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THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALISM
so gigantic an imposture as this, and in that time should submit to
any test which might be imposed upon her, should bear the strictest
scrutiny, should be willing to be searched at any time, either before
or after a séance, and should meet with even better success in my
own house than at that of her parents, knowing that she visited me
with the express object of submitting to strict scientifi c tests – to
imagine, I say, the Katie King of the last three years to be the result
of imposture, does more violence to one’s reason and common sense
than to believe her to be what she herself affi rms.
Granting that a temporary form was built up from the ectoplasm of Florence Cook, and that this form was then occupied and
used by an independent being who called herself “Katie King,” we
are still faced with the question, “Who was Katie King ? “ To this we
can only give the answer which she gave herself, while admitting
that we have no proof of it. She declared that she was the daughter
of John King, who had long been known among Spiritualists as the
presiding spirit at séances held for material phenomena. His personality is discussed later in the chapter upon the Eddy brothers
and Mrs. Holmes, to which the reader is referred. Her earth name
had been Morgan, and King was rather the general title of a certain class of spirits than an ordinary name. Her life had been spent
two hundred years before, in the reign of Charles the Second, in
the island of Jamaica. Whether this be true or not, she undoubtedly
conformed to the part, and her general conversation was consistent
with her account. One of the daughters of Professor Crookes wrote
to the author and described her vivid recollection of tales of the
Spanish Main told by this kindly spirit to the children of the family.
She made herself beloved by all. Mrs. Crookes wrote :
At a séance with Miss Cook in our own house when one of our
sons was an infant of three weeks old, Katie King, a materialized
spirit, expressed the liveliest interest in him and asked to be allowed
[34]
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ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
to see the baby. The infant was accordingly brought into the séance
room and placed in the arms of Katie, who, after holding him in the
most natural way for a short time, smilingly gave him back again.
Professor Crookes has left it on record that her beauty and
charm were unique in his experience.
The reader may reasonably think that the subdued light which
has been alluded to goes far to vitiate the results by preventing exact
observation. Professor Crookes has assured us, however, that as the
series of séances proceeded toleration was established, and the fi gure was able to bear a far greater degree of light. This toleration had
its limits, however, which were never passed by Professor Crookes,
but which were tested to the full in a daring experiment described
by Miss Florence Marryat (Mrs. Ross-Church). It should be stated
that Professor Crookes was not present at this experience, nor did
Miss Marryat ever claim that he was. She mentions, however, the
name of Mr. Carter Hall as being one of the company present. Katie had very good-humouredly consented to testing what the effect
would be if a full light were turned upon her image :
She took up her station against the drawing-room wall, with her
arms extended as if she were crucifi ed. Then three gas-burners were
turned on to their full extent in a room about sixteen feet square.
The effect upon Katie King was marvellous, She looked like herself
for the space of a second only, then she began gradually to melt
away. I can compare the dematerialization of her form to nothing
but a wax doll melting before a hot fi re. First the features became
blurred and indistinct ; they seemed to run into each other. The
eyes sunk in the sockets, the nose disappeared, the frontal bone fell
in. Next the limbs appeared to give way under her, and she sank
lower and lower on the carpet, like a crumbling edifi ce. At last there
was nothing but her head left above the ground – then a heap of
white drapery only, which disappeared with a whisk, as if a hand
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THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALISM
had pulled it after her – and we were left staring by the light of
three gas-burners at the spot on which Katie King had stood.
Miss Marryat adds the interesting detail that at some of these
séances Miss Cook’s hair was nailed to the ground, which did not
in the least interfere with the subsequent emergence of Katie from
the cabinet.
The results obtained in his own home were honestly and fearlessly reported by Professor Crookes in his Journal, and caused the
greatest possible commotion in the scientifi c world. A few of the
larger spirits, men like Russel Wallace, Lord Rayleigh, the young
and rising physicist William Barrett, Cromwell Varley, and others,
had their former views confi rmed, or were encouraged to advance
upon a new path of knowledge. There was a fi ercely intolerant party, however, headed by Carpenter the physiologist, who derided the
matter and were ready to impute anything from lunacy to fraud to
their illustrious colleague. Organized science came badly out of the
matter. In his published account Crookes gave the letters in which
he asked Stokes, the secretary of the Royal Society, to come down
and see these things with his own eyes. By his refusal to do so, Stokes
placed himself in exactly the same position as those cardinals who
would not look at the moons of Jupiter through Galileo’s telescope.
Material science, when faced with a new problem, showed itself to
be just as bigoted as mediaeval theology.
