Arthur Conan Doyle

“ Hope is a genuine medium, honest and straightforward, and it would take a great deal to shake my confidence in his integrity. I have followed his operations for years, and find them a fruitful source of instruction. It is only those who have experimented in “fake” effects who can realise the difficulties, and with a knowledge of photography I challenge any professional or amateur photographer to produce anything approaching the same effects under any conditions. They find it absolutely impossible under the same conditions. ”

“ I have written this pamphlet because I think that truth has been grievously obscured, and that the fruit of seventeen years of remarkable psychic demonstration is, for the moment, imperilled by the attention of the public being directed entirely to a single case which is, admittedly upon the face of it, of a damaging character. We spiritualists should be, in Stevenson’s fine phrase, “steel-true and blade-straight,” and we should never avoid an issue, or fall into the error of our opponents who have no sense of balance and can only focus their gaze upon one side of a question. ”

“ Naturally enough, in some of the cases that have been reported they find it difficult to believe that such a result could have been produced entirely by a discarnate entity. Therefore they jump to the false conclusion that the result must of necessity have been faked. In a scientific investigation we should first of all concern ourselves with facts, without troubling over-much with theories. A very little first-hand investigation will satisfy any unprejudiced individual as to the reality of psychic photography. ”

“ It is a popular fallacy that it is the easiest thing in the world to fake a “spirit” photograph. Those few photographers who have tried to imitate a genuine psychic effect have usually made the discovery that it is by no means so easy a matter as it appears, even when no restriction is placed on the conditions under which the fake should be produced. When conditions are imposed, similar to those usually obtaining with, say, the Crewe Circle, the difficulty of producing a fraudulent result is enormously increased. ”

“ Her mediumistic powers seem to be akin to those of Hope, and though the latter had all his earlier results independently, he is stronger when he combines his forces with Mrs. Buxton’s.
They both give an impression of honesty and frankness, which increases as one comes to know them more closely. I have never met two people who seemed to me from manner and appearance to be less likely to be in a conspiracy to deceive the public.
They and all their circle are spiritualists of a Salvation Army type, much addicted to the hearty singing of hymns and the putting up of impromptu prayers. ”

“ The plate was hurriedly dried and a print was made for me to take with me, both Mr. Hope and Mrs. Buxton, who knew her recognised it at once. Everyone at home who knew her recognised it immediately, one gentleman saying, “I don’t know anything about spiritualism, but if you want an independent testimony, I am prepared to go on any platform and testify to this being your mother’s photograph.” To me the remarkable thing was, that it was secured exactly twenty-six days after her death. To say Mr. Hope tricked, substituted plates, or in any way defrauded, is puerile. ”

“ Our enemies take the perverse course of dwelling entirely upon negative results, a line of reasoning which would have killed any science in the world. They know, as a matter of fact, very little about the subject, for starting, as they do, with the presumption that it is a palpable fraud, they do not devote to it the time and the close study which it calls for. ”

“ It has been said that recognised psychic likenesses exists only in the imagination of the individuals claiming them as such. It is, alas, too true that some well-meaning individuals will see a likeness where none exists. It is, however, equally true that many bigoted sceptics will refuse to acknowledge a likeness that is obvious to the unprejudiced on comparing normal and supernormal photographs. There are two sides to the question of credulity, and I have known sceptics deny the reality of a likeness where the supernormal effect has been an exact (but draped) duplicate of a normal photograph! ”

“ 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. ”

“ He is, in my opinion, not only a spiritualist, but a fanatic, which is a dangerous thing in any line of thought. We are aware that one must “test the spirits,” but I believe that Hope has such childlike and blind faith in his guides that he would obey their directions whatever they might be. I recollect one case where a distinguished man of science sent Hope a sealed packet, upon which the latter placed it in a bucket of water, under the alleged prompting of some spirit message. The natural result was to alienate the scientific man from psychic photography for many years. ”

“ 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. ”

“ It is a number of years since I first sat with the Crewe Circle, and I have sat with them quite a dozen times since, and on each occasion I have received convincing proof of the genuineness of their phenomena. I have beside me quite a collection of photographs [110] taken by them, and each photo has a message of its own; some contain extras of friends who have passed on, and others contain messages from interested friends beyond the grave. ”

“ One or two might conceivably be the result of imperfect observation or incorrect statement, but it is an insult to common sense to say that so long an array of honourable witnesses, with their precise detail, with their actual photographic results, and with the complete exclusion of any possible trickery, should all be explained in any normal fashion. ”

“ Does anyone imagine that a private forger is retained by Hope and lurks somewhere in that humble abode? It is a problem which calls for an answer, and no talk about conjuring tricks or transposition of plates has the least bearing upon it. It may be remarked incidentally that my own strong desire was to obtain some sign from my son who had passed away the year before. The result seemed to show that our personal wishes do not effect the outcome.
Having failed to get what I desired, I remained at Crewe for the night, and next morning went down to Market Street again. ”

