New-York tribune., 1922-06-24
Sir Arthur Challenges Yer.
dict of Psychical Research
Head That Pictures Print
ed by Tribune Are Fakes
Tells of Investigation
Declares 2 Little Girls Had
Played With Coblins Long
Before Camera Was Used


passed judgment without investigation
or full knowledge lie Teitcrates his
belief that. however they may have
been obtained. there was no question
Of fraud by Iris and Frances Carpen-
tor. the two English girls who declared
;hey had played with real fairies and
goblins. arriving home with kodak pie
lures o. the little figures, in support
Of their statements.
In a letter published in The Tribune.
on April 2s. James Black, Of Mon
treal. wrote exhaustively on tho sub
ject OF the f..ry pictures. stating that
the figures hre the bobbed hair,
modishly govned production Of the
toy shop. Il Is his theory that the
children actually took the pictures, but
that they had wax models Of fairies.
Arnold Genthe. Fifth Avenue pho
torrapher. after examining The Trie.
une's prints, vas just as certain mat
he could make similar pictures IN MS
studio, using toy fairies as models.
"Fake." Says DR.. Prince
DR.. Walter Franklin Prince. head Of
the Psychical Research Institute
branded the pictures fake" as soon
as he saw them. without casting any
reelection on Sir Arthur. he intimated
that he thought the great -pirl'us,is.
was being dupcd. His theory waf mat
fako photography WIS brought into
play. or real figures we're used.
To all OF this criticism Sir Arthur
renlics in n communication TO The
Tribune. describing the thorough
methods ndopted in investigating the
story of the little girls. and IN SUBJ
jecting their plates 10 expert serutiny.
Rcmnrkine that the fairy question IS
really OF secondary importance 10 nim'
"since Il belongs 20 separate Nhe
81 evolution ami has no relation 70
,he fate Of the human soul AFTER
death" Sir Arthur continues;
Let me say IN the nrst instance
,ha. I an, bv no means dogmatie upon
.bo subject Of these fairy photographs
I have written book, which wiil ap'
resr before LONG. dealing with the
whole cpisode. ayd including all the
letters and EXPERT opinions. so mat
tho reader can form his own eonelu-
lions. The only hypothesis which
an, no longer prepared 10 consider IS
fraud upon the part Of the little girls,
for not only have Z. l.. Gardner and
examined carefully into this matter
hut several very critical representa-
tives OF newspapers. or other inquir,
crs. have done the samo and have AL
failed 10 hnd the least proof. or m
deed the least possibility. OF deception
Must BE Weighed
"But any explanation which en-
braced thought forms or other meth
ods bv which such beautiful figures
could be built UP. would have 70 be
carefully weighed before a final con-
elusion could be attained. The thought
form hvpothcsis Is, however, very hard
90 maintain.
The true facts, briefly stated. are
these: Mr. Carpenter. OF Cottingley,
near Bradford. is superior artisan
who looks after the electric fittings OF
n factory. Hc has been nearly twenty
years in his position. and is solid
man Of excellent character Behind
his cottage is small wood. and in
this wood his daughto. Elsie used TO
plsy, accompanied by her cousin Fran
cos. The two childrcn-they wcrei re-
spcctivciy, sixteen and ten at the time
used 10 talk of the little fairies they
saw in the wood, and with whom they
had become quite familiar The father
had a small hand camera. and the
daughter begged that he would give
them orc plate 10 photograph their
little friends. He good humoredly
agreed and the girls departed. return
ing in less than an hour The father
developed the photograph himself. To
his great amazement, and 10 the loud
delight Of the little girls. he got the
beautiful picture Of the dancing
fairies This was the hrst photograph
which Elsie had ever taken IN her life.
A second attempt some little time
later produced the photograph OF the
goblin. These were the only ones
taken in 1917.
Depends on Joint Presence
The family did not try 10 make any
fcnsation or any capital out OF these
photographs. but they showed them
TO some neighbors. and the rumor OF
them got abroad. The two cousins live
q hundred miles apar. and this power
OF producing the right conditions or
vibrations for such photographs seems
70 depend upon their joint presence.
so that there we're no fresh develop
ments. Meanwhile the rumors had
spread until they reached the ears ot
nv friend. Mr. Gardner. who Is lead
ing English theosophist He followed
the matter up, and go, hold OF the
negatives. II was about that time that
! also came into the story.
MIR. Gardner examined the negatives.
which we're beautifully clear and bore
70 signs OF supes-position or any
trickery. He took them 10 Mr. SMELL
ing. an expert Of long experience.
These two negatives, said Snellings
report. are genuine unfaked photo
graphs Of simple exposure, open-air
work. show movement in the fairy
figures and there is no trace at all of
studio work involving card or paper
models. painted figures, etc. In my
opinion. they are straight untouched
pictures
This is the verdict Of the indepen-
dent expert who personally examined
the pictures. We have had half dozen
expert examinations since, but not one
has pointed out any definite sign OF
fraud what is the worth Of the opin-
ion iof Mr. James Black. Of Montreal,
compared 70 this direct evidence!
Get Three More
at was 1920 when Gardner and took
the matter up together, he being the
one who did the local examinations.
In that year We got the girls together
again. and the result was three more
} of these wonderful photographs. In
the last one the figure Of the fairy
was more diaphonous and that, fear.
!. ,hn frst sinn that the power OF