WILL TO BE CONTESTED

Evening Star, Issue 21934, 22 January 1935, Page 9

WILL TO BE CONTESTED

FORTUNE LEFT TO SPIRITUALISTS LADY CAILLARD'S ESTATE Press Association —By Telegraph Copyright. LONDON, January 20., Tiic relatives of Lady Caillard are contemplating taking action to prevent probate of her will leaving her fortune to tbe Society of Progressive Souls Ltd. Sir Vincent Caillard died in 1930, after which the widow became interested in Spiritualism and founded the Society of Progressive Souls, of which Viscount Molesworth is president. The society published a book allegedly written by Sir Vincent’s spirit. She believed that immediately the book was finished in August, 1934, she would die, and she asked Mr Arthur Ford, a highly reputed United States Spiritualist, to come to England and speak at her funeral. Mr Ford came and waited until November, the widow surprising herself by surviving. She told Mr Ford that she had received messages from Sir Vincent, whose book purported to be written on a “ communigraph,” resembling a glorified ouija board. The widow, under her husband’s alleged spirit instructions, told Mr Ford that she was deeding her town house, The Belfry, to the Progressive Souls for carrying on spiritualistic activities.

Mr Ford declares that he visited five Belfry seances. “My investigations did not satisfy me that the communigraph was dictated from the spirit world or that the voices heard were spirit voices.”

Mr Maurice Barbancll, editor of the ‘Psychic News,’ says: “Mr Ford is one of the world/S leading mediums, but I attended the Belfry seances and have no reason to doubt the genuineness of the manifestations.” Commander Guy Maund, son of Lady Caillard by her first husband, told the ‘ Daily Mail ’: “I am taking legal action because I have reliable information about strange doings at these seances. Once a communigraph was smeared with lipstick, after which the fingers of a person sitting near the communigraph were found to be smeared with red. Spirits attending these seances were supposed to bring a sweet aroma from the other world, but one sitting friend of mine grabbed in the darkness in the direction from which he hoard a sound and seized a scent spray, which he still possesses.”

Before her death on January 16 Lady Caillard arranged a seance for January 18. The listeners included Viscount and Viscountess Molesworth, Mr Barbanell, and the Red Indian chief, Oske-non-ton. Mr Barbanell declares that Lady Caillard addressed everybody by their Christian names. Her voice was weak but easily recognisable. When the lights were turned on a spirit hand had left behind a red tulip, the symbol of love from the other world. CREMATION CEREMONY PHOTOGRAPHED LONDON, January 21. (Received January 22, at 12.30 p.m.) Lady Caillard was cremated in accordance with the rites she drew up, indicating a joyful departure. Mr Barbanoll conducted the service. Viscount Molesworth, in an address, said: “It is not her death, but her birth.” Oske-non-ton sang ‘ Rock of Ages ’ and ‘ There is No Death.’ The ceremony was photographed in order to ascertain whether spirits were present.