Hereward Carrington

[1] Carrington became a member of the American Society for Psychical Research in 1907 and worked as an assistant to James Hyslop until 1908, during which time he established his reputation as an ASPR investigator.

Carrington and two companions went to Naples to see her on behalf of the English SPR, an experience which strengthened his belief in the reality of psychic phenomena.

The events surrounding Cox had occurred more than thirty years previously, but Carrington contacted surviving witnesses for statements and published a detailed account of the Amherst phenomena.

Carrington in his book The Physical Phenomena of Spiritualism[5] (1907) exposed the tricks of fraudulent mediums such as those used in slate-writing, table-turning, trumpet mediumship, materializations, sealed-letter reading and spirit photography.

A large collection of his writings and correspondence is held by Heidieh Croce, the heir to Marie Carrington's estate, as well as the Princeton University library.

[20] In the corner of the room was a séance cabinet created by a pair of black curtains to form an enclosed area that contained a small round table with several musical instruments.

Podmore said that the report provided insufficient information for crucial moments and the investigators representation of the witness accounts contained contradictions and inconsistencies as to who was holding Palladino's feet and hands.

Hansel noted that they were performed in semi-dark conditions, held in the late night or early morning introducing the possibility of fatigue and the "investigators had a strong belief in the supernatural, hence they would be emotionally involved.

Milbourne Christopher wrote regarding the exposure "when one knows how a feat can be done and what to look for, only the most skillful performer can maintain the illusion in the face of such informed scrutiny.

"[26] In 1992, Richard Wiseman analyzed the Feilding report of Palladino and argued that she employed a secret accomplice that could enter the room by a fake door panel positioned near the séance cabinet.

Wiseman discovered this trick was already mentioned in a book from 1851, he also visited a carpenter and skilled magician who constructed a door within an hour with a false panel.

[4] However, Massimo Polidoro and Gian Marco Rinaldi who analyzed the Feilding report came to the conclusion that no secret accomplice was needed as Palladino during the 1908 Naples séances could have produced the phenomena by using her foot.

[28] Among Carrington's best known subjects was Mina "Margery" Crandon whom he observed in 1924 on behalf of the Scientific American as part of an enquiry into Spiritualism, sitting on a committee alongside Harry Houdini, J. Malcolm Bird, William McDougall, Walter Franklin Prince and Daniel Frost Comstock.

[38] The book was negatively reviewed in the British Medical Journal, which commented that Carrington's "facts are taken at second hand, and that his arguments are derived from quotations from a vast number of writers, of whom the majority are entirely unknown and carry no weight.

"[38] The journal found Carrington's statements about curing all disease by prolonged fasts unsupported by scientific evidence.

The reviewer stated that Carrington made many assertions unsupported by evidence and "his book is a strange medley, and hardly merits serious consideration in a scientific journal... [but is] remarkable as an instance of the lengths to which a fad can be carried.

[38][39] Henry Gilroy wrote that Carrington "went on to the end of his life as a true pioneer and an indefatigable searcher for truth.

"[46] Anthropologist and skeptic Edward Clodd described Carrington as an "adept at disclosing spiritualistic chicanery, but, strangely enough, believing in a residuum of genuine phenomena.

"[48] Journalist Wilfred Whitten described the work as "one of the most extraordinary books that I have read for a long time" and praised Carrington for his entertaining writing and exposure of spiritualist trickery.

[51] According to the psychical researcher J. Malcolm Bird, during a meeting Houdini and Carrington's differences emerged and they argued "well into the night".

[51] Historian Ruth Brandon has described Carrington and Houdini as "old enemies", noting their differences of opinion on the Crandon case.

[52] Skeptic Joseph McCabe wrote that Carrington was a talented conjuror who had exposed the tricks of mediums but was deceived by Eusapia Palladino.

[53] Strong criticism of Carrington's investigation of Palladino has come from psychologist Millais Culpin (1920) and philosopher Paul Kurtz (1989).

Culpin criticized Carrington for not educating himself about psychological factors; he suggested that Palladino's behaviour was a condition of hysterical dissociation but he had failed to recognize it.

[54] Kurtz has written that Carrington attended unofficial sessions with Palladino and reported on several occasions she "transferred her telekinetic powers" to him to move objects without physical contact.

[4] Carrington was the primary consultant and contributor of story ideas for The Mysteries of Myra, a 15-episode silent film series released in 1916 (photo to the right), which introduced "realistic" supernatural concepts such as automatic writing and astral projection to the screen.

Carrington with his "ululometer" ghost detector, or "psychic howler", in 1922
Sketch showing the layout of a séance in the 1908 Naples investigation.
Palladino, ca. 1900
The Natural Food of Man , published in 1912
The Mysteries of Myra (1916)