Magician Among the Spirits — Chapter 12 Part II - Investigations - Wise and Otherwise

It was not long, evidently, before the scientist awoke from his dream, for on August 1st, 1874, he wrote to a Russian lady that after four years of investigation, including months of experience with Home, Katie Fox, and Florence Cook, he found “no satisfactory proof that the dead can return and communicate.

” A copy of this letter was sent by Aksakoff to _Light_, and was published in that journal on May 12, 1900. “Sir W. Crookes did not dissent.

”[107] Sometime along about 1875 forty-four photographic negatives which he had made of Katie King and her medium, Florrie Cook, together with what prints he had, were, for some reason not given, accidentally destroyed and he forbade friends who had copies to reproduce them.

He must have made some sort of a discovery for he “buried himself in a sulky silence which he would not break” for forty years.

“No one knew whether he was a Spiritualist or not,” his only statement being that “in all his Spiritualistic research he had ‘come to a brick wall.

’”[108] In 1914 when asked plainly if he were a Spiritualist “he evaded the question.

” Perhaps the change in his opinions came over him when he learned that Florence Cook (who became Mrs. Corner) was exposed[109] on a continental tour and sent back disgraced.

But in 1916, notwithstanding his statement in 1900 and other previous statements, he went on record in the December 9th issue of _Light_ as accepting Spiritualism.

All of this stands as proof that Professor Crookes, even after he was knighted, was of a vacillating mind and for some reason seemed to be deficient in rational methods of discovering the truth, or at least disinclined to put them in force outside of his particular line of science.

Possibly, one of the convincing proofs to him may have been the “tricks” played on him by Annie Eva Fay, for if I am not in error his failure to detect her trickery was the turning point which brought him to a belief in Spiritualism.

She told me that when Maskelyne, the magician, came out with an exposé of her work she was forced to resort to strategy.

Going to the home of Professor Crookes she threw herself on his mercy and gave a series of special tests.

With flashing eyes she told of taking advantage of him.

It appears that she had but one chance in the world to get by the galvanometer[110] but by some stroke of luck for her and an evil chance for Professor Crookes, the electric light went out for a second at the theatre at which she was performing, and she availed herself of the opportunity to fool him.

One of the tests was duplicated by Professor Harry Cooke, a magician.

There is not the slightest doubt in my mind that this brainy man was hoodwinked, and that his confidence was betrayed by the so-called mediums that he tested.

His powers of observation were blinded and his reasoning faculties so blunted by his prejudice in favor of anything psychic or occult that he could not, or would not, resist the influence.

[111] This seems more difficult to comprehend when one remembers that he did not accept Spiritualism in full until he was nearing the end of his earthly career.

The weakness and unreliability of Sir William’s judgment as an investigator is further proved by the fact that he admitted that many of the tests he proposed were rejected by the mediums he was investigating.

Such conditions made the test impossible and he did not seem to realize it, but notwithstanding all this he is one of the most quoted authorities in Spiritualistic realms, particularly by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Another who was misled by the chicanery of mediums which he investigated during many years of research is Sir Oliver Lodge.

He failed to find sufficient evidence to prompt him to spread the teachings of Spiritualism until 1904, after which he occasionally sent a “glow through the Spiritualistic world by some bold profession of belief.

” In 1905 he was not quite ready to endorse but strongly commended mediums.

But by 1916 he had become “the great scientist of the movement, the link between the popular belief and scientific theory.

” It is extremely difficult, however, to understand how a leading scientist can permit his pen to lay before a thinking world such inconsistent impossibilities as the following: “A table can exhibit hesitation, it can seek for information, it can welcome a newcomer, it can indicate joy or sorrow, fun or gravity, it can keep time with a song as if joining in the chorus and most notably of all it can exhibit affection in an unmistakable manner.

” _What has all this to do with the spirit of the departed?

_ How is it possible to accept such silly nonsense?

Think of it!

A _table_ with intelligence, brains--a _table_ with consciousness--a _table_ with emotion.

Yet that is the sort of reasoning used by Sir Oliver in his book “Raymond” and it is acceptable to all enthusiastic advocates of occult teaching.

When we read of a mind of such high culture being overcome by such misfortune we are moved to compassion rather than censure and can only conjecture that the loss of his beloved son, Raymond, in an accursed war was the cause of it.

Margaret Deland wrote: “As for the scientific value of the evidence submitted by Sir Oliver, one must not lose sight of the fact that by far the greater part of it is from the experience of others and accepted by him as established facts, in many cases with little or no investigation as applied to telepathy.

By following his career, one familiar with the psychology of deception will see that he has been an exceptionally ‘easy mark.

