When Newspaper Accounts Said an Apparition, Levitation or Teleportation Was Seen by More Than One

 Let us look at some old newspaper accounts describing an apparition seen by multiple witnesses. The first dates from 1910. We hear of two seeing the ghost of a miner who died, with them reporting that the ghost vanished into a wall:

You can read the account here:

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88085947/1910-03-27/ed-1/seq-12/

The newspaper account below tells one of the most startling ghost accounts you will ever hear. We read of a justice of the peace (one often marrying couples) who reports encountering a pair of spirits who requested to be married, with the justice's wife seeing the same pair. 

You can read the full account by using the link below:

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn99021999/1887-12-30/ed-1/seq-6/

The 1860 account below is one of very many accounts describing great paranormal wonders occurring in the presence of the medium Daniel Dunglas Home, who was investigated at length by the leading physicist Sir William Crookes, who asserted in print that several dramatic types of paranormal occurrences really did occur around Home (as discussed here).  We have an account of multiple witnesses seeing an apparition of a hand, one that reportedly picked up a pen and signed the name "Napoleon." The emperor mentioned was Napoleon III. 

The world-class physicist William Crookes stated in writing that he had seen levitations of the medium Daniel Dunglas Home. The newspaper account below summarizes part of a paper Crookes published with a title of "Human Levitation."

You can read the full article below, which cites many additional reports of human levitation:

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCR18600714.2.3&srpos=355&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------

The article above is summarizing the paper "Human Levitation" by William Crookes, which can be read here:

https://archive.org/details/per_the-quarterly-journal-of-science_the-quarterly-journal-of-science_1875-01_5/page/31/mode/1up

On the page here of the 1875 paper, Crookes speaks of recent reports of levitations and teleportation:

"As Newton is held to have proved that gravitation and inertia in every mass are proportional, we might expect that whatever overbears the former would be equally capable of neutralising the latter; and, in fact, the elder records hardly speak of visible suspensions like those of Mr. Home, but mainly of sudden unseen transfers of the person to a distance; like that alleged of Dr. Monck last year, from his own residence at Bristol to the garden of his friend, Mr. Young, at Swindon ; or the earlier but better attested one of Mrs. Guppy, from her house at Holloway to a circle of her friends assembled at No. 61, Lamb’s Conduit Street; or, a few months ago, that of Mr. Henderson, a well-known photographer of London, for a smaller distance, but attested by eighteen persons besides himself—the nine assembled with him at Mr. Guppy’s, and the whole Stokes family, at Highbury, where he was unexpectedly found."

On one page of the paper, Crookes this list of forty saints who were supposedly levitated:

The references are to volumes and pages of the Acta Sanctorum series of volumes, which can be found on www.archive.org.  Referring to the people in the list above, we read this in the article by Crookes:

"Many were levitated only in these unconscious states; others, as Joseph of Cupertino (the greatest aerobat in all history), both in the trance and ordinary state, and (like Mr. Home) most frequently in the latter; while a very few, as Theresa, seem to have been always conscious when in the air. Several were, in certain states, fire 

handlers, like Mr. Home. The Princess Margaret was so  from the age of ten. ..The great majority of them, though often seen suspended, were at heights from the ground described only as ‘a palm’ half a cubit, a cubit, and thence up to five or six cubits, of,  in a few cases, ells. But the Princess Agnes and the Abbess Coleta were, like Elijah, carried out of sight, or into the clouds ; and Peter of Alcantara and Joseph of Cupertino others were watched off the ground often exceeded an hour; and the Archbishop of Valencia (1555) was suspended in trance twelve hours, so that not only all the inmates of his palace, and clergy, but 'innumerable' lay citizens, went to see the marvel."

On another page, referring to accounts of teleportation by saints, Crookes states this:  "Of invisible transfers to a distance, the only subjects seem to have been Columba of Rieti, said to have been carried from her mother’s house in that town to the nunnery that afterwards received her, at Spoleto, twenty miles distant; and the river transits of Peter of Alcantara." 

Crookes refers in his article above to claims in his own time that Mrs. Elizabeth Guppy was teleported. The original source of such claims is the June 15, 1871 edition of The Spiritualist, a weekly newspaper. On page 170, we have a report by numerous witnesses claiming to have seen a case of human teleportation.  Here is the original account, signed by a series of witnesses, along with the witnesses who attested to have seen this marvel on June 3, 1871:

" On Saturday evening, June 3rd, at 61, Lamb’s Conduit-street, High Holborn, London, W.C., a séance was held in the rooms of Messrs. Herne and Williams, mediums. Before the séance began, the doors communicating with the passage outside were locked. The proceedings began, at the request of the mediums, with prayer. Then spirit lights, like small stars, were seen moving about, after which a conversation between the spirits John King and Katie King, was heard. John said, 'Katie, you can’t do it.’ Katie replied, ‘ I will, I tell you I will.’ John said, ‘ I tell you you can’t.’ She answered, 'I will.’ Mr. Harrison then said, ‘ Can you bring Mrs. Guppy ? ’ There was no reply, but a member of the circle urged that the attempt should not be made. Within three minutes after Katie had said, ‘ I will,’ a single heavy sound was heard for an instant on the centre of the table. Mr. Edwards put out his hand and said, ‘ There is a dress here.’ A light was instantly struck, and Mrs. Guppy was found standing motionless on the centre of the table, trembling all over ; she had a pen and an account-book in her hands. Her right hand, with the pen in it, was over her eyes. She was spoken to by those present, but did not seem to hear ; the light was then placed in another room, and the door was closed for an instant ; John King then said, ‘ She’ll be all right presently.’ After the lapse of about four minutes after her arrival, she moved for the first time, and began to cry. The time of her arrival was ten minutes past eight. Mrs. Edmiston, Mr. Edwards, and Mr. Harrison went at once to one of the doors, and found it still locked; the other door could not be opened during the séance, because the back of the chair of one of the sitters was against it. There was no cupboard, article of furniture, or anything else in the rooms, in which it was possible for anybody to conceal themselves, and, if there had been, we, the undersigned witnesses, are all certain that by no natural means could Mrs. Guppy have placed herself instantaneously on the centre of a table round which we were all sitting shoulder to shoulder." 

"Mrs. Guppy said that the last thing she remembered before she found herself on the table, was that she was sitting at home at Highbury, talking to Miss Neyland, and entering some household accounts in her book. The ink in the pen was wet when she arrived in our midst ; the last word of the writing in the book was incomplete, and was wet and smeared. She complained that she was not dressed in visiting costume, and had no shoes on, as she had been sitting at the fire without them. As she stated this to Mr. Morris, and Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, a pair of slippers dropped on the floor from above, one of them grazing Mr. Morris’s head ; this was after the séance, and in the light. We all went into the dark room for a few minutes afterwards, and four flower-pots with flowers in them, which Mrs. Guppy declared to be from her home, were placed on the table at once. "

“After tea a second séance was held. Within a minute or two after the light was put out, there was a cry for a light, and Mr. Herne was seen by four persons falling from above, on to his chair. There were bundles of clothes belonging to Mr. Guppy, Mrs. Guppy, and Miss Neyland on the table, and Mr. Herne declared he had just seen Miss Neyland in Mrs. Guppy’s house ; that she had pushed the clothes into his arms, and told him to ' go to the devil.'  The light was again put out, and when it was struck once more, Mr. Williams was missing. He was found in the next room, lying in an insensible state on some clothes belonging to Mr. Guppy. He said on awaking that he had been to Mr. Guppy’s house, and saw Miss Neyland, who was sitting at a table, and seemed to he praying."

N. Haqger, 46, Moorgate-street.

Caroline Edmiston, Beckenham. 

C. E. Edwards, Kilburn-square, Kilburn. 

Henry Morris, Mount Trafford, Eccles, near Manchester.

 Elizabeth Guppy, 1, Morland Villas, Highbury Hill Park, N. 

 Ernest Edwards, Kilburn-square, Kilburn. 

Henry Clifford Smith, 38, Ennis-road, Stroudgreen. 

H. B. Husk, 26, Sandwich-street, 

W.C. Charles E. Williams, 61, Lamb’s Conduitstreet, W.C.

