An Amazing Séance and an Exposure

'I ~ 1 'ANAN AMAZING SEANCE AND 'ANAN EXPOSURE BYE Y 1 SYDNEY A. MOSELEY AUTHORTHOR OF "THETHE FLEET FRONfPROJ! WITHIN,"\lTlIlN, " THE TRUTH ABOL'TAYDLT THRHr: DARDANELLES,DARDANELLEs=,"" "WITH KITCHKNERKITCHENER IN CAIRO," ETC.nic. IV1`l/5JFith an Introdz/cziozzIntroduction In)by SzrSir Arthur/1fI}"Il7 Conan DovhDov/e % I Q 7/V QILQZ3 SLM&eSLMaC' M1>CCX.CIVPIDCCXCIV LONDON AND EDINBURGH: ' SAMP§OSAMPSON N LOW,LOV, MARSTON & CO. LTD IQIQ1919 r 'i"llK 'I'lKiMAS Hk( GIFT T%'F!f>3fBF/e.3/ /< -J /' ,"£Uuc.` _ ', PSYCH. 1/ IIBfiARY[BERRY ^0Go M. K. A. WHOVVHD FORETOLD THIS BOOK AND OTHERS 955 955 CONTENTS PAor|'GE IntroductionINTRODUCTION BYby SIRSir ARTIIURArthur ConanCONAN DQYLEDoytt . IX XIII IUTIIOR,SAuthor's ForewordFOREVORD ..... XIII SOUTHSouth "/ALESWales FermentFERAIENT _, I919 AnAN IMPROMPTUImpromptu SeanceSIfANCE . 28 THEThe ThomasTIIoMA§ FAMILYFamily 34 ANAn AMAZINGAmazing SeanceSEANCE . 41 THEThe ControvertedCONTROVERTED SeanceSEANCE _ 48 THEThe SHOEShoe LANELane StanceS}fANC1§ 5131 60 VaryingVARYING ViewsVIEWS _ _ . WhiteV}IlTE EagleEAGLE INin RECENTRegent StreetSTREET . 7711 »31-81 INIn GhostlandGHOSTLAND . '. TheTIIE WOMANWoman inIN WhiteV}IITE 88SS TheTIIE DangerDANGER ofOF SeancesSIEANCES 90 SixSIX SIéANcEs--Seances— I. TheTHE CardiffCARDIFF SEANCESeance ..... 92Q2 II. ACCOUNTAccount ofOF SeanceSEZANCE ATat PontllanfraitiiPGNTLLANERAITIEI 93 III. SEANCESeance HELDheld ATat PontypriddPONTYPRIDD FebruaryFEBRUARY 6th,6TH, 1919 ......... Q494 IV. SEANCESeance heldHELD atAT PenkhiwceibePE:~1I<I1IvcEIBE MarciMARCH QTH,9TH, 1919 ......... 96 V. RECORDRecord OFof SecondSECOND CardiffCARDIFF SeancS}§ANCE 97 VI. S]`§ANCESl^ANCE AT HeDLGERRIGHEDLGERRIG FEBRUARYFeBRUAR^ 17TH,I7TH, 1919 ..... 99 THEThe MIEDIUMMedium inIN THEthe MaskRIASK . lOIIOI viii CONTENTS non AN AMAZING SEQUEL I I 2 "WmTEY" 1 . _ 126 A RECORD or FORTY SEQANCES ISI THE MYSTERIOUS MRS. B. 148 SIR IAN HAMILTON'S ADVENTURE 164. CONCLUSION . _ _ . 166 Q INTRODUCTION By SIRSir ArthurARTHUR ConanCONAN DoyleDOYLIZ MR.Mr. SYDNEYSydney MoseleyIVIOSELEY is the latest example of a gentle- man who has approached the subject of spirit survival and spirit communion with an open mind, and has been convinced by the evidence. His researches have not extended over a long period of time, but he has had exceptional opportunities of seeing and recording some outstanding cases which must make a deep impression upon any mind capable of reason. He has asked me to write an introduction to his little book, which I do the more willingly because I have myself had some experience of three of the leading examples of mediumship to which he refers. The first case is that of the Thomas brothers, the two Welsh miners, whose powers I witnessed at Cardiff. A considerable controversy arose in the London Press as a result of this sitting, a controversy which was deplored by many spirituaUstsspiritualists as drawing public attention too much to the cruder and more material phenomena. I sympathisesympathise with this feeling upon the part of those to whom psychic religion is a very sacred thing, but at the same time I believe that we are dealing with a thorouglilythoroughly material generation, with limited and self- satisiiedsatisfied religious and scientific lines of thought, which can only be broken up and finally rearranged by the shock of encountering physical phenomena which are outside their philosophies. This whole campaign is, in my belief, engineered from the other side, and one can continually catch glimpses of wisdom and purpose beyond that of the world. The levitation of a tarn-tam~ lu X INTRODUCTION _ g bourine or the moving of furniture may seemseemfhumblehumble and even ludicrous phenomena, but the more thoughtful mind understands that the nature of the object is immaterial, and that the real question has to do with the force which moves it. It has been suggested to the brothers Thomas that a tambourinetambourine-which—which is used because its position can be heard in the dark-seemsdark—seems incongruous in connection with the religious atmosphere which should pervade a seance,séance, and that some more solemn symbol, touched with luminous paint, would be more in keeping with hymns and prayer. It is probable, therefore, that the cheap jests about tambourines have had their day. TheTlie spiritual world is complex and enormous, com- prising an infinite number of beings of every grade, ranging from the sprite to the archangel. It is my experience that in approacliingapproaching this new world there is some psychic law by which one finds what one seeks. If one's object is curiosity or wonder-mongering, one can indulge itit;; if it is to obtain touch with vanished friends, one can get it;it ; if it is to attain high spiritual teaching, that also is within our powers. I have had no personal experience of it, but I have no doubt that there is such a thing as black magic, and that wicked men could find their like upon the other side, and make some cabal of roguery, with the limitation that the forces of light are always stronger in the end. I have myself had a very wide experience of messages, and I canC311 truly say that in more than thirty