HOAXED BY MEDIUM

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 72, 16 November 1931, Page 7

HOAXED BY MEDIUM

A COMPLETE EXPOSURE CHEESE CLOTH AS TLEPLASM Hundrfcds of spiritualists, members of the London Spiritualist Alliance, have been made tine victims of one of the most remarkable hoaxes from both the medical and psychological point of view that has ever been perpetrated by anyone claiming to be a medium. No fewer than 45 siaances at a cost of hundreds of pounds were given to the alliance between last November and March, by one of the cleyerest "mediums" who has ever practised. This "medium" specialised in the production of "teleplasms," or visions, from various portions of her anatomy, and it was her custom to give seances in a full light, which, of course, greatly enhanced hier reputation. It was entirely- due to the persistence of the representatives of the National Lab oratory for Physical Resiearch — which conducts seances from a purely scientifle point of view — that the "teleplasms" produced on 45 different occasions to members of the London Spiritualist Alliance were shown to be in efflect nothing but large pieces of domestic cheese cloth to which various flat pictures had been attaehed. The teleplasm appearied many times and in many shapes. Sometimes it fell in a long festoon from fhe mmit.h and snmetimes from the

nostrils of the miadium; at other times it coiled itself on the floor, entangled itself round chairs, or completely enveloped the form of the medium, shortening and Hangthening itself, and varying in superflcial appearance. In the end it seemed to be re-absorbed into the person of the medium. An X-ray lexamination revealed that the woman was possessed of a remarkable faculty of regurgitation, and that the elements had merely been swallowed befone the seances. The medium' s husband was subsequently interviewed by the council of the National Laboratory, and the results were put to him. He as good as admitted the truth of the allegations, but offered to give one more steance subject to any restrietions whatever. This was never held as the couple subsequently disappieared. UWHI IIII mi I II