San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-10
Catholic Padre Says There
Can Be No Living Control
Over Dead and That
Trickery and Devices De-
ceive People.

New York. April 1S-Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle's spirit pictures" show
ing throngs of shadowy figures gath
ering about the tomb of the British
Unknown Soldier in London on Ar
misticc Day, were derided Monday b.
the Rev. c. NJ. de Heredia, J., who
demonstrated in the Photographic de-
partment of the Evening World, that
he could cause similar phenomena to
appear on Photographic plates with
out touching them, and without any
aid from the other world.
Father DE Hercdia, Catholic priest
at Mexico City, has made long .fudy
of spirituaism as well as the tricks
employed by stage magicians and
Straightforward performers.
He described his method of produc-
ing weird photographs as trickery
and device, and spiritism not at all,
because, as between living persons
here on earth and the spirits that
have passed from the body, there is
not and cannot be q control from the
living,
PICTURES Are Printed.
The Evening World published two
of Father Heredia's pictures, one a
photograph of William III. Anderson,
state superintendent of the Anti-Sa-
loon League, upon which had been
supcrimposed the shadowy figure of
tipsy yagabond, upon which he
placed the vague form of a Undated
doughboy with his rifle at present
arms"
Three members of the newspapers
staff, who were present at the demon
stration, testified father Heredia did
not touch the plates and did not ap-
proach closer to them at any time
than three feet.
When he had finished his demon
stration he proved how simple it all
was by whispering the secret TO a
staff photographer in the group, who
thereupon made some spirit" pic
lures unaided.
On his way out. Father Heredia is
sued a challenge to spiritualist expo
nents TO produce any phenomenon that
he could not duplicate provided he
was given las much time to prepare
as they have presumably allowed them
selves"
Sir A. Conan Doyle, in a state
ment made after he had seen the news
paper reproductions of Fsthcr Here
dla's experiments at ghost photogra-
ply. said that great ignorance of the
subject had been shown.
Doyle Says He Is Conjurer.
"The claim of Father Heredia or of
any other 'conjurer.' he said. that
he can make counterfeit ghosts is quite
outside the question and shows that
he has no appreciation of facts that
l have put before the public.
The point which he ignores is that
in whole series Of these cases, which
l can show, the faces of the dead have
appeared in a clearly recognizable form
when the photographer had no posi-
bic knowledge of the identity of the
visitor and could, therefore, have made
no preparation.
"Such childish argument that we
could all fake Photographic plah, or
build IN bogus spirit disregards the
real point at Issue and is unworthy of
a serious discussion.
Ihere is in England a society
called the Society for the Study Of
Supernormal Photography. We are
about 100 strong and we contain pro-
fessional men. photographers, scien-
lists and people OF all sorts.
We have for some years studied
this question closely arf many hun
dreds of psychic photographs have
been most carefully. analysed. We
have our own paper which We circu-
late among our members.
Fraud idea Secuted.
ave are all agreed. however. that
the matter is exceedingly complex and
that the process by which the image
comes upon the plate is often very
different from that of ordinary pho.
Biography and is in many cases the
nreciDitatior Of an impression upon
the plate which is brought about quite
independently of light
Sir Arthur exhibited several OF the
..ociety's spirit photographs which
have bean accepted as, authentic and
pointed out that the spirit faces were
clear cut and easily distinguished
likenesses on comparison with photo