Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-22
Caught Her in Trickery

TT has already been said that there exists
some difference of opinion as to the part
played by fraud in the case of Eusapia This
will best be explained by brief account of
her experiences with the English Society for
Psychical Research, during which it is claimed
that the late DR.. Richard Hodgson exposed
her mediumship as fraudulent.
In 1894 Dr. Charles Richet held an impor-
tant series of seances with Eusap1a under
peculiarly favorable conditions at his summer
home on small island owned by him in the
Mediterranean At his invitation DR.. Ochoro-
wicz, Sir Oliver Lodge, and the late Mr..
Myers attended these sittings, at which all
present declared themselves convinced OF the
genuineness of the phenomena observed. DR..
Hodgson sharply criticized the published re-
port of these experiments, claiming that the
results had been fraudulently obtained and
during the controversy which followed arrange
ments were made for a series of s1ttlngs to be
held at Cambridge, England, in 1895, under
the supervision of members of the English
society. DR.. Hodgson reached England after
these seances had begun, and at the first sit
ting after his arrival detected Eusapa with
one of her hands released. She had 1ngen1Ously
manipulated so that one controller was hold
ing the hand of the control on her other side
in place of her hand which he had originally
secured. Upon this exposure the Cambridge
Investigators among whom was Mr. Myers,
unanimously adopted the conclusion that
nothing but trickery had been at work in these
experiments and, following its usual rule, the
English society refused to make any further
investigation of medium in whom fraud had
been discovered.
The Continental investigators, however,
were firmly convinced that Eusapia did not
always practise fraud. They continued their
researches with increased watchfulneSs, and
obtained new results which they believed
could not be accounted for by such trickery
as had been discovered by DR.. Hodgson. So
strong indeed was this new evidence that both
Mr. Myers and Sir Oliver Lodge retracted their
denals and while admitting that fraud might
account for all the phenomena observed at
Cambridge, declared themselves more than
ever convinced that genuine supernormal
forces were manifested by Eusapia The
strength of their position may even be apparent
to the reader, who will doubtless observe that
in most of the phenomena described in this
article it would seem impossible for the re-
lease of one even both of the mediums
hands to produce the results shown.
So inessential to the accomplishment of her
manifestations do Eusapia S tricks appear that
scientists have felt the need of specializing
upon their real motive. One theory advanced
is that, with short sighted cunning, she is not
averse to the use of trickery to spare herself
the nervous exhaustion incident to genuine
performance. DR.. Ochorowicz, indeed, does
not believe that her frequent attempts to re-
lease one hand is due to Intentional fraud. He
thinks it is often done in order that she may
press it upon her head, which seems to be in
pain during the manifestation. And since, in
accordance with psychological laws, our hand
proceeds automatically in the direction of our
thoughts, it would be quite natural for the
medium, by autosuggestion, to move her hand
toward the normal performance of the act
even when it is to be accomplished by fluidic
prolongation of the material hand.
Don't Cheat Ali the Time