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William S. Marriott's Gambols with the Ghosts NOTES ON A STRANGE WORLD MASSIMO POLIDORO William S. Marriott's Gambols with the Ghosts "s Spiritualism a fraud? Are the exponent of the theory of fraud in illusions was known as "Dr. Wilmar's spirit-rappings and the spirit- Spiritualism in this country." Spirit Paintings" and consisted in the . forms of the stance, the prophe- Information on him, however, is production of apparently paranormal "i; quite sparse and hard to find. For this paintings, duplicating the claimed psy- cies of the palmist and the clairvoyant, the visions of the trance mediums, gen- reason 1 would be very grateful to any chic phenomena of the Chicago medi- uine evidence of a spirit-world, or are reader who could provide additional ums the Bangs sisters (Nickell 2000). they mere catchpenny tricks, engineered details on his life. This, then, is some of According to writer Leslie A. Shepard, by charlatans to charm money from the what is known. author of Encyclopedia of Occultism and pockets of die credulous?" Parapsychology (1991), this illusion "so impressed a fellow magician P. T. Selbit These are the questions by which the that he agreed to pay Marriott a weekly editor of Pearson's Magazine introduced, royalty for the use of the illusion." in March 1910, a series of articles investi- However, Marriott himself was not gating Spiritualism, "in order that readers entirely straightforward in claiming of Pearson's Magazine may judge for them- rights on the illusion, since he had selves the pros and cons of this tremen- obtained the secret from David P. dously important subject. If Spiritualism Abbot, an amateur magician. When is genuine, it ought to be a vital factor in Selbit presented the illusion at the the lives of us all: if false, then it and its Orpheum Theatre in Omaha in 1911. high priests should be ruthlessly exposed Abbott saw the show and visited Selbit and believers in it disillusioned of a faith backstage, when he learned that Selbit that is altogether vain." had already paid Marriott sonic $10,000 On such a quest, the editor declared in royalties!" of having been "fortunate in securing the co-operation of Mr. William One of his first valuable scoops con- Marriott, who has made a life-long sisted in locating and publicizing a rare study of the occult." copy of Gambols With the Ghosts: Mind Some readers of this magazine may Reading, Spiritualistic Effects, Mental be familiar with the name of Marriott, and Psychical Phenomena and Horoscopy, however it is very likely that the major- William Marriott shows how to fake the a secret catalog of spiritualistic para- materialization of ghosts with props bought phernalia and tricks then circulating ity has never heard of him. This is quite from the Gambols with the Ghosts catalogue. unfortunate, since Marriott proved to be among mediums. The catalog was issued a very capable magician and skeptical Gambols with the Ghosts in 1901 by Ralph E. Sylvestre of investigator of psychic claims well William S. Marriott, a likeable fellow before Houdini turned to the same sub- with a pair of well-waxed moustaches, Massimo Polidoro is an investigator of the ject. The Spiritualist journal Light, the was a British professional magician who paranormal, author, lecturer, and co- then-official organ of the London performed under the pseudonym of founder and head of CICAP, the Italian Spiritualist Alliance, called him "the best "Dr. Wilmar." One of his best known skeptics group. SKEPTICAL INQUIRER March/Apni 2003 33 Chicago and was designed for private fered bereavement. It is on emotions as "King Draco." He gave a gracious circulation among mediums, on the and affections that ought to be sacred inclination of his head, moved his hands that the mediums trade, holding out understanding that it would be returned as if to bless, and retired into the cabinet. the hope of possible communication to Sylvestre when tricks had been with the departed friend or relative. I I will let Marriott continue the story: selected from it. believe that a great proportion of con- This should have closed the stance. The catalog had an introductory note versions to Spiritualism are traceable Tonight an unrehearsed effect was in which stated: "Our experience during to undue influence used at times like store for the believers. As the form these; and I am certain that this factor the past thirty years in supplying medi- entered the cabinet, he sat down on operates very largely to make the ums and others with the peculiar effects what he thought was the settee. It medium's profession as profitable as it happened to be my knees. I had in this line enable us to place before you often undoubtedly is; for, while (he quickly slipped into the curtained only those which are practical and of