Evening star., 1922-03-26


investigating. painstakingly
and dtspassionately, what are
known as psychic phenomenal I
have discovered not one scintilla of
evidence that communication with
the dead is possible The whole
paraphernalia is trickcry, and not
very clever trickery at that. OF its
practitioners, the so-called mediums.
clairvoyants, psychics and the rest,
the vast majority are unblushing
humbugs. The others may be self
deceived.
I'm the entire range of supposed
spirit manifestations there is not
one of which l have knowledge, and
I have examined every one that has
been performed at seances during
more than quarter of a century.
that 1 cannot myself reproduce by
perfectly natural means"
These striking statements were
made in the course of a remarkable
interview given to the writer this
week by William Marriott, engineer
and inventor by profession and, in
his spare hours, psychic investigator
and sleuth, who is recognized
throughout Europe as perhaps the
most acute and ruthless of living
experts in the exposure of fraud in
spiritism; who may be described, in
fact, as the Sherlock Holmes of the
psychic worlI, a title which. in view
of the whole-heartedness of his con-
version to the spiritualistic gospel.
it is now hardly possible to award
to the eminent creator of the original
Sherlock.
4 x x X
MR. MARRIOTT'S latest achieve
NI rnent. in his role Of exponent Of
mediumistio trickery. has been the
duplication. in every detail, of the
so-called spirit photography that
is practiced by William Hope of
Crewe. Hope was responsible for
the supposed spirit photograph of
Gladstone which was so industriously
doomed throughout the world some
three years ago. A picture-frame
maker by trade, he has. in his capac-
tty of spirit photographer, been
natronized by thousands of "be-
1jevers," including the late William
#. Steal Rendered daring, no doubt,
by his previous immunity from eX-
posure, he recently consented to
undergo a test by James Douglas,
the author and publicist, who. as edi-
tor of a widely read London news
paper, has been conducting an in
yestization into spirits. This test
took place, not at Hopes regular
studio at Crewe, but at the British
College of Physical Science at Hol-
land Park, London. where the re-
nowned spirit photographer" fire.
gucntly operates
Hope undertook to produce a spirit
extra" on one Of four Photographic
mates brought to him and previously
signed by the authorization, and he
was successful in doing so. Like all
of the picture-frame makers phe-
nomena," however. the spirit likeness
he produced for Douglas was OF the
haziest description. 1t consisted Oh
barely perceptible face and figure. and
Douglas, sad to relate, was totally
unable to trace in it the slightest re-
semblance to any friend or relative
of his who, in the language of the
cult, has passed over" though Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle. who sat with the
editor for the photograph. considered
that the ghostly figure bore very
close general likeness" to portrait
which he had seen in Douglas dining
room.
. y X X ks
TN defyins any of those who have
frankly branded him as an i'm
postor to obtain similar '.phenomena"
under like conditions Hope reckoned
without William Marriott. Forward
at oucs cana the lattsE with the an