“In the forty years experience I have never seen anything that could convince me that such a thing as Spiritualism existed. “And to show you that I wish my letter to be positively authentic, have two friends sign as witnesses. “Regards. “Sincerely yours, (Signed) “Francis J. Martinka. “Witnesses. (Signed) Jean A. Leroy, 133 3rd Ave. (Signed) Billy O’Connor, Magicians’ Club, London.” Another who finds nothing but “gross fraud” in Spiritualism after sixty years of study is A. M. Wilson, M. D., of Kansas City, Mo., Editor and Publisher of _The Sphinx_. He wrote me as follows: 1007 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. My dear Houdini:-- For almost sixty-one years I have been witnessing and investigating Spiritualism and Spiritism as propagated by mediums through their so-called communications with the dead. Up to this time I have not met a medium, celebrated or obscure, that was not a gross fraud, nor seen a manifestation that was not trickery and that could not be duplicated by any expert magician and that without the conditions and restrictions demanded by the mediums or explained by perfectly natural mental or physical methods. Sure there are certain mental and psychic phenomena peculiar to a few persons who use their special gift to delude believers (as well as other credulous persons) with the belief that their work is supernatural, but even these phenomena can be analyzed and explained by any competent psychologist. The thing that first aroused my suspicion and disbelief and started me to thinking and investigating, was, why could not the dear departed communicate direct with their relatives and friends? why talk, or rap, or write or materialize through a medium, the majority of whom are ignorant men and women, though shrewd and cunning; and if through a medium why should the medium need a control, especially of an old Indian chief or prattling Indian maiden? Why a control at all? True there are a few well educated, intelligent and refined mediums in the business and which advantage makes them the more dangerous but none the less fraudulent than their more ignorant confreres. I repeat, that from my first seance in Aurora, Ind., February, 1863, until this date of 1923 I have never met a medium that was not a fraud or seen a manifestation of any kind or character that was not fraudulent. In other words was a more or less crude or skillful magical performance by a clever trickster or tricksteress. (Signed) A. M. Wilson, M. D., Editor _The Sphinx_. CHAPTER XVI CONCLUSION