POSSIBLE ACTION TO PREVENT PROBATE

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 100, 22 January 1935, Page 9

POSSIBLE ACTION TO PREVENT PROBATE

Wealthy Woman’s Will FORTUNE LEFT TO SOCIETY OF PROGRESSIVE SOULS’ By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. (Received January 21, 8.45 p.m.) London, January 20. Relatives of Lady Caillard are contemplating taking action to prevent the granting of probate of her will leaving a fortune to the Society of Progressive Souls, Ltd. Sir Vincent Caillard died m 1930, after which his widow became interested in spiritualism and founded the Society of Progressive Souls, of which Viscount Molesworth is president. The society published a book, allegedly written by Sir Vincent’s spirit. Lady Caillard believed that immediately the book was finished, iu August, 1934, she would die. She asked Mr. Arthur Ford, a highly reputed United States spiritualist, to come 'o England and speak at her funeral. Mr. Ford came and waited until November, the widow surprising herself by surviving. She told Mr. Fprd she received messages from Sir Vincent, whose book purported to be written on a.“communigraph,” resembling a glorified ouija board. The widow, under her husband’s alleged spirit instructions, told Mr. Ford that she was deeding her town house, “The Belfry,” to the Society of Progressive Souls for carrying ou spiritualistic activities. Mr. Ford declares he visited five seances at “The Belfry.” "My investigations did not satisfy me that the comjiiunigraph’ was .dictated from the spirit world or that the voices heard were spirit voices.” Mr. Maurice Barbanell, editor of the “Psychic News,” says: “Mr. Ford is one of the .world’s leading mediums, but I attended ‘The Belfry’ seances and have no reason tj doubt the genuineness of the manifestations." '■ Commander Guy Maund, son of Lady Caillard by her first husband, to-ld the “Daily Mail”: “I am taking legal action because I have reliable information of strange doings at these seances. Once the ‘communigrapli’ was smeared with lipstick after which the fingers of a person sitting near it were found to be smeared with red. The spirits attending these seances were supposed to bring a sweet aroma from the other world but at one sitting a friend of mine grabbed-in the darkness in the direction from which lie heard a sound and seized a scent spray which he still possesses.” Before her death on January 16 Lady Caillard arranged a seance on January ]S. Listeners included Viscount and Viscountess Molesworth. Mr. Barbanell and a Red Indian chief, Oske-non-ton. Mr. Barbanell declares that Lady Caillard :yidr*ssed everybody by their Christian names. Her voice was weak but easily recognisable. When the lights were turned on the spirit hand had left behind a red tulip. a symbol of love from the other world.