 E. Herne, Gl, Lamb’s Conduit-street, W.C. 

W. H. Harrison, Wilmin Villa, Chaucer - road, S.E.”

We have here an astonishing report of a seance in a dark room with locked doors. The witnesses claim that a woman living quite a distance away was inexplicably deposited on the round table that they surrounded. There is no way to explain this report by imagining some kind of trickery by one or two people.  The only halfway-credible hypothesis a skeptic might use to dismiss the report is to claim that the report is all a big lie, and that nothing of the sort happened.  Here the skeptic is forced into becoming a conspiracy theorist, imagining some conspiracy by witnesses who falsely claimed to have seen something they never saw.

Crookes also refers in his paper to a report of a teleportation of a Mr. Henderson.  The account first appeared in the December 5, 1873 edition of the publication Medium and Daybreak, which you can read using the link below:

http://iapsop.com/archive/materials/medium_and_daybreak/medium_and_daybreak_v4_n192_dec_5_1873.pdf

Below is an image from the front page of that publication.

We read this:

"To the Editor of the Daily Telegraph. Nov. 14th, 1873,—

The object of this communication in to place on record an event of most remarkable character which occurred on the 2nd inst., when a gentleman-making one of our party at a seance - was transferred, instantaneously as he alleges, from within a sitting-room duly locked and with windows closed and shutters bolted, to a distance of one mile and a half under the circumstances herein detailed and testified to by the writers of this letter...."

The preserved version of the next page of the edition (page 562) is rather hard to read in some spots, but we get the main details about the seance, when it was held, its location (Mr. Guppy's house) and who were the witnesses:

The persons at the dark seance expressed various wishes, and Mrs. Guppy expressed the wish that someone might be carried out of the room. The table was reported to have made dramatic movements. After several minutes, it was found that the Mr. Blank (a pseudonym for a person who did not wish to give his name) had mysteriously vanished from the ring of attendees holding the hands of each other in the dark seance room.  Reportedly a message was given that Mr. Blank had been carried away and would not be seen that evening. Apparently the physical arrangement of the room meant that no one could have left without an opening of a door which would have caused light to pour into the dark room, light that no one observed. 

The vanished Mr. Blank gave a report that he found himself in a disoriented state, far away from the seance he had been in at Mr. Guppy's house. He reported that he found himself at the presence of Mr. and Mrs. Stokes, giving their address of 29 Kingsdown Road, and that he was "wholly unconscious of how he had got into their premises." He stated that he had no memory of how he had got from the seance room at Mr. Guppy's house to the location of  29 Kingsdown Road, about two miles away. Hearing this strange account from Mr. Blank, some of the members of the seance at Mr. Guppy's house went and interviewed Mr. and Mrs. Stokes, getting an account that was consistent with Mr. Blank's account. 

The Mr. Blank of the account (a pseudonym of someone who did not wish to give his name) was apparently the Mr. Henderson referred to in the paper by Crookes. 

The account has on page 562 with nine named witnesses agreeing to the testimony supplied. On the next page we have these named witnesses agreeing to the supplied account:

As evidence of a teleportation, the account here is weaker than the account of the teleportation of Mrs. Guppy, largely because of the refusal of the supposedly teleported person to give his real name. Accounts which hinge on the testimony of anonymous witnesses must be ranked as second-class evidence rather than first-class evidence. But the account of teleportation of Mrs. Guppy (to the ire of materialists) has the hallmarks of first-class observational evidence.  

Press accounts of apparitions seen by more than one

Spookiest Years, Part 18: The Years 1907 - 1909

In previous posts in this intermittently appearing "Spookiest Years" series on this blog (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here,  here, here, here, here, here and here) I had looked at some very spooky events reported between 1848 and 1889.  Let me pick up the thread and discuss some spooky events reported in the years 1907 to 1909.

The journal The Annals of Psychical Science was the English language version of the French journal Annales des Sciences Psychique. In the April-June 1909 edition of The Annals of Psychical Science, which you can read here, we have some fascinating accounts of paranormal phenomena.  

On page 271 we have a paper by Dr. Julien Ochorowicz, describing experiments with the Polish medium Stanislas Tomczyk. We are told on page 274 that all of the experiments were conducted in good light, after Tomczyk was hypnotized by Ochorowicz. There is a very long documented history of paranormal phenomena seeming to occur under hypnosis, with very many reports from respected witnesses of clairvoyance occurring very powerfully under hypnosis. In the paper by Ochorowicz we have a long description of what sounds like telekinetic effects produced on a clock. 

Later in the same edition on page 285 we have an account of levitation effects produced during seances with the medium Francesco Carancini. The report is preceded by quite a few photographs showing objects floating mysteriously in the air.  Below are two of the photos, one (Figure 7 of the paper) seeming to show the levitation of a violin, and the other (Figure 37 of the paper) seeming to show the levitation of a trumpet:

We hear early in the account (page 286) that events such as this were witnessed by very many distinguished observers:

"The experimenters include Professors L. M. Milese, of the U niversity of Rome, V. Tummulo, De Franciscis, Doctor Cesari, and many others, well-known in scientific circles in Rome ; also the Duke of Cardinale, Baron Von Bilgner, Count Violara, Duke of Ayala Muntzer, Marquise Lanza, Countess Paglioni, and other residents of Rome. Several visitors to Rome have also been present at some of the seances: Prof. Schiller of the University of Oxford, M. Serge Yourievitch, Secretary of the Institut Psychologique in Paris, the Hon. Everard Feilding, Hon. Secretary of the Society for Psychical Research in London, Senor Pedroso, Plenipotentiary Minister of Cuba, and M. Mezroculos, Ambassador of Greece."

On page 288 we read this list of phenomena produced in the seances of Carancini:

"Among the phenomena observed we notice : 

 1. Transport and levitation of objects. 

2. Impressions on clay. 

3. Writing on lamp black in ltalian, Latin, modern and ancient Greek, and in an unknown language resembling Arabic. 

4. Luminous phenomena. 

5. Dematerialization and rematerialisation of matter."

Here I should note the extreme inaccuracy of statements made by skeptics about paranormal phenomena. You will hear such skeptics say things such as that spooky seance phenomena always occur in the dark, and that such phenomena never show up in photographs.  Such generalizations are not at all true.  We see above photographs of apparent levitations occurring in full light, and countless other photos have been taken of levitations. The phenomena of the 19th century medium Daniel Dunglas Home (such as levitations of Home and the playing of musical instruments no one touched) were reported by very many witnesses as occurring in full light. In general, you should follow the rule of "never trust any generalization about paranormal phenomena made by skeptics."  Skeptics routinely throw out untrue generalizations about types of phenomena they have not decently studied. 

The account of the Carancini sessions gives us the type of high quality evidence that we would like to have, consisting of dated accounts listing all the witnesses who were present. The location was the home of Baron Von Erhardt. Below are some of them (each account includes mention of many spooky phenomena, but I will quote only the most dramatic parts):

• "Tuesday, May 12th (from 9.30 to II p.m., 1908). Present: Sig. C. Serra, Duca di Cardinale, Fraulein Eliza Miinbher, Baron Bilguer, Doctor Corsi, Prof. Monnosi, Signora Trevisani and daughter, and the medium Carancini.,.. A tambourine played and danced about in mid-air for several seconds... Some photographs were taken with magnesium, among which, that of a violin suspended in the air (see Figure 37) and which fell, without the least noise, to the left of Fraulein Miinbher." 
• "June 25th, 1908. (32nd Seance.) Present: Sig. Basile, Doctor Corsi, Commander Monnosi, Signora Trevisani and daughter, Baron Von Erhardt and tbe medlinn Carancini....and now the phenomenon of levitation took place ; after a few seconds of hesitation, the heavy table rose gently from the ground, the medium called out 'fire! fire!' (juoco, fuoco), signifying that a photograph of the phenomenon could be taken. Baron Von Erhardt delayed, losing time in finding the spring which lights the magnesium, but, in spite of this delay, the film reproduces the table placed above the shoulders of the medium and the side-board near him. (See Fig. 5.)"
• "September 18th, 1908. (45th Seance.) Present : Sig. and Signora Giannini, Sig. and Signora Steffoni, Signora Belloni, Signora Levi, Prof. Monnosi, Sig. Basile, Baron Von Erhardt, Carancini. ..The violin, dancing about in mid-air (in the light and, consequently, distinctly perceived by everyone present), touched several heads, then fell on to the same big table." 
• "November 20th, 1908. (65th Seance.) Present : Doctor and Signora Cesare; Signora Belloli and daughter; Sig. Giannini and daughter; Prof. Monnosi, the writer, Baron Von Erhardt, Carancini. Phenomena: The big table is levitated on one side and rapped several times, with its legs....The musical box and trumpet are carried from the sideboard, where they were standing, on to the table ; the camera has caught the trumpet in mid-air (see Fig. 7)."

