, of a button and a pair of suspenders, which were thrown on the knees of a news Editor present.

I ask the common-sense reader what benefit this would be--to project a button clear across the room and to find a pair of suspenders on a sitter’s knee?

If there is any object lesson in this, please let me know!

At the seance, Lady Doyle was asked whether she was cold, on answering in the affirmative a holland jacket which had been worn by the medium was dropped in her lap.

The Thomas Brothers claimed this had been done by the Spirits.

When the seance was over, the medium was found bound but minus his coat.

When I quizzed Sir Arthur about the manner in which the Thomas Brothers of Cardiff were bound during a seance which he attended, he told me that they were secured so tightly that it was impossible for them to move as they were absolutely helpless.

I told him that did not make it genuine, for any number of mediums had been tied the same way and had managed to free themselves.

He replied that I might be able to release myself by natural means, but that mediums do not have to, as they always receive Spiritual help.

Maybe so, but I should like, sometime, to tie them myself and see whether the Spirits could release them under test conditions.

[85] I reminded Sir Arthur of the Davenport Brothers and called to his attention the fact that they were able to release themselves.

Sir Arthur feels very strongly in the matter of the Davenport Brothers and although I have told him and proven to him that I was a pupil of Ira Erastus Davenport[86] and that Ira personally told me that they did not claim to be Spiritualists and their performances were not given in the name of Spiritualism, Sir Arthur insists that they _were_ Spiritualists and has strongly said that if they did their performances under any other name, then Ira was “not only a liar, but a blasphemer as he went around with Mr. Ferguson, a clergyman, and mixed it all up with religion.

” I want to go on record that to the best of my knowledge and belief I never stated that Sir Arthur endorsed the mediumship of the New York Thompsons.

I did say there were full page articles[87] where he was illustrated as accepting the genuineness of the materialization of his mother.

I never claimed that Sir Arthur’s son or brother came through the Thomas mediums in Cardiff.

I did state that Sir Arthur said they were genuine and that they, the mediums, were helpless to move because he had tied them and in his judgment if they were tied in my presence I would be convinced of their genuineness.

I wish to call attention to the fact that in a letter written by the late Stuart Cumberland he agreed with me that there was not a vestige of truth in the mediumship of the Thomas Brothers, and regarding Sir Arthur’s endorsement of the “Masked Lady,” I did not say he endorsed her although I should judge from newspaper[88] accounts he seemed very much impressed.

Sir Arthur has rarely given me an opportunity to deny or affirm any statement.

In fact one of our sore points of discussion has been the matter of being quoted, or misquoted,[89] in newspapers or periodicals and it seems that Sir Arthur always believes everything I have been quoted as having said.

When I was in Oakland, California, I was interviewed by a Mr. Henderson of the _Oakland Tribune_.

I gave him some material to work on, enough for one article from which, to my surprise, he wrote a series of eight articles enlarging and misquoting to an “nth” degree.

Sir Arthur took exception to a number of statements which I was supposed to have made and he replied to them caustically through the press and then sent me the following letter in explanation.

“THE AMBASSADOR “Los Angeles “May 23, 1923. “My dear Houdini:-- “I have had to handle you a little roughly in the _Oakland Tribune_ because they send me a long screed under quotation marks, so it is surely accurate.

It is so full of errors that I don’t know where to begin.

I can’t imagine why you say such wild things which have no basis in fact at all.

I put the Thompsons down as humbugs.

I never heard of my son or brother through the Thomas brothers.

They were never exposed.

I never said that Masked Medium was genuine.

I wish you would refer to me before publishing such injurious stuff which I have to utterly contradict.

I would always tell you the exact facts as I have done with the Zancigs.

“Yours sincerely, “A. Conan Doyle.

” “I hate sparring with a friend in public, but what can I do when you say things which are not correct, and which I have to contradict or else they go by default.

It is the same with all this ridiculous stuff of Rinn’s. Unless I disprove it, people imagine it is true.

“A. C. D.

