Katie King: The Matter of The Spirits

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The meetings, of course, in most cases, were invitations to attend could be subject to payment of certain amounts of money. Among the morass of anxiety and uncertainty in which humanity lived disillusioned by the materialistic trends of the time and a religion that offered no concrete proof, the spiritualist movement was the solution to a public disenchanted with the world around him, and needed “tangible evidence” that the current Spiritist he could offer.

Thus, came the mediums of games, which caused a stir because of the enormous amount of information that could provide the ‘beyond’. Science became interested in this phenomenology, trying to see what was true in all those events.

Among the scientists who were interested in this kind of casuistry, and within the materialization of beings and spirits of the dead, was the eminent English chemist William Crookes, who for three years (1871-1874) studied a curious realization that Katie King said his name and that came at the behest of a short-medium–15 years old, named Florence Cook This case, which we have alluded to in the first volume of “The Forbidden Science”, remains today the subject of heated discussions, because it is still not clear whether it was a fraud or a beautiful reality.

Florence Cook was presented to William Crookes to ask him to work on his case. The first sessions were held at Mr. Luxmore. The famous chemist was able to observe at the outset that, contrary to what was suggested, the possibility of splitting of the medium in being just like her, “Florence Cook and Katie King were completely different people. Indeed, while the appearance stood before him clearly felt a sob from deep in trance medium in the dressing room. Do not attach importance to this test, the ghost did appear in the same place it was in the medium Cook, mired in a deep trance-state in which such individuals come to the production of phenomena, “in order to ascertain whether they were no two people are alike and verify whether or not the hypothesis of cleavage, as the ghost and his medium showed a striking resemblance.

The Testimony of Crookes

Was not long before the day that Katie appeared alongside Florence Cook. But let Crookes who tells what happened: “I now turn to the meeting Monday night in Hackney. Katie never appeared so perfectly, for nearly two hours went around the room and chatted with bystanders. While walking I picked up several times by the arm. The impression that I felt, was a woman alive who was at my side and not a visitor from another world, was so strong that he can not resist the temptation to repeat a recent and unusual experience. “

“Convinced that if there was a spirit that was at my side, my companion would have to be a woman, asked permission to take her in his arms, then, thus, expected to verify the interesting observations which a bold experimenter had made public shortly before in a rather neat. I was given permission, and I use it in the most convenient, like any well-educated man would behave in similar circumstances. A Mr. Volckman will love the news that I can support its contention that the ghost (which, moreover, offered no resistance) is one so the same material as Florence Cook. “

“Katie said that this time he was able to manifest the same time as Miss Cook. Reduced gas lanterns, and then match with my lamp in my hand, entered the room that served as a dressing room. Before you had asked a friend working stenographer, to write down any comments that I could do while staying in the dressing room because I never escaped the importance attached to first impressions, also did not want to confide everything to my memory , let alone when it was not necessary. Here are the notes:

“I entered with caution in the dressing room, was dark and I had to look at Miss Cook groping. I found huddled on the floor. I knelt beside him and lit the lamp. By its light I saw the girl, who was with the same black velvet dress at the beginning of the session. Daba print complete insensitivity. not even moved when I took her hand and pressed the light into his face, continued to breathe at a relaxed pace. “

“By lifting the lamp, looked around and saw Katie standing just behind Miss Cook. Lucia them white robes and waving with all we had been wearing since the beginning of the session. I took one of the hands of Miss Cook with mine free and knees once again, moved the lamp from the bottom up, not only to illuminate the figure of Katie to convince me who to see, that she was the same Katie at which minutes earlier had narrowed and not the spawn of a sick mind. He said nothing, just shook his head in acknowledgment.