years I have never seen one which was in any way offensive,ofiensive, while I have had very many which were in the highest degree edifying and stimu- lating. So much for the diabolic theorytheory!! Christ's common-sense test still holds good. Humble as they are, the physical phenomena play an important rélerole in this movement. PladHad the little house at Hydesville sent forth nothing but the highest and most inspiring literature, it would have made little impression upon the nineteentlncenturynineteenth-century mindmind-the—the INTRODUCTION xi most material and formal mind of which we have any record. It was the phenomena and the evidence of disembodied intelligence which lay behind them which arrested the attention of the world and convinced those who are capable of recognising evidence. So also during the seventy years which have elapsed the physical phenomena have been the firstHrst (and sometimes, alas, the last) stage of a conversion from materialismmateriahsm or scientific incredulity.increduHty. If the late Sir William CrookesCroolres had not been struck by these phenomena, his great name would never have been added to the roll of pioneers, and so of many other illustrious champions of truth, some of whom seem to have remained in the phenomena stage, while others understood that these things had no more relation to the real revelation than Christ's miracles had to His teachings, and cheap jests about tables or tambourines are as relevant as jokes about loaves and fishesFishes would be. What that fuller revelation is cannot be set down in the compass of a preface, but is to be discovered by those who take trouble. None other is worthy. worthy. V It is the mediumship of Thomas which has caused me to make these remarks, but Mr. Moseley deals with aci higher phase of the subject when he speaks of the work of Mrs. B. He describes the e\ddenceevidence which I was able to put before him and a number of representatives of the London>Press,London Press, and, if I may judge by the comments, that evidence was as completely convincing to them as to me. Thus, after the long and warm controversy which has raged in the papers, I am left, as it seems to \}hich raged papers,I left, me, in possession of the field. I was able when the London journalists called upon me to show that twenty-four results out of twenty-six of which I had record through the mediumship of this psychic had proved reliable. Since then I have received more than ten which endorse this Hnding.finding. In at least one one of them the names of nearly every dead member of the family were given. Some attempt has been made ' xii INTRODUCTION to counter these results by sending down journalists test the medium's powers. Even these have not be entirely unsuccessful, as the account of Mr. Ulyss RogcRog( in the Evening Standard will show, but editors mimt realise once for all that the Powers in question cecs nothing for the penny papers, that they obey fixed lala' which are those of harmony and sympathy, and that t best way to investigate a question is not a method whi breaks fundamental laws at the outset. It is not t smart young journalists in search of a sensatior exposure, but it is the broken-hearted mothers yearni for their children, who bear with them the conditions success. I will say no more, lest the Preface should encroa upon the book, but I can only assure the reader, if needs assurance, that Mr. Sydney Moseley is an hon~horn and very sane observer, and that his conclusions deserdesei the most careful attention. ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE. ~ rl .K I AUTHORSAUTHOR'S FOREWORD MyMY whole object in this book is to present a straight- forward record of an independent investigation into the claims of spiritualism.spiritualismf" When the Sunday Express asked me if I would go to South Wales in order to inquire into the spiritualistic revival, I jumped at the olfer.offer. IwasI was at Liverpool at the time for the Daily Express,ExpresSy and I was, as a matter of fact, thinking that the moment was oppor- tune for an impartial investigation into this enthralling subject when the 'phone rang. It was the editor speak- ing from London. Would I go to South Wales ? I " " replied, Rather !I replied, ^ Now it seemed to me a coincidence that the editor should'should have been tliinkingthinking of the same subject as I had been, although I was well aware that a tremendous interest had been lying dormant through want of a suitable outlet. It was strange indeed that the greatest subjectinsubject in the world-lifeworld—life after deathdeath-should—should have been shelved all these years, while such passing topics as most political questions are, should move the country as if they really mattered more !I The solution of spiritualism had in the past been attempted first by scientists, whose technical language had been beyond the masses by religious leaders, whose had been beyond the ; by religious leaders, whose cult olteredoffered a suspicion of emotionalism to the dis- believing and by impostors, whose helped believing;; and by impostors, whose unmnskingunmasking helped to render doubt into chaos.

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