’” In describing a private performance of what is known among magicians as “long-distance second-sight,” after detailing the tests in full, Sir Oliver writes: “As regards collusion and trickery, no one who has witnessed the absolutely genuine and artless manner in which the impressions are described, but has been perfectly convinced of the transparent honesty of all concerned.

“This, however, is not evidence to those who have not been present, and to them I can only say that to the best of my scientific belief, no collusion or trickery was possible under the varied circumstances of the experiments.

” From the above, the reader may form his own opinion as to the value of Sir Oliver Lodge’s investigation, and at the same time should bear in mind that his so-called investigation is typical of all the investigations by scientists and sages who have accepted Spiritualism as a fact or a religion (?

).

The remaining figure of this type most conspicuously in the spotlight on the Spiritualistic stage at the present time is my esteemed friend, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Very much like Sir Oliver, his opinion hung in the balance during many years of _investigation_, some thirty or thirty-five, and it is significant that he did not manifest his deep concern in the cult until he too, like Sir Oliver, had lost a son in the late war and his heartstrings had been wrung by a similar grief.

In “The New Revelation,” which was written after he had lost his son, he tells us that for thirty years he had studied the subject of Spiritualism “_carelessly_,” _then suddenly in a crisis of emotion_,[112] he sees a possible balm in it, but instead of realizing that this was, or should be, the time for real investigation, he threw up his hands with the cry: _“The objective side of it ceased to interest, for having made up one’s mind that it was true there was an end of the matter.

_”[113] It is evident from his own confession that he decided to accept Spiritualism regardless of any real revelation that might present itself at a future time and the fact that he did cease intelligent investigation is proved by his own published statements quoted below.

In a letter in the _New York Evening Mail_, Dec.

29, 1921, he says: “_I don’t need scientific proof of what I hear with my own ears, see with my own eyes.

Nobody does.

This is one of the fine things about Spiritualism.

Each person can prove it for himself.

It proves immortality and the better you live here, the further you’ll go there, progressing finally to the perfect state.

_” In the _New York World_, June 22, 1922, he says: “_That mediums I have recommended have been convicted of fraud; any medium may be convicted, because the mere fact of being a medium is illegal by our benighted laws, but no medium I have ever recommended has been shown to be fraudulent in a sense which would be accepted by any real psychic student.

_[114] _This same applies I believe to mediums recommended by Sir Oliver Lodge.

_”[115] In connection with his corroboration of Sir Oliver’s opinion about mediums Sir Arthur is reported to have said: _“Sir Oliver is too damn scientific.

”_ And the _New York World_ of June 3rd, 1922, quotes him as saying: “_Most mediums take their responsibilities very seriously and view their work in a religious light.

A temptation to which several great mediums have succumbed is that of drink.

This comes about in a very natural way, for overworking leaves them in a state of physical prostration and the stimulus of alcohol affords a welcome relief and may tend at last to become a custom and finally a curse.

[116] Alcoholism always weakens the moral sense, so that these degenerate mediums yield themselves more readily to fraud.

Tippling and moral degeneration are by no means confined to psychics.

_ “_Far from being antagonistic to religion, this psychic movement is destined to revivify religion.

We come upon what is sane, what is moderate, what is reasonable, what is consistent with gradual evolution and the benevolence of God.

This new wave of inspiration has been sent into the world by God.

_” I will not, at this time, dissect and analyze the above statements, preferring to let the reader decide for himself after reading them over carefully and digesting their literal meaning.

It is sufficient to direct attention to the various contradictory statements and variance in the subjects of law, morality, and religion, and their application to the subject of Spiritualism.

Sir Arthur is reported as saying that mediumship is like an ear for music and might exist in “some vulgar person,” but that the medium is only a carrier of messages comparable to the boy who delivers telegrams.

From the foregoing excerpts of Sir Arthur’s own statements it will be seen that he depends solely on his _senses_ of _seeing_ and _hearing_ (the two weakest and most easily deceived) for his evidence.

When once a medium has his confidence he believes implicitly what the medium tells him, accepts their “hear-say evidence” as gospel truth, notwithstanding that he admits they are possibly of a vulgar, dishonest class, often addicted to alcoholism to a degree of debauchery.

It is extremely difficult to harmonize these statements.

As to the sense of sight coupled to the sense of hearing: while at Washington, D. C.

, Sir Arthur had a “sitting” with the Zancigs and after witnessing phenomena at their expert hands and minds, he gave them a letter of which the following is a transcript: “I have tested Professor and Mrs. Zancig to-day and am quite assured that their remarkable performance, as I saw it, was due to psychic causes (thought transference) and not to trickery.

