Imperial Valley press., 1937-03-14

WITHIN
By Whit Wellman

LINE drawn between physical and mental
"a phenomena is often silken thread, occa-
sionally nearly invisible. The first may conceiv-
ably be caused by the latter and physical
manifestations table rappings apports haunt
ed houses) are far more than so-called
phenomena of the mind.
The Fox sisters-young Marguerite and Kate
started il all something less than a century
ago with series of code rappings supposedly
produced by pedder whose skeleton was, they
said buried beneath the house. The strange
business, messages and warnings kept up until
skeptics did some digging for the peddler and
failed to find him. The two girls were largely
discredited not entirely because no skeleton
was discovered, but by their inability to stick
to one story and effect: sometimes their
'knockngs' seemed real enough, and as fire.
quently the girls exerted their own physical
force against table and chairs. 1t was an OBJ
scure mixed-up sort of thing, open to doubt.
Then, so years later, when the storm of criticism
had died, a skeleton was found where the rap
pings had predicted
30 began modern spiritism, which to an
amazing extent has been its own worst enemy
tr1cked by innumerable mediums practicing
fraud for profit, and investigators have had
difhcult problem in distinguishing fact from
fable. =.
When Sir William Crookes discovered D. d.
Home however, there came series of invest-
cations over period of years which gave
authentic, recorded results Crookes was editor
of the "Quarterly Journal of Science, interested
only in ascertaining facts Home was a Scotch
American, willing to undergo strict test cond-
tons, as anxious as his friend to find out what
II was all about. According to records, he dis
played remarkable powers
Several miracles which mystics and saints
have claimed, Crcokes saw Home accomplish
to the astonshment of both.
He handled red hot coals-foated in the air
caused ordinary accordion to play at the
far end of the room-produced feminine hands
seemingly solid but which melted away" in
Crookes' grasp. Other, less unbelievable
phenomena.
Hereward Darlington reported that three
men-Lord Adare, Captain Wynne and the Earl
of Crawford-witnessed Home .. float quietly
out of one window and in at another at a dist
tance of some seventy feet from the ground"
Crookes saw something similar in his own home
when the medium visited him. Home went to the
other side of the room, stood quietly for a
moment, and ". saw him slowly rise up in
continuous gliding movement and remain
about six inches off the floor for several seconds
when he slowly descended" On another occa-
sion Home, in the same room was levitated IS
inches from the carpet Crookes got down on his
knees, swept his hands beneath Home around
his body and over his head. The same sort of
thing occurred when Home sat in a chair his
feet tucked up under him. "I have gone down
and seen and felt all four legs" said Crookes
land all off the ground at the same time
Homes feet being in the chair"
Tremendous debate arose and still persists
as Crookes foresaw To prove for himself
Go.4 g tf.,n. zl.O,a1
ed self-recording balance. with Home on one
end and weight Ak the other and a curious
process took place. AS Home was levitated his
weight on the balance became less. Witnesses
may have been hypnotized, labored under hal
lucinations on many occasions-but one has
yet hypnotized self-reeording balance
PAGE TWO.