We are told that the medium was himself levitated, although the photograph fails to capture him being clear of all material support (unlike the photos of the levitated violin and trumpet, which do seem to show them clear of all material support). We read this:

"At the seance held on the evening of November 27th, I908, the phenomenon of the levitation of the medium occurred; he was levitated to the height of one yard, a phenomenon distinctly visible to the spectators; the controllers verified all absence of support from the table or chair. Unfortunately, the photograph (Fig. 35) does not show the medium's feet, nor testify to this complete absence of normal support vouched for by the controllers. We reproduce it, nevertheless, for the benefit of our readers.."

In the next two editions of the  The Annals of Psychical Science (here and here) Dr. Julien Ochorowicz, continues to describe experiments with the Polish subject Stanislawa Tomczyk. We have quite a few photos of her performing levitations on small objects. Below is Figure 5, entitled "Levitation of a magnet."

On page 334 of the edition here, the July- September 1909 edition of The Annals of Psychical Science, Ochorowicz reports telekinetic phenomena and possibly teleportation phenomena occurring around Stanislawa Tomczyk:  "Several objects were brought from a room on the ground floor, a handful of snow fell on to the table, a metal seal was put into my pocket, a piece of charcoal was thrown at us from the stove, over three yards away, the large clock hanging on the wall was opened and stopped, the cord of an electric bell was shaken about and pressed and the bell set ringing, etc." Using the word "apport" which may refer to a mysterious appearance, Ochorowicz states this on page 372: "The apport of a dumb-bell, weighing two pounds, was effected yesterday without fatigue to a distance of more than three yards, and a handful of snow was brought from outside, by request, through closed doors."

Later in the same edition of The Annals of Psychical Science, we read a report on tests with the Italian medium Eusapia Palladino. The amount of time that Palladino was investigated by scientists was enormous. On page 401 we read "Eusapia Paladino gave forty-three sittings to the Institut General Psychologique during the years 1905, 1906, and 1907." Skeptics always try to to dismiss the case of Palladino by pointing out cases in which she broke rules she was supposed to follow, claiming that such cases were cheating. There is a reason why such claims have little relevance.

It was well-known by all her investigators that Eusapia would frequently break rules she was told to follow, if she was allowed to do so. There are various possible explanations for particular events of this type: (1) possibly she didn't understand the concept of needing to follow experimental rules, or (2) she might have been trying to trick people, or (3) she might have been often unable to follow rules because of being in a state of trance in which rule-following can't be expected. Whatever the reason was for her failure to follow experimental rules if allowed to do so, all of her main experimenters knew that she could not be counted on to willfully follow such rules; so they followed a habit of testing her under strict conditions in which cheating was impossible.  It was under such strict "cheat-proof" conditions that Palladino's most spectacular results were very often obtained. The fact is that many different experimenters tested Palladino under conditions in which cheating was not possible, and under such conditions all kinds of astonishing paranormal effects were observed.  Such paranormal effects were observed by many observers in good light, and very often photographed. The observers were very often scientists and medical men, many of whom seemed to hate observing what they observed. The observers included very distinguished figures such as Marie Curie. 

On page 404 of the publication, we have this account of paranormal effects occurring in the presence of Eusapia under tightly controlled conditions that should have made cheating impossible. 

"The two hands, feet, and knees of Eusapia · being controlled, the table is raised suddenly, all four feet leaving the ground, then two and again four feet; Eusapia closes her fists, and holds them towards the table, which is then completely raised · from the floor five times in succession, five raps being also given. It is again completely raised, whilst each of Eusapia's hands is on the head of a sitter. It is raised to the height of one foot from the floor and suspended in the air for seven seconds while Eusapia kept her hand on the table and a lighted candle was placed under the table; it was completely raised to a height of ten inches from the floor and suspended in the air for four seconds, M. Curie only having his hand on the table, Eusapia's hand being placed on top of his. It was completely raised when M. Curie had his hand on Eusapia's knees and Eusapia had one hand on the table and the other on M. Curie's hand, her feet tied to the chair on which she was sitting. Two and then four feet of the table were raised when a weight of ten kilogrammes was placed on the table, the hands, feet, and knees of Eusapia being thoroughly controlled. It was completely raised when touched by no one, not even Eusapia, she being under perfect control."

Again we have a report of the complete levitation of an untouched table, something that occurs in great abundance in the literature of the 19th century and early twentieth century, with very many distinguished observers reporting such an effect. 

On the next pages in this edition of the Annals of Psychical Science (the July- September 1909 edition) we have these reports of paranormal effects occurring around Eusapia:

• "At another complete levitation, all standing up, the table rose to eighteen inches from the floor: someone asked the table to break: one leg was broken" -- page 405.
• Both a curtain and Eusapia's gown "swelled out" as if blown by some supernatural wind -- page 406. 
• A variety of objects were mysteriously moved around or mysteriously broken -- page 407.
• "A three-legged wooden table, placed at a distance of a yard from Eusapia, and connected with a registering apparatus, came forward or went backwards at Eusapia's command; it was even pushed and thrown against the wall, Eusapia's feet being tied by laces to the legs of her chair." -- page 407.
• Various reports of witnesses being touched as if by invisible hands -- page 408. 
• "Blueish phosphorescent lights appeared and disappeared in turn about Eusapia's forehead, on her right side, on the black background of the curtain, and on the table." -- page 408. 
• "Lights were rising out of the centre of Eusapia's body" -- page 408.
• "Two very bright luminous specks appeared over Eusapia's head" -- page 409.
• "Forms of hands, luminous fingers, were seen at the same time that contacts were felt." -- page 409. 
• "Eusapia succeeded at discharging at a distance three electroscopes of different construction" -- page 412. 

There are very many distinguished witnesses in many different years who claimed to have seen the most inexplicable and paranormal phenomena in the presence of Eusapia Palladino. To read long accounts, you can read my posts here and here. On page 556 of a 1907 edition of The Annals of Psychical Science, we read this about scientific investigation of Eusapia Palladino:

"Naples. They have been perhaps more important than all that have preceded them, because conducted under even more severe scientific control. These seances took place in the laboratory of Professor Ph.  Bottazzi, Director of the Physiological Institute in the University of Naples. There were also present, Dr. G. Galeotti, Professor of General Pathology in the University of Naples; Dr. T. De Amicis, Professor of Dermatology and Syphilography at the same University, Dr. 0. Scarpa, Professor of Electro-Chemistry at the Polytechnic School in Naples; M. E. Jona, Senator, President of the Italian Electro. Technical Association; Dr. A. Cardarelli, Senator, Professor of Clinical Medicine in the University of Naples; M. N. Minutillo, Professor of Jurisprudence in the University. Mme. Bottazzi was also present at two seances, in the course of which mediumistic faculties revealed themselves in her-which disturbed her considerably. By the light of three lamps the table round which the experimenters were seated was seen to rise as high as nearly half a yard (4oc.) or to float in the air untouched, without any contact with Eusapia, for about twenty-five minutes; then apparitions of hands began, and of black heads, etc."

For a book length account of such phenomena, you can use the link here to read "Eusapia Palladino and Her Phenomena" by Hereward Carrington. Accounts of paranormal phenomena occurring around Eusapia Palladino sometimes appeared in mainstream newspapers. Using the links below, you can read a lengthy 1907 account of the investigations of Eusapia Palladino, which appeared in the mainstream Washington D.C. newspaper The Evening Star (a paper I once delivered to subscribers when I was a boy). The account says that several types of dramatic paranormal phenomena were witnessed by hundreds.