(Signed) “Arthur Conan Doyle.

” Mr. Jules Zancig is a magician, a member of the Society of American Magicians of which I have been the President for the past seven years.

I believe he is one of the greatest second-sight artists that magical history records.

In my researches for the past quarter of a century I have failed to trace anyone his superior.

His system seems to be supreme.

He never at any time claimed telepathy and as he has not, to my knowledge, obtained money by pretending telepathy or spirit presentations, it would not be fair to disclose his methods despite the fact that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle put the stamp of genuineness on his work.

Undoubtedly it _appeared_ unfathomable to Sir Arthur and he therefore concluded that it was psychic and that there could be no other solution.

Mal-observation is responsible for a lot of misunderstanding, consequently misrepresentation, and as a result much investigation is rendered valueless.

Such misrepresentation is not intended to deceive but is an honest expression of a conviction based on supposed facts by persons unaware that they are victims of illusion.

One of the most, if not the most, flagrant instances of mal-observation I have ever known of is told of in a book by J. Hewat McKenzie, President of the British College of Psychic Science, entitled “Spirit Intercourse.

” On page 107 he says: “Houdini, called the ‘Handcuff King,’ who has so ably demonstrated his powers upon public-hall platforms is enabled by psychic power (though this he does not advertise), to open lock, handcuff, or bolt that is submitted to him.

He has been imprisoned within heavily barred cells, doubly and trebly locked, and from them all he escaped with ease.

This ability to unbolt locked doors is undoubtedly due to his mediumistic powers, and not to any normal mechanical operation on the lock.

The force necessary to shoot a bolt within a lock is drawn from Houdini the medium, but it must not be thought that this is the only means by which he can escape from his prison, for at times his body has been dematerialized and withdrawn, but this will be treated in another part of this chapter.

” As I am the one most deeply concerned in this charge I am also the best equipped to deny such erroneous statements.

I do claim to free myself from the restraint of fetters and confinement, but positively state that I accomplish my purpose purely by physical, not psychical means.

The force necessary to “shoot a bolt within a lock,” is drawn from Houdini the living human being and not a medium.

My methods are perfectly natural, resting on natural laws of physics.

I do not _dematerialize_ or _materialize_ anything; I simply control and manipulate material things in a manner perfectly well understood by myself, and thoroughly accountable for and equally understandable (if not duplicable) by any person to whom I may elect to divulge my secrets.

But I hope to carry these secrets to the grave as they are of no material benefit to mankind, and if they should be used by dishonest persons they might become a serious detriment.

On page 112 of his book Mr. McKenzie again refers to me saying: “Houdini of world wide fame, previously mentioned, has for years demonstrated dematerialization, and the passage of matter through matter upon the public platform, while Mrs. Thompson of America, has demonstrated materialization.

Mrs. Zancig has, with her husband, publicly exhibited her psychic gift, called ‘thought transference,’ which is purely soul projection, in all the leading world centres.

Miss Fay, and several well known Japanese mediums, for years demonstrated the passage of matter through matter, and also materialization.

These are only a few of the many who might be mentioned, who demonstrate psychic gifts before the public.

Such public mediums do not, of course, advertise themselves as performing their wonders by occult powers, or through the help of spirits, and the public are therefore left in ignorance of how they perform their marvelous tricks, as they are called.

The author has tested each of those mentioned, by a personal experiment from the stage, and several also in private, and can testify that they are mediums, performing most, if not all of their great wonders by spirit agency.

They are naturally reluctant to acknowledge the fact, for the music-hall public would instantly resent any claims they might make that they performed their wonders by spirit power.

Their audiences would regard such claims as ‘bunkum,’ and probably subject them to insult, if not to ill treatment, for the general public are entirely ignorant of such possibilities in the manipulation of psychical matter as related in this book, which a medium can develop with the co-operation of spirit entities.

It can be left to the reader’s imagination to picture the face of a music-hall manager if he were asked to allow upon the stage a demonstration of spirit powers.

Horrors!

The poor man would not be able to sleep for nights if he thought ghosts were working around his buildings or upon his stage.

Thus, knowing the attitude of men toward such things these wonders of wonders are produced upon the music-hall stage as clever ‘mystery’ tricks.

The author does not wish his readers to suppose that the mechanical sleight-of-hand tricks carried out by Maskelyne and Devant and similar operators, have anything to do with the mediumistic gift, for they are a mechanical copy of true magic.

These tricks are performed with tons of machinery, whereas the genuine medium can produce his wonders, if necessary, naked and in an empty room.

