Metapsychical Phenomena: Methods and ObservationsMaxwell, J. (Joseph)
Philosophy
Metapsychical Phenomena: Methods and Observations
Maxwell, J. (Joseph)
Parapsychology -- Investigation
This phenomenon is, perhaps, the most convincing Eusapia has given
me in demi-obscurity; it was impossible to produce these three
manifestations simultaneously with a free hand and foot (admitting
there had been substitution): knowing the possible frauds, I had
indicated to my co-experimenters Eusapia’s ordinary tricks. Moreover,
Dr. Denucé and P., a barrister at Bordeaux, were both _au courant_ with
the usual frauds, and were experienced experimenters. I draw special
attention to the visibility of the chair suspended in the air. We only
saw the outline of the chair, but we saw it plainly.
Here is another levitation obtained under conditions which exclude
every device pointed out by Messrs. Hodgson and Maskelyne: teeth,
strap, hook, foot, hand holding the table, pressure of the knees,
etc.:—
‘Afterwards Eusapia makes us get up. She pulls the table into the
centre of the room (telling us she is doing this herself). She
invites M. to hold her feet; M. goes under the table. Eusapia becomes
impatient, and says to him “_dietro_” because the table would hurt her;
M. stoops down behind Eusapia, and seizes her by the feet. Eusapia then
says she is going to raise the table without touching it. A circle is
made around the table, which, after several oscillations, rises up
vertically. The top of the table reaches as high as our foreheads.
‘A second time the table is levitated under the same conditions, and
to the same height. The experimenters are all standing up around the
table, and no hand at all touches it.’
The table stood out plainly against the window. It would have been easy
to see the limb or instrument which was in contact with it, had there
been any such contact.
Professor Sidgwick ‘often asked Eusapia—or rather John—to favour him
with a hand-grasp when he was holding the two hands of the medium in
his two hands, since he regarded this as the only mode of holding the
hands which could ever be perfectly satisfactory to him.’ He solicited
in vain. Now we obtained this phenomenon frequently:—
‘Eusapia takes Dr. D.’s two hands, and gives him her two hands to
control. Under these conditions Dr. D. is touched. Eusapia does the
same thing with P., who is several times touched.’
Here are some phenomena obtained with a bright green light. ‘One side
of the table rises up, followed by two good levitations: the table is
levitated to a height of about one foot six inches, and remains from
two to three seconds in the air. Eusapia’s hands are well controlled
and visible; her feet do not move. The feet of the table (visible to
me) are not in contact with Eusapia’s dress during the levitation. I
see the dress distinctly; it is motionless. When the levitation took
place no hand was touching the table.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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