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1907-09-22/ed-1/seq-37/

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1907-09-22/ed-1/seq-38/

In 1910 there appeared the following newspaper account about one of the mediums discussed above:

I could have made a Part 19 for this "Spookiest Years" series by using material from my two posts below. But rather than repeating such material, I will merely refer the reader to such posts:

Early 20th Century Evidence for Paranormal Phenomena

More Early 20th Century Evidence for Paranormal Phenomena

Postscript: Below is another spooky account from the middle of this 1907-1909 time period:

You can read account at the link below:

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042242/1908-09-06/ed-1/seq-1/

Spookiest Years, Part 11: The Year 1873

In previous posts in this intermittently appearing "Spookiest Years" series on this blog (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here) I had looked at some very spooky events reported between 1848 and 1872. In this installment I will look at accounts of spooky events occurring during the year 1873.

In a letter to The Times of London in January of 1873,  quoted on pages 67 to 71 of the February 1873 magazine here, Alfred Russel Wallace (co-founder of the theory of evolution) stated the following about his investigation of paranormal phenomena:

"I began the investigation about eight years ago, and I esteem it a fortunate thing that at that time the more marvellous phenomena were far less common and less accessible than they are now, because I was led to experiment largely at my own house, and among friends whom I could trust, and was able to establish to my own satisfaction, by means of a great variety of tests, the occurrence of sounds and movements not traceable to any known or conceivable physical cause....Although I have heard a great many accusations of imposture, I have never detected it myself; and, although a large proportion of the more extraordinary phenomena are such, that, if impostures, they could only be performed by means of ingenious apparatus or machinery— none has ever been discovered. I consider it no exaggeration to say, that the main facts are now as well established and as easily verifiable as any of the more exceptionable phenomena of nature which are not yet reduced to law. They have a most important bearing on the interpretation of history, which is full of narratives of similar facts, and on the nature of life and intellect, on which physical science throws a very feeble and uncertain light; and it is my firm and deliberate belief that every branch of philosophy must suffer till they are honestly and seriously investigated, and dealt with as constituting an essential portion of the phenomena of human nature."

Around this time there were many claims of people having photos done in which unexplained figures seemed to appear, who the people being photographed said they recognized as some deceased person they had known.  Such cases were often cited as examples of "spirit photography." The average person should ignore all such reports unless they are first-hand testimony. The account below signed by a doctor and his secretary  appeared on page 292 in the July 4, 1873 edition of the publication Medium and Daybreak:

"While in London I visited the photograph rooms of F. A. Hudson 177 Palmer Terrace, Holloway Road, being a perfect stranger to that gentleman. I was accompanied by my secretary, Mr. T. R. Poulterer. We sat for pictures. The first spirit that came was Mr. Poulterer's mother ; the second, unknown ; the third, apparently only clouds: but  an account of which will be given hereafter, as a prophecy has been made in regard to this picture ; the fourth was distinctly recognised by both Mr. Poulterer and myself as the spirit of my former partner, E L. Hamilton, M.D. So distinct was the picture, that we recognised it from the negative. We would recommend Mr. Hudson to those investigating the spiritual philosophy." 

 J. Wm. Van Namee MD

 T. R. Poulterer, Sec."

The report above is hard-to-explain through any hypothesis of fraud, as the photographer apparently did not know the two men. Rodger I. Anderson's Psychics, Sensitives and Somnambules notes that Hudson "was never caught in any overt act of deception," although the authenticity of his photos was widely debated by those believing in other paranormal phenomena. A book on Hudson and his photos (one I have not read) is the one here. 

In the previous post in this series ("Spookiest Years: The Year 1872") I had quoted quite a few newspaper articles from 1872 that had documented the evolution of the phenomena at seances of Florence Cook. The phenomenon reported in 1872 would typically consist of something like this: (1) Florence Cook being tied up in a small wooden cabinet with a circular hole at its front, often with the knots being sealed; (2) the appearance of phantom faces at the cabinet hole, often a "Katie King" face looking different in several aspects from that of Florence; (3) the later opening of the cabinet door to reveal Florence in an entranced state, with the knots still undisturbed and the seals undisturbed.  The reports seemed to show a progression of the phenomenon, with witnesses reporting things such as hands of the mysterious Katie King phantom protruding from the cabinet hole. 

In the March 1, 1873 edition of The Spiritualist, page 119, we have an account by G. R. Tapp describing a seance of Florence Cook. Tapp reports the figure of Katie King coming out of the cabinet, and walking around and talking. He says, "The resemblance of her features to those of Miss Cook (which has so often formed the subject of discussion and comment) was not now perceptible."  This is one of the earliest reports of a full-body appearance of the Katie King phantom, one that would be repeated many times in the coming months by many other witnesses. A similar account appeared in the March 15, 1873 edition of the same publication, by a B. W. Pycock describing on page 134 in great detail a seance of March 3, 1873. On page 133 of the same edition we have a similar account by J. C. Luxmore describing the same seance of March 3, 1873. He states this:

"When Katie appeared in full length outside the cabinet, her feet and legs were bare, whereas, of course, Miss Cook had on boots and stockings. Again, that Katie was clothed in a long and rather full white robe, such as Miss Cook could not possibly have concealed about her person, especially as her figure happens to be very small. I carefully examined every portion of the cabinet, and nothing of the sort was in it."

In the same edition we have seven named witnesses (all giving their names and addresses) stating that they saw a full-sized phantom of Katie King during a seance with Florence Cook in which she was tied up in a small cabinet, with the knots sealed:

"This evening, March 12th, 1873, we, the undersigned, were present at a seance at Mr. Cook’s. In the first part of the sitting, the full form calling herself Katie came out of the cabinet, draped in white, while Miss Cook’s hands were securely bound together with tape and sealed....At the close of each sitting the tapes and seals on Miss Cook’s hands were intact, and were then cut off and taken away by two of the visitors." 

We have here testimony meeting very high standards of evidence. The account has been published on March 15, 1873, and describes events witnessed only three days earlier, on March 12. The account is dated on the same day the witnesses saw the events, meaning the report is of something just observed. In addition, there are seven named witnesses. The testimony typically given in today's scientific papers (typically passive voice accounts of observations made by one or more unspecified witnesses claiming to have seen something at an unspecified date) usually are inferior from the standpoint of meeting highest standards of witness testimony.  

In the April 1, 1873 edition of The Spiritualist, on page 152, we have this account:

"Spirit Forms—Last Sunday week, at a seance at Mr. Henry Cook's, at Hackney, Mrs. Bassett and Miss Cook were the mediums, and they sat in the cabinet for spirit forms. The observers present were Dr. J. E. Purdon, Sandown, Isle of Wight; Mr. Bassett, Thornham-Grove, Stratford; Mr. G. II. Tapp, Queen Margaret’s-grove, Mildmay-Park ; and Mr. and Mrs. Blyton, 74, Navarino-road, Dalston. Miss Cook's spirit guide 'Katie,' came out of the cabinet at full length, robed in white, in a good light. On giving her subdued light she was able to walk round the room, and to touch each sitter in turn. Mrs. Bassett told the company that Miss Cook had been entranced all the time, with her head lying on her (Mrs. Bassett’s) lap; that Katie appeared suddenly, and frequently, entered and left the cabinet; finally, she came in again, stood by Miss Cook, and slowly faded away." 