Before quitting the subject of Katie King one should say a few
words as to the future of the great medium from whom she had her
physical being. Miss Cook became Mrs. Corner, but continued to
exhibit her remarkable powers. The author is only aware of one occasion upon which the honesty of her mediumship was called in
question, and that was when she was seized by Sir George Sitwell
and accused of personating a spirit. The author is of opinion that
a materializing medium should always be secured so that she cannot
[35]
213
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
wander around – and this as a protection against herself. It is unlikely that she will move in deep trance, but in the half-trance condition there is nothing to prevent her unconsciously, or semi-consciously, or in obedience to suggestion from the expectations of the
circle, wandering out of the cabinet into the room. It is a refl ection
of our own ignorance that a lifetime of proof should be clouded by
a single episode of this nature. It is worthy of remark, however, that
upon this occasion the observers agreed that the fi gure was white,
whereas when Mrs. Corner was seized no white was to be seen. An
experienced investigator would probably have concluded that this
was not a materialization, but a transfi guration, which means that
the ectoplasm, being insuffi cient to build up a complete fi gure, has
been used to drape the medium so that she herself may carry the
simulacrum. Commenting upon such cases, the great German investigator, Dr. Schrenck Notzing, says :
This (a photograph) is interesting as throwing a light on the
genesis of the so-called transfi guration, i.e. ... the medium takes upon
herself the part of the spirit, endeavouring to dramatize the character of the person in question by clothing herself in the materialized fabrics. This transition stage is found in nearly all materialization mediums. The literature of the subject records a large number
of attempts at exposure of mediums thus impersonating “spirits,”
e.g. that of the medium Bastian by the Crown Prince Rudolph, that
of Crookes’s medium, Miss Cook, that of Madame d’Esperance, etc.
In all these cases the medium was seized, but the fabrics used for
masking immediately disappeared, and were not afterwards found.
It would appear, then, that the true reproach in such cases lies
with the negligent sitters rather than with the unconscious medium.
The sensational nature of Professor Crookes’s experiments with
Miss Cook, and the fact, no doubt, that they seemed more vulner-
[36]
214
THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALISM
able to attack, have tended to obscure his very positive results with
Home and with Miss Fox, which have established the powers of
those mediums upon a solid basis. Crookes soon found the usual
diffi culties which researchers encounter, but he had sense enough
to realize that in an entirely new subject one has to adapt oneself
to the conditions, and not abandon the study in disgust because
the conditions refuse to adapt themselves to our own preconceived
ideas. Thus, in speaking of Home, he says :
The experiments I have tried have been very numerous, but owing to our imperfect knowledge of the conditions which favour or
oppose the manifestations of this force, to the apparently capricious
manner in which it is exerted, and to the fact that Mr. Home himself is subject to unaccountable ebbs and fl ows of the force, it has
but seldom happened that a result obtained on one occasion could
be subsequently confi rmed and tested with apparatus specially contrived for the purpose.
The most marked of these results was the alteration in the
weight of objects, which was afterwards so completely confi rmed
by Dr Crawford working with the Goligher circle, and also in the
course of the “ Margery “ investigation at Boston. Heavy objects
could be made light, and light ones heavy, by the action of some
unseen force which appeared to be under the infl uence of an independent intelligence. The checks by which all possible fraud was
eliminated are very fully set out in the record of the experiments,
and must convince any unprejudiced reader. Dr. Huggins, the wellknown authority on the spectroscope, and Serjeant Cox, the eminent lawyer, together with several other spectators, witnessed the
experiments. As already recorded, however, Crookes found it impossible to get some of the offi cial heads of science to give the matter
one hour of their attention.
[37]
215
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
The playing upon musical instruments, especially an accordion,
under circumstances when it was impossible to reach the notes,
was another of the phenomena which was very thoroughly examined and then certifi ed by Crookes and his distinguished assistants.
Granting that the medium has himself the knowledge which would
enable him to play the instrument, the author is not prepared to
admit that such a phenomenon is an absolute proof of independent
intelligence. When once the existence of an etheric body is granted,
with limbs which correspond with our own, there is no obvious reason why a partial detachment should not take place, and why the
etheric fi ngers should not be placed upon the keys while the material ones remain upon the medium’s lap. The problem resolves itself, then, into the simpler proposition that the medium’s brain can
command his etheric fi ngers, and that those fi ngers can be supplied
with suffi cient force to press down the keys. Very many psychic phenomena, the reading with blindfolded eyes, the touching of distant
objects, and so forth, may, in the opinion of the author, be referred
to the etheric body and may be classed rather under a higher and
subtler materialism than under Spiritualism. They are in a class
quite distinct from those mental phenomena such as evidential
messages from the dead, which form the true centre of the spiritual
movement. In speaking of Miss Kate Fox, Professor Crookes says :
“I have observed many circumstances which appear to show that
the will and intelligence of the medium have much to do with the
phenomena.” He adds that this is not in any conscious or dishonest way, and continues, “I have observed some circumstances which
seem conclusively to point to the agency of an outside intelligence
not belonging to any human being in the room.”
which the author has attempted to make as expressed by an authority far higher than his own.
