“PSYCHIC PICTURES.”

Gisborne Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5666, 21 December 1920, Page 3

“PSYCHIC PICTURES.”

GENUINENESS ASSERTED.

REMARKABLE CLAIMS OF SIR A

CONAN DOYLE

MYSTERY PHOTOGRAPHS

Says the New Zealand Times- — The Town Hall was filled to over? flowing last evening- when Sir Arthur Conan Doylo gave an address on "Pictures of Phychic Phenomena,” illustrated with some forty remarkable photographic lantern slidee. The lecturer quoted reasons why the photos should be accepted as genuine, although only a few were taken in his own presence. The audience listened to the address with rapt attention, and there were occasional outbursts of axiplauso.

TALK ON MEDIUMS. Sir Arthur prefaced his lecture by relating instances reported to him of the features of dejjaried loved ones appearing on the faces of the dying at the moment of death, lie replied to the query raised, by some people as to why they have to go to a strange person (a medium) to .communicate with tne beloved dead. Sir Arthur explained .that all were receiving influences fronY the dead, but there were people who had more "animal magnetism” than others, and wex-e therefore more susceptible to receiving spirit messages, These mediums threw out a vapour or emanation that could consolidate into thick vapour and condense- to a hardness of steel. A small portion of this substance when it was in a viscid, cold, and dough-like condition, had been cut off and submitted to analytical chemists, who had testified to ‘it containing all the constituents of the human body. This vapour surrounded tlie medium, and was apparently used for lifting tables according to a photo. 1 slide thrown on the screen. It would be dangerous to the health of a medium to cut off >a large amount of this emanation. Mediums w-ere divided into two classes, namely, internal trance-talkers, and tfrriters; and external ’. — those exhibiting more, striking phenomena such a? animal magnetism, by which they -throw out the vapour or, as it was Tcuown among spiritualists, psychoplnsm. PSYCHIC PHENOMENA.

Psychic photography was represented by two different processes. There was the materialised but not visible to the eye, the photo-plate being sensitive to certain lights not perceivable to the eye, and materialism.

THE WISE OLD SPIRIT. Apparently there was some w-ise old spirit, said Sir Arthur, who controlled the others in their attempts to communicate with us. The old spirit seemed to have certain methods ahead of us. He probably looked hard at ail object, and throw his impression on to it, penetrating even through wood. The lecturer mentioned instances where photographic plates were bought in a distant city and taken to Crewe, where a medium named Hope, a carpenter, had impressed a miniature photograph of Sir Arthur’s dead sister on the plate, which was still in the carrier, and not inserted in a camera. This modern miracle, Sir Arthur stated, had been accomplished in his own presence, without the aid of light. But his own experience was cue of many others which he cited.

MODERN PICTURES. On some ol' the psychic photos were liny six)is, which Sir Arutirr said resembled some, photos that had been taken by wireless. The lecturer, however, dul not infer, of course, that there was any possibility of wireless telegraphy having been used for spirit photography. The lirai slide depicted a group of spiritualists, including Dr. Abraham Wallace. Bom u one in the group had suggested tn» taking of a ysycnoplasmio photo. This was duty effected, and the next..slide displayed me group wun a spirit pore run, of the deceased father of one of tlior-e present, wmcii resembled a double print, or double exposure. Tils following slide was that of a young lady medium in Belfast, producing psyohoplasin. The medium was shown seated at a small table facing the audience, und underneath the taolu is a pinnacle ol white substance reaching- nx>m the floor to the centre ol tne table, sir Artnur staled that this medium 10-m-S between 20 and Jolb in weight during a seance, but recovers it immediately it is concluded. The many slides exhibited were similar m type. There was almost, invariably the picture of the living investigator with a- nazv lace, hand or form showing in pioxmnty, which was that of a dead relative or acquaintance. Though much of the evidence quoted by Sir Arthur was of a hearsay character, he expressed his complete confidence m tne integrity or those pho witnessed the taking of the spirit photograph*. “EARTH GHOSTS.”

One of the most astonishing claims put forward by Sir Arthur was that there are undoiibtedly "earth ghosts.” These were, the spirits of the dead who hud not necessarily been evil people, but owing to their devotion to the earth were unable to take themselves away from it. He then had a- slide shown -of one of these ’’.earth ghosts,’ which he accepted as genuine without hesitation. It was a GO-seeond-expos-vre photograph of an indoor corridor of uii inn, taken by a lady. A phantom white-ejad figure of a woman was faintly visible as though it had moved along the corridor while the plate was exposccl. To the layman it boi-e a striking resemblance to an accidental triple-exposure of the plate.