In the May 15, 1873 edition of The Spiritualist, page 200,  we have a long account of attempts to photograph the mysterious phantom Katie King. We have an assertion signed by five witnesses (Amelia Corner, Caroline Corner, J. C. Luxmore, G. R. Tapp and William H. Harrison) stating on May 7, 1873 that what they describe as "the spirit 'Katie King' " was successfully photographed, and they she walked around and talked at length. We are given an artwork and told that this is a copy of one of the photos taken. The artwork is below (the rather poor visual quality apparently being due to a photo being taken of the old newspaper):

A matching artwork (also identified as a copy of a photograph) appears at the front of Epes Sargent's 1876 book The Proof Palpable of Immortality, which has many pages dealing with the Florence Cook seances discussed above, and similar sessions of the next year.  The artwork is below:

 

The portrait above from the May 15, 1873 edition of The Spiritualist (along with a smaller woodcut in the same edition) seem to be the first images of Katie King to appear in print.  In the June 1, 1873 edition of The Spiritualist, page 217, we are told this:

"Last Wednesday evening, at a seance at Mr. Henry Cook’s, Haekney, four more positive photographs on glass were taken by the magnesium light, of the materialised spirit form of Katie King. One of the Daily Telegraph correspondents, the author of the Unorthodox London letters, bound the hands of Miss Cook (the medium) together with tape, sealed the knot between the wrists with wax, stamped by his signet ring, then he fastened her to the floor inside the cabinet with thc long end of the tape from the wrists, and brought the same end of the tape out of the cabinet, and tied it to a chair. The tapes and seals were perfect at the close of the seance.  The witnesses were also Dr. J. M. Gully, of Malvern ; Miss Katherine Poyntz (whose vocal abilities are so well known) ; the two Misses Withall, of Brixton ; Mr. II. Withall, Mr. G. 11, Tapp, and Mr. Harrison."

In the November 1, 1873 edition of The Spiritualist, page 381, we read more about recent seances with Florence Cook, involving the appearance of the mysterious phantom Katie King. 

"At a seance held October 7th, Mr. C. Blackburn and Miss Blackburn of Manchester, also Dr. Gully, were present. Miss Blackburn and another lady thoroughly searched Miss Cook (who requested that they should do so) in a bedroom, after which they accompanied her to the cabinet which had been thoroughly searched just previously. Her hands were then secured with tape, by which also she was fastened to the floor in the cabinet. All the knots were sealed, with signet rings. The spirit came out of the cabinet with bare feet, robed from head to foot in white, as usual, in a good light. She talked for about an hour as usual, entering and leaving the cabinet occasionally; once she walked about a yard from the cabinet, towards the centre of the room."

We then read this, indicating that very many named witnesses saw effects like those described above:

"Last Tuesday there was a seance at Mr. Luxmoore's house, 16, Gloucester-square, Hyde-park. Among the guests were Mr. and Mrs. Mankiewiez, Pembridge-gardens, Bayswater ; Mr. and Mrs. Cook, of Hackney ; Mr. H. M. Dunphy, Barrister-at-law, Essex-court, Temple ; M. Alexandre Aksakof, of St. Petersburgh ; Mrs. Whyte, 33, Richmond-road, Bayswater ; Mrs. Corner, Miss Corner, and Mr. T. Corner, of Connaught-square, Haekney ; Mr. Stanhope Templeman Speer, M.D., of Alexandra-road, St. John's-wood ; Mr. G. R. Tapp, 18, Queen Margaret's-grove, Mildmay-park ; Mr. J. M. Gully, M.D., Streatham ; and Mr. W. H. Harrison, Hernehill. The darkened back drawing-room was used as a cabinet, a curtain being suspended between the two rooms. Miss Cook was bound and sealed as usual, a seal belonging to Dr. Speer being used ; the medium was fastened to the floor, with sealed tape, just behind the curtain. The seance proceeded as usual, Katie in one instance turning round to show her back to the company...The tapes and seals were intact at the close of each seance, and the tapes were stretched before use. "

In the November 14, 1873 edition of The Spiritualist, page 396, William Oxley (in a statement dated November 4, 1873) describes a similar seance ("at the house of Mr. Cook") involving Florence Cook on October 31, 1873. We read this:

"Miss Cook, the medium, was securely fastened by tapes going round each wrist, and knots sealed with my signet; the tape round the waist ' ditto,' and brought through a strong staple in the floor of the cabinet, thence conveyed across a side table, so that any movement by the medium would have been instantly detected. A lamp was burning the whole evening, with the exception of once, when it was accidentally turned out by Mr. Tapp. The light was sufficient for all present to see each other and every thing that was in the room. That Miss Cook and Katie King are not the same person was evident to my mind from the following facts :—Katie appeared full three or four inches taller than Miss Cook ; the arms, hands, and feet, which were all bare, were also longer and stouter in proportion. Katie, I particularly noticed, had hair of a lightish brown tint, and which projected beyond the encircling head-dress quite straight, and half-way down the back, while Miss Cook's hair is very dark and arranged in long profuse curls and ringlets. As I saw Katie two minutes before Miss Cook came out of the trance state, and was liberated by cutting the tapes, the seals on which were intact, I am sure any lady will bear me out in the assertion that it would not be possible in so short a period to change the hair from straight to ringlets or long curls.  Katie came out of the cabinet into the midst of the circle at least six or seven times, and conversed with most of those who were present. On one occasion she went to the side-table, and taking up some paper in the presence of all, wrote two messages, one of which she presented to me, and which is now in my  possession; this was done in a good light and witnessed by all who were present.

On one occasion, while Katie was in the centre of the room, we heard a slight moan inside the cabinet, when immediately she returned, saying it was necessary to keep her medium asleep. Mr. Luxmoore put his hands and arms inside the cabinet and adjusted the medium, who had slightly fallen on one side of her chair ; this done I was summoned by Katie to leave my seat and go and examine the tapes. I did so, and felt the tapes inside the cabinet; these were all tight. I was astonished during this episode to find that Katie had vanished, for we could see inside the cabinet, while Mr. Luxmoore was adjusting the medium, but before I had time to resume my seat, Katie asked me if I had examined the tapes, and if I was satisfied. Of course my reply was in the affirmative." 

In the December 1873 edition of The Spiritual Magazine  on page 555 we have this account of a seance at the house of  J. C. Luxmoore, Esq., 16, Gloucester Square, Hyde Park, on November 18th, 1873:

"The fourteen ladies and gentleman who formed a horseshoe circle in front of the cabinet could see each other the whole evening. A low chair was placed in the cabinet, upon which Miss Cook, the medium, was seated, and Mr. Luxmoore invited Mr. B., of Manchester, and myself to witness the tying and securing of Miss Cook. Her hands were first tied together with a piece of tape, the ends of which were sewn and sealed with wax, and then the tape was passed round her  waist and tightly knotted and sewn and sealed again. The tape was then passed through a staple in the floor, leaving a slack of about a foot, and there knotted again, which restrained Miss Cook from standing up to her full height, and then the same piece of tape was brought into the room m which we were seated, nearly up to our feet, where it remained undisturbed to the last. In this way the most satisfactory proof was given that whoever the figure of Katey may be, it was not Miss Cook, who lay during the whole stance, as we had proved to us by the undisturbed line of tape, and by Mrs. Honywood being invited to enter the cabinet by the spirit the instant she, Katey disappeared; which Mrs. Honywood did, and there she saw Miss Florence Cook asleep, leaning over nearly to the floor,— the ties on her hands and waist sealed as they had been left at the commencement of the sitting, from which, as soon as she awoke, she was relieved by cutting them. Here we all saw within an instant or two, this young girl recovering from her trance, dressed in black, wearing stockings and spring boots, having just lost sight of Katey, the spirit, who was clothed in pure white garments, and whose feet were naked."

In accounts such as these we have quite a few characteristics of very good evidence. The accounts are extremely explicit, giving all relevant details. The accounts are firsthand accounts by named witnesses (giving their addresses also) in dated statements mentioning when the event was witnessed. In most cases we can see that the account was written on the same day as the witnessed events or only a few days after the witnessed events, and that the account was published in a newspaper or magazine within a few days after the account was written. Accounts such as these have much higher value as evidence than accounts of people recalling something they saw months or years ago.  The smaller the time interval between an account and when the event account occurred, the more reliable the evidence is.  People are often sentenced to long jail terms on the basis of much weaker evidence, such as someone recalling in a court something he saw months ago or years ago. Another strong aspect of good evidence here is that quite a few different witnesses on different dates and in different homes report seeing the same thing: (1) Florence Cook being tied up in a "cabinet" (usually a small wooden cabinet, but sometimes a sealed-off area of a  room), with seals placed on the knots; (2) the appearance of a mysterious Katie King phantom who comes out of the cabinet, having an appearance different from Florence; (3) the disappearance of this Katie King followed by an opening of the cabinet, with Florence still tied up in the sealed knots.  These three things are reported occurring in not just one home, but different homes. 

