FROM THE SPIRIT WORLD

Hokitika Guardian, 14 July 1930, Page 7

FROM THE SPIRIT WORLD

POSSIBLE MESSAGES

CASE OF SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.

CHRISTCHURCH, July 11

“There is no reason why Sir Arthur Conan Doyle might not use a spiritualistic medium in Christchurch in order to transmit his messages from the spirit World.” This statement was made yesterday by Mr Peter Trolove, who has been investigating spiritualism for thirty years. A telegram from Napier, containing a message said to have been received there from Sir Arthur after his death, was shown to Mr Trolove, who said that there was no reason to doubt the message. Mrs V. May Cottrell, a clai.raudient writing medium, has been known to Mr Trolove for the past two years and is of high repute among spiritualists. Mr Trolove is very interested in the announcement that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle lias arranged with his wife a secret! code word which was to he used to test the authenticity of messages received from the other side. There was a parallel case, he said, which was one of the best instances in the recent history of spiritualism. It concerned the late Harry Houdini a man 'who had been a strong opponent of the phenomena of spiritualism.

Houdini was one of a committee of five which was set up by the “Scientific American” to “knock the bottom out” of the mediumship of Marjory, a celebrated medium, ancl the wife of a doctor in Boston. “Houdini found that the facts were going against.him,” said Mr Trolove, “and lie tried to resort to trickery to upset a delicate piece of apparatus which was used in connection with the test. He was detected in what was really a feat of conjuring when he tried to introduce a piece of steel, and he had to retire from the seance, having been actually convicted of trying the trick on and failing. HOUDINI’,S CODE. “Houdini died and found himself in the Spirit World, and he found himself buckimg against a brick wall,” added M.r Trolove. “He found he had anticipated that there might be something in this spiritualist business after all, so he arranged, the same as Sir Conan Doyle has done, a secrei code-word.” Mediums in all parts' of the world communicated with Mrs Houdiili, but none satisfied her until she heard from oiie named Ford, who was the leader of a spiritualist eliurch in New York.

However, tho code word could nest be obtained immediately, but an opening had to be made by clearing up a little difficulty Houdini had had in connection with his mother’s transition. Houdini’s mother had been trying for years to communicate with her son, arid this avenue bad to be opened out before Houdini was able to travel along it. The time came when conditions were favourable, and after several attempts, Houdini got his code word though and Mrs Houdini wacnow perfectly satisfied that he was a living entity on the other side.

The cases of Houdini and Conan Doyle were analogous, added Mr Tn» love, but Sir Arthur had gone over with a staunch belief in spiritualism while as for Houdini, it was hard to say a ; s to how much he was a sceptic and how much he knew. “NOTHING? TO RIDICULE.” Speaking of Mrs Cottrell, Mr Trolove said that she was an inspirational writer of high character. The message from Napier seemed like what Sir Arthur would' try to get through. There was nothing in it to give rise to ridicule, but there was nothing that seemed to be like a code word. “However as he has apparently found a way, I don’t expect that it will be very long before Lady Doyle gets the word that she is looking for,” he added. Mr Trolove quoted the case of Lord Northcliffe, who took two years te get his message through and then had to use an almost unknown publisher to do so. There was no telling who would receive a message front Conan Doyle and Lady Doyle might get it from any part of the world. “Christchurch will be well impressed on the mind of Sir Conan Doyle,” he said “because the only time that he entered in a newspaper controversy during the whole of his tour of Australia and New Zealand was here. 1 had kept him in touch with Christchurch regularly by letter and he won’t forget me. Lady Conan Doyle will be getting one of my letters in about a fortnight.” Mr Trolove added that on account of this, it was quite possible that a message might come through a Christchurch medium. As for himself, Mr Trolove makes no pretence at mediumship. He states that be has been interested in the subject for thirty years, but he has never himself received a message. That does not cause him to.doubt the claims of mediums or the beliefs of spiritualists and he takes a leading nart in the activities of the Christchurch group.