UNINFLAMMABLE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16033, 26 January 1920, Page 8

UNINFLAMMABLE.

A WOMAN WHO CANNOT

CARRIES BLAZING LOGS.;

Had Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth or one of the pious monarchs of Spain who vied with each other in the kindly art of burning the devil out of heretics at the stake, come across Mrs Annie Hunter, of Bournemouth, England, they would have been a bit puzzled as to know what to do. She is a medium whose controlling spirits are said to be able to interpose an invisible nonconducting medium between substances and the naked hand.

The natural assumption is that the trick—if trick it be—is due to some protective heat-repelling solution spread on the hands. The argument against this is that if any such substance were known it would have an enormous market value as a heat-retaining agent for coating steam pipes. Besides, any thick layer of substance would be detectable.

Mrs Hunter claims to possess this power of handling fire without injury when she is under spirit -control. She gave a small seance before a society interested in psychic matters, and a Daily Express representative was invited to be present.

NO HYMNS, NO HUMBUG

The sitting was entirely different! from the usual spiritualistic seance. There were no hymns, there was no darkness, and every possible precaution against fraud and trickery was encouraged. The people present wanted the truth. The Daily Express representative was taken to the cellar to select his own log, and chose a piece of dry deal, part of a builder’s scantling. It was about three inches square and ten inches long.

He was then introduced to Mrs Annie Hunter, the medium, a kindly, middle-aged woman, dressed in an ordinary dress of redish material. She has dark sunken eyes, and does not strike a casual observer as being anything more than a normal individual.. Her hands are soft and yielding, yet she is able to carry flaming logs on them. The room was a bare studio, with a plain linoleum-covered floor with a dozen wooden chairs. A bright coke-fire burned in the fire place. The log was put on and was soon blazing. It was not touched until red hot and thoroughly charred on all sides. In order to destroy any suggestion of prepared hands, the medium washed them thoroughly with soap and water. The sitters, a group of ten people, then took their seats, and Mrs Hunter passed rapidly into the controlled state. Her control is stated to be the spirit of a Parsee who died hundreds of years ago, and when entranced she speaks no English.

A GLOWING LOG FROM THE FIRE.

In a minute or two she began to speak and words that sounded like “Hoot-al-a-massa. Norusi, a-leck-a-la-massa,” occurred frequently. She was violent, expostulates, shaken and excited. The words poured out in a quick unbroken stream. She stood up and waved her hands and gesticulated. Then she pounced on the glowing log flaming among the coals, and kept juggling it from hand to hand. The log was aflame and showered bits of burning charcoal, sparks and ashes about the floor. She did this twice, putting the log hack into the fire to flame again.

The Parsee language stopped, and an English spirit control, a “healer,” translated the words. “He is doing this in order that you may know that there is a connection between the pure spirit of Fire and the Great Spirit,” was the gist of his communication. Then came the Parsee again, and Mrs Hunter seized the log and held it down on the head of the Daily Express representative. Bits of burning charcoal and ash fell off; and, despite the psychic theory that the log is wrapped in a flame-proof psychic envelope, his hair singed nicely. s ,

THE PRESSMAN BURNED

Again the log was put back in the fire. It was then carried by the medium and laid on the open palm of another woman. It was not there long, but quite long enough to have burned it under normal conditions. She felt no pain.

After an interval a trial was made with another log. The medium held the new blazing log on the head of a colonel for approximately two seconds. It did not affect him or his hair.

Later the Daily Express representative attempted to pick the log off the fire. It was impossbile to hold it for even a fractional part of a second; yet Mrs Hunter was able to carry it round the whole circle in her hands. The performance is perplexing. There was no cabinet, no darkness, none of the usual dubious appanages of spiritualism . It all took place within a twelve foot circle in full light. Whether it is due to spirit powers, as Mrs Hunter believes, or whether it .is a natural phenomenon and she is not sensitive to red-hot logs and is not burned by fire, is a moot question. Certainly she does things that are not normal. It was an astonishing exhibition. Her powers are said to be developing gradually, and she hopes to be able to carry red-hot coals with equal facility soon.