In the December 12, 1873 edition of The Spiritualist, we have a description of what happened at a December 9, 1873 seance involving Florence Cook.  We read this:

"This evening at Miss Cook’s seance, during the appearance of what purported to be the spirit ' Katie,' a man, named Volckman, rose up, grasped her round the waist with both arms, and tried to throw her down with his feet. Mr. Tapp and Mr. Comer seized the man who thus broke the conditions which we were all admitted on the understanding we would keep. 'Katie' instantly extricated herself from his clutches, and aided by Mr. Luxmoore, was in a moment back in the cabinet. After a delay of about five minutes, during which Katie gave earnest instructions to the sitters, the cabinet was opened and Miss Cook found in black dress, and boots, with the tape tightly round her waist as at the beginning of the seance, the knot sealed as at first with the signet-ring of the Earl of Caithness, and sewn underneath the seal with thread, as it had been sewn before the seance by Mr. Luxmoore."

In the next edition (December 26, 1873) William Volckman gives his account of the incident:

"In reply I have to state, that having for forty minutes carefully observed and scrutinised the face, features, gestures, size, style, and peculiarities of utterance of the so-called spirit, the conviction irresistibly forced itself upon me that no ghost, but the medium, Miss Florence Cook, herself, was before the circle. I perceived also an occasional tip-toeing by the young lady as if to alter her stature, and was much struck by the utter puerility of her remarks throughout the seance. I am confirmed in my conviction, as above stated, by the facts that the struggling ghost had to be forcibly extricated from my grasp, and afterwards to be 'aided' into her cabinet by a Justice of the Peace."

Although sometimes quoted by the very rare skeptics who discuss the case of Florence Cook, the incident provides nothing to discredit the Katie King phenomenon, other than one man's negative impression. If you read the long 1873 accounts of the Katie King appearances, partially quoted above and fully readable in many of the 1873 editions of The Spiritualist, you will not hear claims of Katie King being some immaterial translucent ghost who could not be grasped, but instead accounts of a mysteriously appearing solid form. For example, in the June 1, 1873 quote above, Katie King is referred to as a "materialized spirit form" not some immaterial ghost. In reports of later tests by a doctor and Sir William Crookes, we are told the same mysteriously appearing "Katie King" would have her pulse measured and her skin temperature felt. So some possible brief clutching of this Katie King by a skeptic does nothing to discredit the phenomenon. In the December 26, 1873 edition of The Spiritualist we are told by a witness that Volkman's clutching attempt was a matter of no more than about six seconds. Often the witnesses would report Katie King looking much like Florence Cook, and often the witnesses would report substantial differences in appearance. 

On page 534 of the December 1873 edition of The Spiritual Magazine we have this account of mysterious appearances during a seance occurring in October 1873. 

"Seance at 1, Morland Villas, Highbury Hill Park, October 23. Present: Professor Aksakoff, Mr. Serjeant Cox, Mr. Volkman, Mr. and Miss Shorter, Miss Ingram, Miss Houghton, Mrs. Fisher, and Mr. and Mrs. Guppy. We sat for about half-an-hour, the door locked, all hands joined, and light extinguished; during which several objects were thrown upon the table. On lighting the gas, these were found to consist of a stone, a knitting needle, a potato, a turnip, a carrot, a Spanish onion, thirteen dahlias, six apples, three pears, four walnuts, two almonds, twelve mussel-plums, a lemon, three gold fishes, a water-mussel, a lobster, two eels, and a knife and fork. The dahlias were wet with the rain which had just fallen ; the fishes were all alive; the gold fishes and the mussel were brought from an aquarium in an adjoining room ; the rest of the things were not in the house or grounds. A stone had been asked for by Miss Houghton, and the one brought was wet and soiled, as if picked up from the street. One of the eels was placed around the neck of Mrs. Guppy, and the other was drawn over the face of Mrs. Fisher, and the screaming which followed led to the gas being lit, and brought the seance to an end. Mr. Volkman had asked for a vegetable marrow, and after the seance, was over, and we had risen from our chairs, a large marrow fell at our feet in view of all present, and in full gaslight. Just before the seance began, at the suggestion of Mrs. Guppy, the room was carefully searched, so that it can be certified, from thorough examination of the room and its contents, that these things were not then in it."

The account has no named author, which subtracts a little from its value as evidence. The same edition lists a similar occurrence at a seance of October 28, 1873. On page 431 of the September 1873 edition of The Spiritual Magazine we have a similar account of dramatic mysterious appearances inside a seance room with locked window and doors, occurring on August 14, 1873, with the author (Margaret Fisher) reporting the appearance of " six cups and six saucers, six tea spoons, two knives, six tea plates, a jug of milk, loaf of bread uncut, basin with sugar, plate of butter garnished with parsley, a large twelve cup teapot with tea in it ready for infusion, two beautiful Madeira cakes, and a large dish containing several pounds weight of beautiful English hothouse grapes."   On page 453 of the October 1873 edition of the The Spiritual Magazine, we have an account by Margaret Fisher of a recent 1873 seance. The report claims that "after seeing to the perfect security of doors and windows, we sat down to the table, extinguished the lights, and...on the large table we found seven pounds weight of plums, and six pounds’ weight of fine grapes, and twelve pounds of pears, most tastefully garnished with leaves and flowers, and a dessert plate placed before each of our party." Margaret follows with a mention of the mysterious appearance of a horse, but the description is too vague to be worth quoting. 

In an 1873 publication we have this interesting claim by Benjamin Coleman:

"It will be recollected by those who have read my American Notes, that Miss Laura Edmonds, daughter of Judge Edmonds, told me that her spirit in natural form had more than once appeared to friends at a distance; and Miss Mapes, daughter of Professor Mapes, assured me that her friend, Miss Edmonds, had appeared to her, and delivered messages, though bodily they were living twenty miles apart."

Spookiest Years, Part 9: The Year 1871

In previous posts in this intermittently appearing "Spookiest Years" series on this blog (here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here), I had looked at some very spooky events reported between 1848 and 1869. In this installment I will look at accounts of spooky events occurring during the year 1871. 

In the February 1, 1871 edition of the short-lived Spiritual News, page 1, we have a report of a strange phenomenon at a seance occurring about a week earlier. We read that after "the door was locked" two large drawings were found on the table where the witnesses sat, with one of the witnesses (Helen Louisa Chevalier) saying the drawings came from her home three miles away. We then read this:

"A few seconds afterwards, something soft was felt falling  like snow, for about half a minute, perpendicularly downwards upon tile heads and bodies of the sitters at all parts of the room, and somebody exclaimed, ' Why, its feathers!' By this time the room had been in darkness about three minutes, and then a light was struck. The scene then revealed was wintry in the extreme. Everybody and everything between the four walls of the room was covered with white feathers ; the heads, shoulders, and knees of those present were thickly covered ; the table in the centre looked like a large, circular cake of snow, and the tresses of the ladies, as well as the trimmings of their garments, were clustered with little white feathers. These feathers had fallen perpendicularly at all parts of the room ; they fell vertically between the sitters, down on to the floor between the chairs....It may be stated, that the room has an ordinary plain whitewashed ceiling, everywhere visible."

We are given the full names of about 17 witnesses claiming to have seen such a wonder, and the addresses of many of them are given. 