” At the written invitation of Sir Arthur and Lady Doyle Mrs. Houdini and I visited them while they were stopping at the Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City.

One day as Sir Arthur, Mrs. Houdini and I were sitting on the sand skylarking with the children Sir Arthur excused himself saying that he was going to have his usual afternoon nap.

He left us but returned in a short time and said “Houdini, if agreeable, Lady Doyle will give you a special seance, as she has a feeling that she might have a message come through.

At any rate, she is willing to try,” and turning to Mrs. Houdini he said, “we would like to be alone.

You do not mind if we make the experiment without you.

” Smilingly, my good little wife said, “Certainly not, go right ahead, Sir Arthur; I will leave Houdini in your charge and I know that he will be willing to go to the seance.

” Doyle said, “You understand, Mrs. Houdini, that this will be a test to see whether we can make any Spirit come through for Houdini, and conditions may prove better if no other force is present.

” Before leaving with Sir Arthur, Mrs. Houdini cued me.

We did a second sight or mental performance years ago and still use a system or code whereby we can speak to each other in the presence of others, even though to all outward appearances we are merely talking, pointing or doing the most innocent looking things, but which have different meanings to us.

In that manner Mrs. Houdini told me that on the night previous she had gone into detail with Lady Doyle about the great love I bear for my Mother.

She related to her a number of instances, such as, my returning home from long trips, sometimes as far away as Australia, and spending months with my Mother and wearing only the clothes that she had given me, because I thought it would please her and give her some happiness.

My wife also remarked about my habit of laying my head on my Mother’s breast, in order to hear her heart beat.

Just little peculiarities that mean so much to a mother and son when they love one another as we did.

I walked with Sir Arthur to the Doyles’ suite.

Sir Arthur drew down the shades so as to exclude the bright light.

We three, Lady Doyle, Sir Arthur and I, sat around the table on which were a number of pencils and a writing pad, placing our hands on the surface of the table.

Sir Arthur started the seance with a devout prayer.

I had made up my mind that I would be as religious as it was within my power to be and not at any time did I scoff at the ceremony.

I excluded all earthly thoughts and gave my whole soul to the seance.

I was _willing_ to believe, even _wanted_ to believe.

It was weird to me and with a beating heart I waited, hoping that I might feel once more the presence of my beloved Mother.

If there ever was a son who idolized and worshipped his Mother, whose every thought was for her happiness and comfort, that son was myself.

My Mother meant my life, her happiness was synonymous with my peace of mind.

For that reason, if no other, I wanted to give my very deepest attention to what was going on.

It meant to me an easing of all pain that I had in my heart.

I especially wanted to speak to my Mother, because that day, _June 17_, 1922, was her birthday.

[90] I was determined to embrace Spiritualism if there was any evidence strong enough to down the doubts that have crowded my brain for the past thirty years.

Presently, Lady Doyle was “seized by a Spirit.

” Her hands shook and beat the table, her voice trembled and she called to the Spirits to give her a message.

Sir Arthur tried to quiet her, asked her to restrain herself, but her hand thumped on the table, her whole body shook and at last, making a cross at the head of the page, started writing.

And as she finished each page, Sir Arthur tore the sheet off and handed it to me.

I sat serene through it all, hoping and wishing that I might feel my mother’s presence.

There wasn’t even a semblance of it.

Everyone who has ever had a worshipping Mother and has lost earthly touch, knows the feeling which will come over him at the thought of sensing her presence.

The letter which follows, purported to have come from my Mother, I cannot, as much as I desire, accept as having been written or inspired by the soul or Spirit of my sweet Mother.

“Oh, my darling, thank God, thank God, at last I’m through--I’ve tried, oh, so often--now I am happy.

Why, of course I want to talk to my boy--my own beloved boy--Friends, thank you, with all my heart for this.

”-- “You have answered the cry of my heart--and of his--God bless him--a thousandfold for all his life for me--never had a Mother such a son--tell him not to grieve--soon he’ll get all the evidence he is so anxious for--Yes we know--tell him I want him to try and write in his own home.