[38]
This is the point
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THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALISM
The phenomena which were chiefl y established in the investigation of Miss Kate Fox were the movement of objects at a distance,
and the production of percussive sounds – or raps. The latter covered a great range of sound, “ delicate ticks... sharp sounds as from
an induction coil in full work, detonations in the air, sharp metallic taps, a crackling like that heard when a frictional machine is at
[39]
work, sounds like scratching, the twittering as of a bird, etc.”
of us who have had experience of these sounds have been compelled
to ask ourselves how far they are under the control of the medium.
The author has come to the conclusion, as already stated, that up to
a point they are under the control of the medium, and that beyond
that point they are not. He cannot easily forget the distress and embarrassment of a great North-country medium when in the author’s
presence loud raps, sounding like the snapping of fi ngers, broke out
round his head in the coffee-room of a Doncaster hotel. If he had
any doubts that raps were independent of the medium they were
fi nally set at rest upon that occasion. As to the objectivity of these
noises, Crookes says of Miss Kate Fox :
It seems only necessary for her to place her hand on any substance for loud thuds to be heard in it, like a triple pulsation,
sometimes loud enough to be heard several rooms off. In this manner I have heard them in a living tree – on a sheet of glass – on
a stretched iron wire – on a stretched membrane – a tambourine –
on the roof of a cab – and on the fl oor of a theatre. Moreover, actual
contact is not always necessary. I have had these sounds proceeding
from the fl oor, walls, etc., when the medium’s hands and feet were
held – when she was standing on a chair – when she was suspended in a swing from the ceiling – when she was enclosed in a wire
cage – and when she had fallen fainting on a sofa. I have heard them
on a glass harmonicon – I have felt them on my own shoulder and
under my own hands. I have heard them on a sheet of paper, held
All
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ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
between the fi ngers by a piece of thread passed through one corner.
With a full knowledge of the numerous theories which have been
started, chiefl y in America, to explain these sounds, I have tested
them in every way that I could devise, until there has been no escape
from the conviction that they were true objective occurrences not
produced by trickery or mechanical means.
So fi nishes the legend of cracking toe-joints, dropping apples,
and all the other absurd explanations which have been put forward
to explain away the facts. It is only fair to say, however, that the
painful incidents connected with the latter days of the Fox sisters go
some way to justify those who, without knowing the real evidence,
have had their attention drawn to that single episode – which is
treated elsewhere.
It has sometimes been supposed that Crookes modifi ed or withdrew his opinions upon psychic subjects as expressed in 1874. It may
at least be said that the violence of the opposition, and the timidity
of those who might have supported him, did alarm him and that he
felt his scientifi c position to be in danger. Without going the length
of subterfuge, he did unquestionably shirk the question. He refused
to have his articles upon the subject republished, and he would not
circulate the wonderful photographs in which the materialized Katie King stood arm-in-arm with himself. He was exceedingly cautious also in defi ning his position. In a letter quoted by Professor
Angelo Brofferio, he says :
All that I am concerned in is that invisible and intelligent beings
exist who say that they are the spirits of dead persons. But proof that
they really are the individuals they assume to be, which I require
in order to believe it, I have never received, though I am disposed
to admit that many of my friends assert that they have actually obtained the desired proofs, and I myself have already frequently been
many times on the verge of this conviction.
[40]
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THE HISTORY OF SPIRITUALISM
As he grew older, however, this conviction hardened, or perhaps
he became more conscious of the moral responsibilities which such
exceptional experiences must entail.
In his presidential address before the British Association at Bristol in 1898, Sir William briefl y referred to his earlier researches. He
[41]
said:
Upon one other interest I have not yet touched – to me the
weightiest and farthest-reaching of all. No incident in my scientifi c
career is more widely known than the part I took many years ago
in certain psychic researches. Thirty years have passed since I published an account of experiments tending to show that outside our
scientifi c knowledge there exists a Force exercised by intelligence
differing from the ordinary intelligence common to mortals... I have
nothing to retract. I adhere to my already published statements. Indeed, I might add much thereto.
Nearly twenty years later his belief was stronger than ever. In
the course of an interview, he said :
I have never had any occasion to change my mind on the subject. I am perfectly satisfi ed with what I have said in earlier days. It
is quite true that a connexion has been set up between this world
and the next.
In reply to the question whether Spiritualism had not killed the
old materialism of the scientists, he added:
I think it has. It has at least convinced the great majority of people, who know anything about the subject, of the existence of the
next world.
The author has had an opportunity lately, through the courtesy
of Mr. Thomas Blyton, of seeing the letter of condolence written by
Sir William Crookes on the occasion of the death of Mrs. Corner.
It is dated April 24, 1904, and in it he says: “Convey Lady Crookes’s
and my own sincerest sympathy to the family in their irreparable
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ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
loss. We trust that the certain belief that our loved ones, when they
have passed over, are still watching over us – a belief which owes so
much of its certainty to the mediumship of Mrs. Corner (or Florence
Cook, as she will always be in our memory) – will strengthen and
console those who are left behind.” The daughter in announcing
the death said, “She died in deep peace and happiness.”
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