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.
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 |
| Walker, Mr. Wm., Psychic Message in Handwriting of | 94 |
| Walker, Mr. Wm., Specimen of Handwriting of | 94 |
THE CASE FOR SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY
CHAPTER I
THE CREWE CIRCLE
An accusation of a damaging, and, as I believe, of an entirely unfounded character, has been brought forward by Mr. Harry Price against Mr. Hope, whose name has for more than seventeen years been associated with the strange phenomenon which has been called spirit photography. I will deal later with this accusation with which the Society for Psychic Research has unfortunately associated itself by publishing the report of it in their official journal. Before touching upon it I should wish to take a broader sweep and to show the overpowering weight of evidence which exists as to the reality of Mr. Hope’s most remarkable gift.
If a man were accused of cowardice it would be natural that his defender should not confine himself to the particular case, but should examine the man’s whole career and put forward instances of valour as an argument against the charge. So also if a man is accused of dishonesty a long record of honesty would be his most complete defence. Therefore in considering the case of Mr. Hope, and the value of his mediumship, one must not limit one’s investigation to a single case, where errors of observation and of deduction may creep in, but must take a broader view which will embrace an account of a long series of cases, vouched for by men and women of the highest character, and incompatible with any form of fraud. If the reader will have the patience to follow my facts and my argument, I hope to make it clear to any unprejudiced mind that there is overwhelming evidence that we have in Mr. Hope a man endowed with most singular powers, and that, instead of persecuting and misrepresenting him, it would be wiser if we took a sympathetic view of his remarkable work, which has brought consolation to the afflicted, and conviction to many who had lost all belief in the independent life of the spirit.
Many speak of Mr. Hope and of the Crewe Circle without any definite idea of what the words mean. Let me explain, then, that Mr. William Hope, who is a working-man, discovered, some seventeen years ago, quite by chance, that this remarkable power of producing extra faces, figures or objects upon photographic plates had been given to him. In the first instance he was taking a fellow-workman, and the plate, when developed, was found to contain an extra figure which was recognised as being a likeness of his comrade’s sister, who had recently passed away.
This form of mediumship is rare, but from the days of Mumler, who