“ We can only say in rebuttal that previous honesty must predispose us to assume that there is no fraud, and remind our readers that if we can only show one single case, which is absolutely beyond criticism, then we have for ever settled the larger contention, that it is possible in the presence of certain individuals, whom we call mediums, to produce effects which are supernormal and which would appear to indicate separate intelligences acting visibly quite independently of ourselves. ”

“ Far too much time, in the past, has been lost in attempting to convince those who do not believe (and those who do not want to believe) , of the genuine nature of psychic photography, and our ignorance of this phenomenon is appalling. ”

“ 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, [14] 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. ”

“ Some prejudice can be excited against Hope by the mere assertion that he is a professional medium. The public is aware that fraud—sometimes unhappily real, sometimes only alleged—is too often associated with this profession. Sufficient allowance is not made for the fact that the papers only take note of psychic things when they go wrong, and never when they go right. ”

“ Spirit, whether discarnate or incarnate, to manifest to our material senses must make use of matter—there must be a medium. A medium, or sensitive, is just as essential for psychic photography as for, say, automatic writing. ”

“ Any such theory is bound to be improbable, but the improbable is better than the impossible, and it is quite impossible that Hope could have known that a plate was secretly marked when it had not been exposed or developed. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Identical transparency markings are to be found on the plates of photographic sensitives from all parts of the world. These particular markings can clearly be seen over the negative obtained by Mr. Harry Price in his experiment [86] with Mr. Hope. I am convinced that the effect obtained on this occasion was a genuine psychic result. The possibility of this is freely admitted by Mr. Price. The fact that in nine cases out of ten the psychic images are the same way up as the sitter suggests that the “something” that occurs actually takes place after the plate has been inserted in the dark slide. ”

“ I discovered early that the mental attitude of the sitter played an important part in the success or otherwise of the experiment. We know so little of the difficulties that have to be overcome—so little of the laws and conditions governing the production of these wonderful results, that it is essential we should approach the subject with an open mind. We must be sympathetic in our methods of investigation. A medium is sensitive in more senses than one, and a little tact and persuasion will succeed where bullying and blustering will fail. ”

“ Whatever may have happened, or may happen, on other occasions, nothing can in the slightest degree shake my firm conviction that, with these three sensitives, I have secured genuine psychic photographic effects. With Mrs. Deane, in my own home, we secured an excellent picture of my father (see Figure 30) . True, Mrs. Deane had the plates beforehand for “magnetising,” but that would not enable her to produce an unmistakable likeness of someone she had never seen—a likeness which could not have been produced from any existing photograph, in the very unlikely event of her obtaining such. ”

“ The dishonest medium is so easily found out that one could hardly make a living at so precarious a trade.
In a very extended experience, which covers many hundreds of séances, I have only encountered fraud three or four times. Had I registered those cases and omitted the others, I would have given the impression of continued fraud, which is exactly how the matter is presented to the public who are continually hoodwinked, not by the spiritualists but by the critics and so-called “exposers” who represent what is exceptional as being constant. ”

“ Vearncombe was a normal, professional photographer, but he found, as Mumler did, that inexplicable extras intruded upon and spoilt both his plates and his business. He then began to study this new power, which he seemed to possess, and to develop it for commercial use. Mrs. Humphreys, a member of the S.S.S.P. and a student of psychic affairs, lived in the same town and submitted him to certain tests which convinced her and others of his bona fides, though I cannot repeat too often that no blank cheque of honesty can ever be given to any man. ”

“ No medium can ever honestly guarantee success, but it would probably be within the mark if one claimed that Hope attained it three times out of five, though the results vary much in visibility and value, being mere vague [16] outlines in some cases, and in others so detailed in their perfection that the extra is clearer and more life-like than the sitter. These variations seem to depend upon the state of health of the medium, the qualities of the investigator, the atmospheric conditions and other obscure causes. ”

“ Price is popular among the spiritualists who know him, and all agree that he would be unlikely to lend himself to any deception. Mr. Dingwall was possessed by an extreme prejudice against Mr. Hope, and yet I cannot conceive him as gratifying that prejudice by such a trick. He cannot, however, be acquitted of having aided and abetted in issuing the libellous pamphlet against Hope before all the facts were known, and before Hope’s friends could examine any of them. It was an unworthy thing to do, and Messrs. Price and Dingwall must share the responsibility. ”

“ Stobart’s is undoubtedly the more scientific, for we have no story of plates being left about for twenty-four days before an experiment, and, as I have pointed out, there is no possible bias. Taken with all the other examples which I have given, and with those given later by Mr. Barlow, I claim that no reasonable man can doubt that Hope’s hands are clean. ”

“ Buxton did was to arch their hands over this magazine camera whilst one of them flicked the shutter-catch. Photographic readers will realise that it is impossible to tamper with the plates in a box camera, in daylight, without spoiling the lot. To enable the “power” to flow from Mr. Hope on to the plates, the controlling intelligence stipulated that Mr. Hope should be allowed to take hold of my right wrist as I dropped each plate into the developer. Psychic effects were secured on two out of the six plates under conditions which, I am convinced, rendered deception impossible. ”