use, inclosure and was sitting, waiting for nothing that you have to experiment him to come back. As my arms went with. We wish you to thoroughly appre- around him he gave a yell followed by ciate that, while we do not, for obvious language which I will noc repeat. My friend had the light up in a moment. reasons, mention the names of our And there for the faithful was the edi- clients and their work (they being kept fying sight of the medium, clothed in in strict confidence, the same as a physi- flimsy white draperies, struggling in cian treats his patients), we can furnish the arms of myself! you with the explanation and, where Marriott then went on detailing how necessary, die material for the produc- the various effects seen at the seance had tion of any known public 'tests' or 'phe- been accomplished by trickery. On visit- nomena' not mentioned in this, our lat- ing the house the following day, the est list. You are aware that our effects are magician found that the birds had flown. being used by nearly all prominent The medium had vanished into thin air; mediums of the entire world." though, as Marriott later found, "they This notorious catalog (a copy of contrived to keep in touch with some of which is still preserved in the Harry the circle they had gathered round them, Price Library of Magical Literature at who still, strangest of all, maintained the University of London) included their faith in these incapable charlatans." equipment for slate-writing, self-playing However, as Marriott himself guitars, self-rapping tables, materializa- observed, true believers can't be shaken tions, and a "Complete Spiritualistic in their dearly held beliefs: "Only the Seance." Marriott obtained a number of other day," the magician observed, "I these illusions and had himself pho- was talking to a prominent Spiritualist, tographed posing with them. Gambols with the Ghosts: a secret fake catalogue for fake mediums. whose belief is absolutely fixed; and, in A Spirit on My Knees reply to all my arguments and demon- ordinary seance fee may be anything strations, he merely shook his head, In 1909 Marriott was approached by from half-a-crown to half-a-guinea, and, with a smile, observed: Ah, my Pearson's Magazine in order to conduct, cases have come under my notice of friend, you haven't seen what I have on behalf of the magazine, a series of mediums extorting considerable sums seen." He was wrong. Fortunately, I had investigations on mediums, clairvoy- by foisting alleged messages from the odier world on credulous people. In seen very much more than he had seen; ants, and healers the results of which cases of this sort, of course, the medi- and in that fact lies the whole explana- was afterwards published, in 1910, in ums are bringing themselves well tion of one man's belief and another four issues of the magazine. All of the within reach of the atm of the law, man's disbelief—one sees too little; one articles are wonderful exposes of several but the cases where evidence is too much." then (and still now!) popular fads. obtainable arc unfortunately few. In "The Realities of the Seance!," the He records some hilarious episodes. Embracing a Ghost first installment of the series, Marriott At one seance the medium took a posi- One of die things that most impressed takes aim at Spiritualistic seances and, tion inside a curtained enclosure, the so- Marriott during his investigation of psy- on die basis of his experiences, writes: called "spirit cabinet," and the gaslight chic maners was the fact that illustrious At many of the seances I was particu- was put out. After a while die curtain scientists were ready to stake their repu- larly struck by this feet. A very large parted and a stately form emerged from tation in favor of some badly observed proportion of die regular clientele of demonstration by a medium. But, he the mediums was invariably com- the cabinet. He was partially luminous, posed, as one could judge by the and carried a luminous globe in his hand advised, "scientists, however eminent, questions asked, and by their sombre which he held near the face to make it are emphatically not die people to inves- dress of people who had recendy suf- more visible. The sitters recognized him tigate these matters." Being a magician 3 4 March/April 2003 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER himself, he knew perfectly well that a accordingly did—well, as any gentleman sial Italian medium Eusapia Palladino: physicist is no match for a competent would do under the circumstances." "More has been written about her and trickster: "The scientist who sits where Exclamation marks, italics and all the her phenomena than about any other he is told to sit and looks where he is stereotyped forms of wonder would be medium.
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