It will be far better.

” “I will work with him--he is so, so dear to me--I am preparing so sweet a home for him in which some day in God’s good time he will come to it, is one of my great joys preparing for our future.

” “I am so happy in this life--it is so full and joyous--my only shadow has been that my beloved one hasn’t known how often I have been with him all the while, all the while--here away from my heart’s darling--combining my work thus in this life of mine.

” “It is so different over here, so much larger and bigger and more beautiful--so lofty--all sweetness around one--nothing that hurts and we see our beloved ones on earth--that is such a joy and comfort to us--Tell him I love him more than ever--the years only increase it--and his goodness fills my soul with gladness and thankfulness.

Oh, just this, it _is_ me.

I want him only to know that--that--I have bridged the gulf--that is what I wanted, oh, so much--Now I can rest in peace--how soon--” “I _always_ read my beloved son’s mind--his dear mind--there is so much I want to say to him--but--I am almost overwhelmed by this joy of talking to him once more--it is almost too much to get through--the joy of it--thank you, thank you, friend, with all my heart for what you have done for me this day--God bless you, too, Sir Arthur, for what you are doing for us--for us, over here--who so need to get in touch with our beloved ones on the earth plane--” “If only the world knew this great truth--how different life would be for men and women--Go on let nothing stop you--great will be your reward hereafter--Good-by--I brought you, Sir Arthur, and my son together--I felt you were the only man who might help us to pierce this veil--and I was right--Bless him, bless him, bless him, I say, from the depths of my soul--he fills my heart and later we shall be together--Oh so happy--a happiness awaits him that he has never dreamed of--tell him I am with him--just tell him that I’ll soon make him know how close I am all the while--his eyes will soon be opened--Good-by again--God’s blessing on you all.

” In the case of my seance, Sir Arthur believed that due to the great excitement it was a direct connection.

The more so do I hesitate to believe and accept the above letter because, although my sainted mother had been in America for almost fifty years, she could not speak, read nor write English but Spiritualists claim that when a medium is possessed by a Spirit who does not speak the language, she automatically writes, speaks or sings in the language of the deceased; however, Sir Arthur has told me that a Spirit becomes more educated the longer it is departed and that my blessed Mother had been able to master the English language in Heaven.

After the purported letter from my Mother had been written and I had read it over very carefully, Sir Arthur advised me to follow out the advice, given by my Mother,--to try to write when I reached home.

I picked up a pencil in a haphazard manner and said, “Is there any particular way in which I must hold this pencil when I want to write, or does it write automatically?

” _I then wrote the name of “Powell” entirely of my own volition.

_ Sir Arthur jumped up excitedly and read what I had just written.

He saw the word “Powell” and said, “The Spirits have directed you in writing the name of my dear fighting partner in Spiritualism, Dr. Ellis Powell, who has just died in England.

I am the person he is most likely to signal to, and here is his name coming through your hands.

Truly Saul is among the Prophets.

” I must emphatically state that this name was written entirely of my own volition and in full consciousness.

I had in my mind, my friend Frederick Eugene Powell, the American Magician, with whom at the time I was having a great deal of correspondence regarding a business proposition which has since been consummated.

There is not the slightest doubt of it having been more than a deliberate mystification on my part, or let us say a kindlier word regarding my thoughts and call it “coincidence.

” A few days later Sir Arthur sent me the following letter in reference to my explanation of the writing of the name, “Powell.

” “The Ambassador, New York, June 20th, 1922. “My dear Houdini:-- “...

No, the Powell explanation, won’t do.

Not only is he the one man who would wish to get me, but in the evening, Mrs. M.

, the lady medium, got, “there is a man here.

He wants to say that he is sorry he had to speak so abruptly this afternoon.

” The message was then broken by your Mother’s renewed message and so we got no name.

But it confirms me in the belief that it was Powell.

However, you will no doubt test your powers further.