The Washington times., 1922-05-14

included 81 ancient coins, s live birds, Is
precious stones, live turtles, / Egyptian
scarabeus an Arabic newspaper, a leopard
skin and seven inscribed Assyrian tablets
And Mr.. Doyle states he tried to find
evidence from Mr. Chubb, of the local mu.
scum, about the birds nest, but Mr.. Chubb
discouragingly said it seemed too small
for an Indian sparrow.
HE says, too, that when he returned to
London he took one of Bailey's Assyrian
tablets to the museum, where it was pro-
nounced a forgery, and on further inquiry
1t was proved that these forgeries are made
by certain Jews in a suburb of Bagdad.
Doyle writes Bailey has produced at
least hundred of these things and no
customs house officer has deposed how
they could have entered the country. On
the other hand, Bailey told me clearly that
the tablets had been passed by the British
Museum. so that fear that | cannot acQuit
him Of tamperng with the truth-and just
there lies the great difficulty of deciding
upon his case. But one has always to re-
member that physical mediumship has no
connection one way or another with per-
sonal character, any more than the gift Of
poetry
''It is most remarkable" comments Mr.
Rim on this, how men of scientific tram
ing can accept such ridiculous theory
as that personal character has nothing to
do with mediumshp. AS Sherlock Holmes
would certainly have put it. their attitude is
as follows: If they catch John Smith steal.
ing their pocketbook one day he is thief
But if the next day, when in the company
of John Smith, they fail to catch him steal.
ing their pocketbook, then the pocketboOk
has disappeared through supernormal pow.
ers My attitude has been, that in view of
the fact that mediums are constantly be.
ing caught In trickery in seances they can
he regarded as no higher than a magical
show-unless the medium has been
searched and secured by experts in trick.
cry and the phenomena finally passed by
experts in trickery
"But critics may ask how the phenomena
OF Charles Bailey could be produced. Sir
Arthur claims that he was searched and
that this particular birds nest was not
found. But did SIR Arthur dispose of all
possibility that Bailey had a confederate
In the room who could pass these particu.
lar things to him? Not at all. He stopped
with the search. Not knowing all the facts
OF the seance, II is difficult to comment
as to just how the particular tricks were
done, but we know that Bailey was proven
to have lied about the Assyrian tablets
and was proven in France to be working
with a French couple who provided him
with certain similar objects which he used
at seances That is sufficient to show that
these socalled wonderful 'apports' or things
carried from aiar, were gotten somehow
into the room by Railey
But Sir Arthur cites another seance
with Mr.. Bailey which, from the descrip.
tion, can readily do myself He writes:
On my last evening at Sydney attended
third seance with Charles Bailey, the
apport medium A blanket was drawn
across the room to make cabinet The
Hindoo control then announced that an
aprort would be brought and asked that
water be placed in tin basin. He (that
is, Bailey himself under the alleged con-
troll then emerged. the lights being half
up, carrying the, basin over his head.
Ion putting ii down. we all saw two
strange little young tortoses swimming
about in it, | say Strange" because have
seen none like them. They were about
the size Of half-crown, and the head in
stead Of being close to the shell, was at
the end of thin neck half as hong as the
body. There were dozen Australians
present, and they all said they had never
seen any similar ones. The control claimed
that he had just brought them from a
tank in Benares. .
The basin was left on the table, and
while the lights were down the creatures
disappeared It is only fair to say that
they could have been removed by hand in
the dark, but on examining the table
was unable to see any of those sloppngs
of water which might be expected to fol.
low such an operation.
"'Shortly afterward there was a great
crash in the dark, and a number of coins
fell onto the table, and were handed to noe
by the presiding control. They were fifty.
six Turkish copper pennies, taken from
WELL" according to our informant. These
two apports were all the phenomena
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