In the June 15, 1871 edition of The Spiritualist, page 170, we have a report by numerous witnesses claiming to have seen a case of human teleportation.  Here is the original account, signed by a series of witnesses, along with the witnesses who attested to have seen this marvel on June 3, 1871:

" On Saturday evening, June 3rd, at 61, Lamb’s Conduit-street, High Holborn, London, W.C., a séance was held in the rooms of Messrs. Herne and Williams, mediums. Before the séance began, the doors communicating with the passage outside were locked. The proceedings began, at the request of the mediums, with prayer. Then spirit lights, like small stars, were seen moving about, after which a conversation between the spirits John King and Katie King, was heard. John said, 'Katie, you can’t do it.’ Katie replied, ‘ I will, I tell you I will.’ John said, ‘ I tell you you can’t.’ She answered, 'I will.’ Mr. Harrison then said, ‘ Can you bring Mrs. Guppy ? ’ There was no reply, but a member of the circle urged that the attempt should not be made. Within three minutes after Katie had said, ‘ I will,’ a single heavy sound was heard for an instant on the centre of the table. Mr. Edwards put out his hand and said, ‘ There is a dress here.’ A light was instantly struck, and Mrs. Guppy was found standing motionless on the centre of the table, trembling all over ; she had a pen and an account-book in her hands. Her right hand, with the pen in it, was over her eyes. She was spoken to by those present, but did not seem to hear ; the light was then placed in another room, and the door was closed for an instant ; John King then said, ‘ She’ll be all right presently.’ After the lapse of about four minutes after her arrival, she moved for the first time, and began to cry. The time of her arrival was ten minutes past eight. Mrs. Edmiston, Mr. Edwards, and Mr. Harrison went at once to one of the doors, and found it still locked; the other door could not be opened during the séance, because the back of the chair of one of the sitters was against it. There was no cupboard, article of furniture, or anything else in the rooms, in which it was possible for anybody to conceal themselves, and, if there had been, we, the undersigned witnesses, are all certain that by no natural means could Mrs. Guppy have placed herself instantaneously on the centre of a table round which we were all sitting shoulder to shoulder." 

"Mrs. Guppy said that the last thing she remembered before she found herself on the table, was that she was sitting at home at Highbury, talking to Miss Neyland, and entering some household accounts in her book. The ink in the pen was wet when she arrived in our midst ; the last word of the writing in the book was incomplete, and was wet and smeared. She complained that she was not dressed in visiting costume, and had no shoes on, as she had been sitting at the fire without them. As she stated this to Mr. Morris, and Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, a pair of slippers dropped on the floor from above, one of them grazing Mr. Morris’s head ; this was after the séance, and in the light. We all went into the dark room for a few minutes afterwards, and four flower-pots with flowers in them, which Mrs. Guppy declared to be from her home, were placed on the table at once. "

“After tea a second séance was held. Within a minute or two after the light was put out, there was a cry for a light, and Mr. Herne was seen by four persons falling from above, on to his chair. There were bundles of clothes belonging to Mr. Guppy, Mrs. Guppy, and Miss Neyland on the table, and Mr. Herne declared he had just seen Miss Neyland in Mrs. Guppy’s house ; that she had pushed the clothes into his arms, and told him to ' go to the devil.'  The light was again put out, and when it was struck once more, Mr. Williams was missing. He was found in the next room, lying in an insensible state on some clothes belonging to Mr. Guppy. He said on awaking that he had been to Mr. Guppy’s house, and saw Miss Neyland, who was sitting at a table, and seemed to he praying."

N. Haqger, 46, Moorgate-street.

Caroline Edmiston, Beckenham. 

C. E. Edwards, Kilburn-square, Kilburn. 

Henry Morris, Mount Trafford, Eccles, near Manchester.

 Elizabeth Guppy, 1, Morland Villas, Highbury Hill Park, N. 

 Ernest Edwards, Kilburn-square, Kilburn. 

Henry Clifford Smith, 38, Ennis-road, Stroudgreen. 

H. B. Husk, 26, Sandwich-street, 

W.C. Charles E. Williams, 61, Lamb’s Conduitstreet, W.C.

 E. Herne, Gl, Lamb’s Conduit-street, W.C. 

W. H. Harrison, Wilmin Villa, Chaucer - road, S.E.”

We have here an astonishing report of a seance in a dark room with locked doors. The witnesses claim that a woman living quite a distance away was inexplicably deposited on the round table that they surrounded. There is no way to explain this report by imagining some kind of trickery by one or two people.  The only halfway-credible hypothesis a skeptic might use to dismiss the report is to claim that the report is all a big lie, and that nothing of the sort happened.  Here the skeptic is forced into becoming a conspiracy theorist, imagining some conspiracy by witnesses who falsely claimed to have seen something they never saw.

In 1875 an article in the Quarterly Journal of Science would refer to the incident above, and mention other cases of reported teleportation of humans:

"As Newton is held to have proved that gravitation and inertia in every mass are proportional, we might expect that whatever overbears the former would be equally capable of neutralising the latter; and, in fact, the elder records hardly speak of visible suspensions like those of Mr. Home, but mainly of sudden unseen transfers of the person to a distance ; like that alleged of Dr. Monck last year, from his own residence at Bristol to the garden of his friend, Mr. Young, at Swindon ; or the earlier but better attested one of Mrs. Guppy, from her house at Holloway to a circle of her friends assembled at No. 61, Lamb’s Conduit Street; or, a few months ago, that of Mr. Henderson, a well-known photographer of London, for a smaller distance, but attested by eighteen persons besides himself—the nine assembled with him at Mr. Guppy’s, and the whole Stokes family, at Highbury, where he was unexpectedly found."

The source here on page 212 lists May 21, 1871 as the beginning of the mysterious materialization phenomenon involving Katie King and Florence Cook and May 21, 1874 as the end of the phenomenon. That phenomenon is one of history's most interesting and well-documented reports of the paranormal.  The earliest mention I can find of Florence Cook is the June 15, 1871 edition of The Spiritualist. We have a letter entitled "A New Medium" dated June 9, 1871. We hear of a fifteen-year-old medium referred to as Florrie, the daughter of a Mr. and Mrs. Cook. We hear only of spooky table movements and what sounds like some kind of levitation. The editor notes, "We have seen a very little of Miss Cook’s mediumship, and think that it will develop into something above the average."  That hunch turned out to be correct, with people later reporting around Florence Cook some of the most inexplicable phenomena ever recorded.  You will read about such phenomena in subsequent installments of this series. 

In the July 15, 1871 edition of The Spiritualist, there is a very astonishing account of levitation by the medium Daniel Dunglas Home, who  many people claimed to see levitating.  The account is by a Lord Lindsay. Here is some of what Lord Lindsay states:

"I was sitting with Mr. Home and Lord Adare, and a cousin of his. During the. sitting Mr. Home went into a trance, and in that state was carried out of the window in the room next to where we were, and was brought in at our window. The distance between the windows was about 7ft. 6in., and there was not the slightest foothold between them, nor was there more than a 12- inch projection to each window, which served as a ledge to put flowers on. We heard the window in the next room lifted up, and almost immediately after we saw Home floating in the air outside our window. The moon was shining full into the room ; my back was to the light, and I saw the shadow on the wall of the window-sill, and Home’s feet about six inches above it. He remained in this position for a few seconds, then raised the window and glided into the room, feet foremost, and sat down. Lord Adare then went into the next room to look at the window from which he had been carried. It was raised about eighteen inches, and he expressed his wonder how Mr. Home had been taken through so narrow an aperture. Home said (still in trance), 'I will show you;'  and then, with his back to the window, he leaned back, and was shot out of the aperture head first with the body rigid, and then returned quite quietly. The window is about seventy feet from the ground. I very much doubt whether any skilful tight-rope dancer would like to attempt a feat of this description, where the only means of crossing would be by a perilous leap, or being borne across in such a manner as I have described, placing the question of the light aside."

The October 15, 1871 edition of The Spiritualist announces the results of the long investigation of the Dialectical Society of London, which began two years earlier an investigation of the spooky phenomena reported around this time. We read this quote from the report of the Society (which can be read here in the full published report):

""Since their appointment on the 16th of February, 

1869, your Sub-committee have held forty meetings 

for the purpose of experiment and test. 

All of these meetings were held at the private 

residences of members of the Committee, purposely 

to preclude the possibility of pre-arranged mechanism 

or contrivance. 

The furniture of the room in which the experiments were conducted was on every occasion its  accustomed furniture. 

The tables were in all cases heavy dining tables, 

requiring a strong effort to move them. The small- 

est of them was 5ft. 9in. long by 4ft. wide, and the 

largest, 9ft. 3in. long and 4 ft. wide, and of propor- 

tionate weight. 

