The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-03-28
SPOOK HUNTER HALLS
GHOST MADE ART
DR.. Prince, Back From An
tigonish, Hot on Trail at
Independent Show.
PORTRAIT rs AUTOMATIC
If Mary Ellen Were Here She
Might Explain How 1T
Got to Waldorf.

Rumors or slippery spookery at the
Independent Artists Exhibition at the
Waldorf-Astoria drew DR.. Walter Frank
lin Prince. lately returned from expos
ing the giriish, though unconscious.
FRANKS OF Mary Ellen Macdonald Of
Antagonist, TO the gallery of the Inde-
pendents last evening Dr. Prince, as
every one should know. is president Of
them American Society for Psychical Re-
search. and the merest hint that ghost,
has been reported anywhere on this
planet is sufficient to set him hot on the
trail.
Going back little. TO the opening OF
the Independents show, II may be re-
called that Mrs. Emma Mabel Fields OF
Chicago. mother Of seven-or is II eight?
children and no believer in spiritism
at all. was moved to submit a little
thing that had appeared under her
drawing pencil when she didn't know
what she was doing. It was a BIT OF
black and white impressionism which Is
entitled 'Impressionistic Personality
Portrait of Miss Edith Bennett"
Mrs. Field was grabbed by a hover
Ing visitor from Over There one day
while she was figuring out her income
tax, her mind, naturally being ex-
hausted and vague. and the next thing
she knew. when she came to. there was
the portrait quite complete upon her
desk. 1t shows. a bit vaguely, the upper
/ part of the figures of man and a
woman. and around the man and woman
| are faces-strange, arresting faces men,
i So ND fc aud
| dogs all suspended in air and striving
/ to utter some message.
1t just Happened.
Mrs. Fields offered the picture for ex-
| hibition. but 1t was submitted so late
| that the independents had to decline Il
place on the line Instead or feeling dis
appointed or rescntful. Mrs. Field merely
said quite calmly: "Oh. well, 1t doesn't
make any difference. The portrait will
appear on the wall just the same" And
such proved to be the fact for one morn
/ ing when The artists went around to the
\ Waldorf TO see what the management had
objected 10 over night there was the
spook picture from Mrs. Fields pencil
neatly hung, comma nding attention. In
qulry as 10 how It go there was fruit
less. The publicity man Of the artists
show crossed his heart earnestly. saying
I that II was none Of his doing, and there
/ the matter rested until DR.. Prince. Sher-
lock Holmes of the spirit world, heard OF
\ the phenomenon and went up to the
Waldorf yesterday to apply methods OF
| scientific investigation.
II just happened that there was an I'M
Usually large crowd waiting In the gall
/ lery when the spook hunter showed up,
and In the throng we're Eva Balfour.
fIaIn atr
cia and Marie Novello. who asserted spe-
| cial interest In spritist phenomena. DR..
Y Prince submitted the spook picture TO
half an hours rigid examination. looking
\ IL over through wide open eyelids. half
I closed eyelids and eyelids that just
saulnted while the spiritist-leaning ladies
4 auivered with excitement When the
scrutiny was done with DR.. Prince opined
\ that the portrait was real. sure enough
sample Of automatic art. precisely of the
nature Of automatic writing. and that It
was undoubtedly the result of some super
normal activity.
There Are Others.
ct may have been inspired by the
mind OF an ncarnate person or II may
not have" said DR.. Prince. "Or Il may
simply have been the work OF Mrs.
Fieldss subconscious mind temporarily
In control of her conscious mind"
do you suppose. doctor. that Mary
Ellen had anything TO do with it?
asked a young reporter.
"Tf Mary Ellen were here In New York
I might assume that she had something
to do with the mysterious hanging OF
H." returned DR.. Prince. and the press
agent OF the show examined his finger
nails attentively Looking elsewhere in
the exhibition" continued DIR. Prince.
IT might assume that there are other
works OF art here that must have leaped
into being from subconscious impulse
1t IL hard to imagine the conscious
mind
And with that DR. Prince bowed him
self out and headed back TO spook head
quarters. at A. East Twenty-third street