“The last occasion on which the author, under strict test conditions saw Houdini demonstrate his powers of dematerialization, was before thousands, upon the public stage of the Grand Theatre, Islington, London.

Here a small iron tank, filled with water, was deposited upon the stage, and in it Houdini was placed, the water completely covering his body.

Over this was placed an iron lid with three hasps and staples, and these were securely locked.

The body was then completely dematerialized within this tank within one and a half minutes, while the author stood immediately over it.

Without disturbing any of the locks, Houdini was transferred from the tank direct to the back of the stage in a dematerialized state.

He was there materialized, and returned to the stage front, dripping with water, and attired in the blue jersey suit in which he entered the tank.

From the time that he entered it to his appearance on the stage only one and a half minutes had expired.

While the author stood adjacent to the tank, during the dematerialization process, a great loss of physical energy was felt by him, such as is usually experienced by sitters in materializing seances, who have a good stock of vital energy, as in such phenomena, a large amount of energy is required.

Dematerialization is performed by methods similar in operation to those in which the psycho-plastic essence is drawn from the medium.

The body of the medium may be reduced to half its ordinary weight in the materializing room, but in the case of dematerialization the essence continues to be drawn until the whole physical body vanishes, and the substance composing it is held in suspension within the atmosphere, much in the same way as moisture is held by evaporation.

While in this state, Houdini was transferred from the stage to the retiring room behind, and there almost instantaneously materialized.

The speed with which this dematerialization was performed is much more rapid than is possible in the materializing seance room, where time is required for the essence to be crystallized into psycho-plastic matter.

Not only was Houdini’s body dematerialized, but it was carried through the locked iron tank, thus demonstrating the passage of matter through matter.

This startling manifestation of one of nature’s profoundest miracles was probably regarded by most of the audience as a very clever trick.

” With the indulgence of the reader, I may be pardoned perhaps, if I insist that it is just what I claim it to be--_simply a superior trick_.

The effect is original with me and was invented in the course of my professional career as a public entertainer, for the sole purpose of _entertaining_ audiences by mystifying them.

My success seems to be attested by Mr. McKenzie in his acknowledgment that he was deceived into the belief as to my mediumistic powers; that I dematerialized my body and material substance, and materialized these things, so restoring them to a normal condition.

In rebuttal of this misconception I can only say that it is a demonstration of mal-observation; there was nothing supernatural in my performance.

If I really possessed such abnormal powers as Mr. McKenzie credits me with, I should be only too ready to prove it for the enlightenment of a waiting world.

I disagree with Mr. McKenzie that such acknowledgment would displease the “music-hall” or theatrical managers; on the contrary I am sure they would gladly open their stages to the demonstration and regard it as good management and showmanship.

As to the performance of Mrs. Thompson of America, and Miss Fay their work is no more psychic than mine.

It is simply another phase of magical deception, and I stand ready to reproduce such performances in an emergency.

Regarding the personally conducted tests of my work, by Mr. McKenzie, he did no more or less than all my committees are privileged to do while on the stage during my acts.

Just as all Spiritualist believers do, so Mr. McKenzie relied on what he _thought_ he saw, and therefore failed to affirm or negative his misguided and misdirected vision by rational application of his conscious intelligence.

Had he brought his reasoning faculties to bear, as all sincere, unbiased investigators should, he would have discovered the utter inconsistency of his deductions and never have gone on record as the author of such folly, without a particle of real evidence with which to substantiate his claim.

Dr. Crawford, whose life was devoted to scientific pursuit and research, gave the last three years of his life to _investigating_ occult or psychic phenomena, and failed utterly.

His mind became impaired and he ended his own life by suicide, acknowledging that his brain was overtaxed with abstruse problems.

He was so completely nonplussed and befuddled by the tricks of the Goligher family, that he gave them publicity as being genuine mediums; and the unfortunate man died without discovering his own weakness and error.

Had he retained his mental balance a year or two longer, he would have been disillusioned by his co-worker in science, my friend Mr. E.

E.

Fournier d’Albe, the result of whose investigation is to be found elsewhere in this volume.

The unsuccessful investigations of those I have referred to are typical of all I have come in contact with or have learned of, and the barrier to their success has been their perfect willingness to be deceived.

They agree to and tolerate the most absurd propositions as to the conditions under which the so-called investigations are conducted;

just as they are _fixed_ by the mediums themselves.

They acquiesce in and assist the medium to produce results, and accept such results as conclusive evidence of the supernatural.

What does it all mean?

What importance can be attached to any one of these supposed phenomena as proof of the return of departed spirits?

CHAPTER XIII