The rooms, tables, and furniture generally were 

repeatedly subjected to careful examination before, 

during, and after the experiments, to ascertain that 

no concealed machinery, instrument, or other con- 

trivance existed by means of which the sounds 

or movements hereinafter mentioned could be caused. 

The experiments were conducted in the light of 

gas, except on the few occasions specially noted in the 

minutes. ...Every test that the combined intelligence of your 

Committee could devise has been tried with patience 

and perseverance. The experiments were conducted 

under a great variety of conditions, and ingenuity 

has been exerted in devising plans by which your 

Committee might verify their observations and pre- 

clude the possibility of imposture or of delusion....

The result of their long-continued and carefully- 

conducted experiments, after trial by every detective 

test they could devise, has been to establish con- 

clusively : 

First: That under certain bodily or mental 

conditions of one or more of the persons present, a 

force is exhibited sufficient to set in motion heavy 

substances, without the employment of any muscular 

force, without contact or material connection of any 

kind between such substances and the body of any 

person present. 

Second: That this force can cause sounds to 

proceed, distinctly audible to all present, from solid 

substances not in contact with, nor having any 

visible or material connection with, the body of any 

person present, and which sounds are proved to pro- 

ceed from such substances by the vibrations which 

are distinctly felt when they are touched. 

Third : That this force is frequently directed by 

intelligence. 

At thirty-four out of the forty meetings of your 

Committee some of these phenomena occurred....

In all similar experiments the possibility of 

mechanical or other contrivance was further nega- . 

tived by the fact that the movements were in various 

directions, now to one side, then to the other ; now 

up the room, now down the room — motions that 

would have required the co-operation of many 

hands or feet ; and these, from the great size and 

weight of the tables, could not have been so used 

without the visible exercise of muscular force. 

Every hand and foot was plainly to be seen and 

could not have been moved without instant de- 

tection. 

Delusion was out of the question. The motions 

were in various directions, and were witnessed simul- 

taneously by all present. They were matters of 

measurement, and not of opinion or of fancy. 

And they occurred so often, under so many and 

such various conditions, with such safeguards against 

error or deception, and with such invariable results, 

as to satisfy the members of your Sub-committee by 

whom the experiments were tried, wholly sceptical as 

most of them were when they entered upon the in- 

vestigation, that there is a force capable of moving 

heavy bodies without material contact and which force 

is in some unknown manner dependent upon the pre- 

sence of human beings."

The same October 15, 1871 edition of The Spiritualist announces these results of the long investigation of the Dialectical Society of London (which can also be read on this page of the full report):

"These reports, hereto subjoined, substantially corroborate each other, and would appear to establish the following propositions : —

1. — That sounds of a very varied character, apparently proceeding from articles of furniture, the floor and walls of the room — the vibrations accompanying which sounds are often distinctly perceptible to the touch — occur, without being produced by muscular action or mechanical contrivance. 

2. — That movements of heavy bodies take place with- out mechanical contrivance of any kind or adequate exertion of muscular force by the persons present, and frequently without contact or connection with any person. 

3. — That these sounds and movements often occur at the times and in the manner asked for by persons present, and, by means of a simple code of signals, answer questions and spell out coherent communications .

4. — That the answers and communications thus obtained are, for the most part, of a common- place character ; but facts are sometimes correctly given which are only known to one of the persons present. 

5. — That the circumstances under which the phenomena occur are variable, the most prominent fact being, that the presence of certain persons seems necessary to their occurrence, and that of others generally adverse ; but this difference does not appear to depend upon any belief or disbelief concerning the phenomena. 

6. — That, nevertheless, the occurrence of the phenomena is not insured by the presence or absence of such persons respectively."

The same October 15, 1971 edition of The Spiritualist announces these results of the long investigation of the Dialectical Society of London (the same quote can be found here in the full report):

"1. Thirteen witnesses state that they have seen heavy bodies — in some instances men — rise slowly in the air and remain there for sometime without visible or tangible support. 

2. — Fourteen witnesses testify to having seen hands or figures, not appertaining to any human being, but life-like in appearance and mobility, which they have sometimes touched or even grasped,  and which they are therefore convinced were not the result of imposture or illusion.

3. — Five witnesses state that they have been touched, by some invisible agency, on various parts of the body, and often where requested, when the hands of all present were visible.

4. — Thirteen witnesses declare that they have heard musical pieces well played upon instruments not manipulated by any ascertainable agency.

5. — Five witnesses state that they have seen red-hot coals applied to the hands or heads of several - persons without producing pain or scorching ; and three witnesses state that they have had the same experiment made upon themselves with the like immunity.

6 — Eight witnesses state that they have received precise information through rappings, writings, and in other ways, the accuracy of which was unknown at the time to themselves or to any persons present, and which, on subsequent inquiry, was found to be correct.

7. — One witness declares that he has received a precise and detailed statement which, nevertheless, proved to be entirely erroneous.

8. — Three witnesses state that they have been present when drawings, both in pencil and colours, were produced in so short a time, and under such conditions, as to render human agency impossible.

9. — Six witnesses declare that they have received information of future events, and that in some cases the hour and minute of their occurrence have been accurately foretold, days and even

weeks before."

The full report (running to 400 pages) was published in book form in 1871, and can be read here.  Here is one of innumerable similar testimonies that can be found in the report:

"Mrs. Honywood, in answer to a request from the chair, stated that she had witnessed some remarkable phenomena at the residence of Dr. Gully, 'While sitting in a circle recently, the table rose, and the room vibrated to such a degree that an engineer who was present declared that nothing but the strongest machinery would have been sufficient to account for it. An accordion was played in the air, Mr. Home holding it by one strap, and not touching it in any other way. The room was fully lighted. Three or four persons, unknown to Mr. Home, mentally wished for particular tunes and they were played.' "

Here is another one of the testimonies given to the committee, by some distinguished person who apparently wanted to remain anonymous:

"The Hon. Mrs.  --- gave evidence in the following words : —

' The most remarkable manifestations I have seen, were those of last Sunday evening at my house. We were seated in a partially darkened room. We first heard raps and then saw a human figure at the window. It entered and several other figures came trooping in after it. One of them waived its hands. The atmosphere became fearfully cold. A figure which I recognised as that of a deceased relative, came behind my chair, leaned over me, and brushed my hair lightly with its hand. It seemed about eight feet high. Then approaching the Master of Lindsay it passed right through him, causing him to shiver with cold. But the most extraordinary thing of all was the laughter. One of us said something and all the spirits laughed with joy. The sound was indescribably strange, and it appeared to us as if it came from the ground. This was the first time we heard spirit voices.' "

The witness then tells us this occurred in the presence of "Mr. Home," apparently Daniel Dunglas Home. 

The Times of London is one of the world's oldest newspapers, having operated since the 18th century. In the December 26, 1872 edition of The Times (quoted on page 51 of the early 1873 source here), we had a perfect example of how mainstream sources engage in shameless lies when writing about the paranormal.  The paper claimed this about the 400-page report of The Dialectical Society of London:

"The Report filled altogether some 400 pages, and the sum total of 18 months’ investigation amounted to just this, that— 'Your Committee, taking into consideration the high character and great intelligence of many of the witnesses to the more extraordinary facts, the extent to which their testimony is supported by the reports of the sub-committees and the absence of any proof of imposture or delusion as regards a large portion of the phenomena; and, further, having regard to the exceptional character of the phenomena, the large number of persons in every grade of society and over the whole civilized world who are more or less influenced by a belief in their supernatural origin, and to the fact that no philosophical explanation of them has yet been arrived at, deem it incumbent upon them to state their conviction that the subject is worthy of more serious attention and careful investigation than it has hitherto received.' "

The claim of The Times that the "the sum total of 18 months’ investigation amounted to just this," merely that the phenomena were "worthy of more serious attention" was a brazen deceit by The Times writer, as it is obvious from the quotes above that conclusions far beyond that were made all over the place in the report, with the 400-page report documenting countless testimonies of people witnessing dramatic paranormal events, and the writers of the report concluding that various types of dramatic paranormal events were observational facts. Such malfeasance by mainstream newspapers continued for 150 years, with major papers called The Times (such as the New York Times) continuing to have appalling records of distortion and misrepresentation and censorship when reporting on the paranormal (as I document here).