Three different times examined with attention to Miss Cook, who was still curled up in front of me, to make sure I was shaking the hand of a woman alive, and three times, also focused with the lamp to Katie to observe with continued attention to no doubt I could fit that was before me. Finally, Miss Cook made a slight movement, and Katie at the same moment beckoned me out me. I then retired to a corner of the dressing room and left to see Katie, but did not leave the room until he woke up and entered Miss Cook two assistants with light. “

“Katie’s height varies. In my house I have seen six inches taller than Miss Cook. Last night, barefoot and without toes, measuring eleven inches shorter than Miss Cook. Also yesterday afternoon, Katie had found the neck. The skin of it was soft to the touch and sight, while Miss Cook has a scar on the neck, in similar circumstances, is also very visible, rough to the touch. Katie’s ears are not pierced, while Miss Cook usually wear earrings. Katie’s complexion is very white, that of Miss. Cook, however, are brown. Katie’s fingers are much longer than Miss Cook and his face clearer than that of the medium … Katie’s hair is blond, the Miss Cook is brown, but almost looks black … “

The nineteenth-century intellectual life was more complex than any previous era. The scientist, who had initially ignored this phenomenology, as a result of the restriction of the empirical method, whereby no one could imagine that an event did not happen in all cases, if you posed the same experimental conditions, which does not happen in psychic phenomena. However, the boom of spiritualism was too great for that science did not feel attracted to intervene in charge of making a first France and England. In the first, the most eminent figure was Charles Richet, a Nobel laureate in physiology, creator of the term that brings this period of research: “The metapsíquica.”

Richet Study A “Ben-Boa”

But back to our topic of the embodiments, and put the reader aware of a curious fantomogénesis studied by Charles Richet in Algiers, which acted as a medium Marthe Beraud, daughter of a senior officer, promised a general’s son, who died in Congo held before the wedding.

This young, petite, brunette, bright eyes, short hair and very clear intelligence, producing a strange ghost who called Ben-Boa, gentleman who appeared touched in a robe and a funny helmet on his head, shaggy beard I talked to the audience. Their feet, however, seemed not distinguished, showing the end of the body with a stump that seemed to hold. Another curious fact of the appearance is always vanished abruptly in a vertical line to the ground, raising suspicion of the possibility that the floor had a trap door through which an attacker could easily slip, given the usual shadows that were developing sessions. But note the conditions set Richet control in the sessions.

The chamber in which experiments were made, was isolated in a small pavilion on one block and under a barn. The window had been convicted and was constantly closed. The only door is kept locked at the beginning of each session, and the flag had no more room than that. “Before each session, along with Delanne, so we looked around carefully.”

“Two shades in the bottom of the chamber isolated from the same kind of staff, completely dark, triangular configuration, whose hypotenuse was represented by a curtain with a length of 2.5 meters or so. Assistants or spectators seated in front, about 50 inches, and sometimes less distance. Among those there were the general and his wife Noel, Mlle. X, Marie and Paul, who were two sisters of Marthe-purposely got high off the curtain, and I Delanne. We received a red lamp light like those used in photo labs. The cabinet had a chair, thoroughly inspected for Marthe, and one for the bold Aischa, maid of the house. “

“They could therefore see perfectly what was passing in the hall. I can also say with absolute certainty that no person could enter it during the sessions. “

“Surely, as Martha was not tied or fastened by hand, the monitoring conditions were more uncertain, but sufficient, however, in order to form an opinion.”

For Richet, as all these statements, establishes the impossibility of fraud by instrumental material, as used in theatrical tricks, he could use the medium, or that the ghost was really a weird guy, hired exprofeso.

Let’s look at how it developed the realization of Ben-Boa: “The ghost of Ben-Boa appeared many times, five or six, in terms of really satisfying in the sense that it can be assumed to be Martha, dressed in a cloth and wearing a helmet. It would have been necessary to bring it and carry one another. Then, simultaneously, in various circumstances, we saw the ghost and the medium. Regarding the hypothesis that it was a dummy, it is still absurd. The ghost walked, gestured, moved: distinguished her eyes, looked slowly around, and when he tried to speak, we saw that her lips moved. “

The Breath “phantom”

“I had such an appearance of life I made the following experience: I took a water bottle filled with barite, and I tried checking if breathing, because you could hear his breathing-produced, as living beings, carbonic acid that clouded the liquid. The experience went well. I kept looking at the bottle from the time I put in the hands of Ben-Boa, who in the left corner of the curtain seemed to float in the air, taller and larger than Martha’s own set up. While the ghost blowing in the tube, you could hear the bubbling of air, while a Delanne asked myself: Do you see a Martha? Delanne I answered: “Yes, I see it completely.” Aischa was away at the other corner of the cabinet, and I clearly distinguished, still asleep. I also saw the silhouette of Marthe perfectly seated in the chair, but could not see his head or right side. “