The Case for Spirit Photography With corroborative evidence by experienced researchers and photographers

The publicity given to the recent attacks on Psychic Photography has been out of all proportion to their scientific value as evidence. When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle returned to Great Britain, after his successful tour in America, the controversy was in full swing. With characteristic promptitude he immediately decided to meet these negative attacks by a positive counter-attack, and this volume is the outcome of that decision.

We have used the term “Spirit Photography” on the title-page as being the popular name by which these phenomena are known. This does not imply that either Sir Arthur or I imagine that everything supernormal must be of spirit origin. There is, undoubtedly, a broad borderland where these photographic effects may be produced from forces contained within ourselves. This merges into those higher phenomena of which many cases are here described. Those desiring fuller information on this subject are referred to “Photographing the Invisible,” by James Coates.

It was only when editing the matter for these pages that I fully realised what an overwhelming mass of reliable material we had to work upon. In restricting this book to the necessary limits it has only been possible to make use of a small portion of this evidence. Many more cases have been placed on record and may be published on some future occasion. Most of the letters accompanying these descriptions display a deep and genuine affection for the maligned mediums of the Crewe Circle. Our hearty thanks are due to all those friends who have so readily co-operated in this work and who are so willing to brave the discomforts of publicity for what they know to be the truth.

FRED BARLOW.

CONTENTS

PAGE

PREFACE BY FRED BARLOW v

CHAPTER

I THE CREWE CIRCLE 13

II SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCES 21

III EVIDENTIAL TESTS AND THEIR RESULTS 28

IV AN EXAMINATION OF MR. HOPE AND HIS CRITICS 38

V FURTHER DIFFICULTIES CONSIDERED 55

VI THE ATTACK ON MRS. DEANE AND MR. VEARNCOMBE 60

VII THE GENESIS AND HISTORY OF THE CREWE CIRCLE BY MISS F. R. SCATCHERD 70

VIII EVIDENTIAL AND SCIENTIFIC ASPECTS OF PSYCHIC PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRED BARLOW 79

IX CONCLUSIVE PROOF FROM MANY SOURCES 96

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

Barlow, Mr. H. D., Psychic and Normal Photographs of 127

Burgess, Mrs., with Psychic Picture of Her Uncle 127

Buxton, Mrs., and Daughter, with Psychic Picture of Her Father 47

Colley, Archdeacon, Psychic Message in the Handwriting of 14

Colley, Archdeacon, Normal Handwriting of 14

Colley, Archdeacon, Photomicrograph of Portion of Normal Signature 78

Colley, Archdeacon, Photomicrograph of Portion of Signature in Psychic Message 78

Crawford, Dr. W. J., Psychic Message in the Handwriting of 15

Crawford, Dr. W. J., Normal Handwriting of 15

Crookes, Sir William, with Psychic Face 31

Cushman, Agnes, Psychic Picture of 63

Cushman, Agnes, Normal Photograph of 63

Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, and Group, with Psychic Message from Archdeacon Colley 14

East, Mr. and Mrs. H., with Psychic and Normal Pictures of Son 47

Foulds, Mrs. R., with Psychic Photograph of Her Mother 110

Foulds, Mrs. R., Normal Photograph of the Mother of 110

Griere, Mrs. A. E., with Psychic Likeness of Husband and Father 111

Griere, Mrs. A. E., Photograph of the Husband of 111

Jeffrey, Mr. Wm., and Daughter, Showing Ectoplasmic Bag 62

Jeffrey, Mr. Wm., and Daughter, with Psychic Likeness of Mrs. Jeffrey 62

Maddocks, Mr. S., with Psychic Likeness of First Wife 95

Maddocks, Mr. S., Normal Photograph of the First Wife of 95

Pickup, Mrs., with Psychic Likeness of Husband 126

Pickup, Mrs., Photograph of the Husband of 126

S.S.S.P., Group Photograph with Psychic Face 30

Spencer, Major R. E. E., with Psychic Face 31

Tweedale, the Rev. C. L., and Wife, with Psychic Likeness of Mrs. Tweedale’s Father 46

Tweedale, the Rev. C. L., Photograph of the Father-in-law of 46

Walker, Mr. and Mrs. Harry, and Friends, with Psychic Likeness of Mr. Wm. Walker 79

Walker, Mr. Wm., with Psychic Message in Handwriting of Mr. W. T. Stead 79