1922
March 12, 1922.
Mrs. Poole's hands in contact with the table.
The table levitated about 2 feet.
The scale equipment was put in place and the table suspended.
The maximum pressure noted by Dr. Hamilton and Mr. Reed was found to be 10 1/8 pounds.
Raps commence on the table. The alphabet was called. The rappers signaled as follows: "Scab/to/npacew/rl/"
Sitter: "Does this belong to the last message?"
Operators: "Yes." (3 raps)
Mr. Reed and T. G. H. noted that the weight of the table increased at the time of the raps by about 4 pounds.
The table was still suspended. No hand contact. The table oscillated to and fro and was partially levitated. The weight of table decreased down to 4 pounds.
March 19, 1922.
With Poole hand contact there was strong controlled levitation, the table rising about 1 foot and floating from right to left five or six times.
The table was attached to the spring scales.
Strong Raps commenced at once on the table legs.
There was considerable rapping before a signal of three raps, indicating a coming message.
Dr. James A. Hamilton repeated the alphabet, Mr. J. Leslie recorded the letters as they were indicated. Mr. Reed watched the scale indicator. Operators gave the following letters and a mistake signal: "TKLOW/VL...:
J. A. H.: "What did its spell?"
Leslie: "Oh, I can't say! I can't see the letters very well. He turned up the red light and read the message. It says: Love is eternity."
J. A. H.: "Will you give us a further message?"
Operators: "No." (1 rap)
Conversation between sitters. Dr. Hamilton wondered whether or not more than one psychic in the room might cause confusion. He was of the opinion that "they" probably used one medium for one class of work, and another for other work.
Operators: "Yes." (3 raps)
Mr. Leslie voiced the opinion that the raps come through the subconscious mind of the medium.
Operators: "No" (1 rap)
Lillian: "Are the raps produced, as in the Goligher circle, by means of a rod formation?"
Operators: "Yes." (3 raps)
Mr. Reed, who had been sitting outside the circle, now came back to a position in front of the scales in the center, to watch the indicator while trying to hold the medium's hand above the table.
Mr. Reed: "I notice that the raps are louder when I stand near the table."
Operators: "Yes." (3 raps)
T. G. H.: "Does he give out energy?"
Operators: "Yes."
After the sitting Mr. Reed handed in these observations:
During the rapping, the weight of the table averaged 22 pounds.
One loud blow struck, 26 pounds registered.
There was a noticeable increase of weight just before each rap.
The raps came on the legs of the table.
By March of 1922 many experiments had been done on the kinesthetic energy produced by Mrs. Poole.
The events which preceded these appearances were always the same: the energizing of the table through contact with the medium's hands, manifestation of some form of contact phenomena, usually the resistance, followed by the withdrawal of her hands and their control by the sitters on either side of her, one of whom was usually Dr. Hamilton.
These controllers, by sitting closely adjacent to the medium, were also at all times aware, should she inadvertently or otherwise make any bodily movement. At no time - and this applies to these and later investigations - were there observed any movements of a suspicious nature.
The observed range of movements of the table under these conditions were of five kinds - toward the medium, away from the medium, tiltings and rotations in a horizontal plane, and a to-and-fro or swinging movement when the table was hanging from the scales.
That, with Elizabeth, telekinetic phenomena were in all probability but a modification of her contact manifestations is suggested by two lines of observation: first, the fact that almost invariably telekinetic phenomena followed close on the heels of contact phenomena, and usually when the latter were of considerable magnitude; and second, the fact that her reactions were the same in both cases - the sense of tightness and "drawing" about the waist previously mentioned.
As these phenomena were repeated from time to time, it also became apparent that, generally speaking, they were of a definitely purposive nature. That is, not only did the table appear to have a motive power of its own but also to have an intelligence of its own. This, of course, is but another way of saying that the movements were under the direction of an unseen agency of some kind.
After several months of observation, Dr. Hamilton became convinced that some kind of invisible force was operating at a distance from Mrs. Poole, and that this force was under intelligent control. Further studies brought to light certain mental phenomena, pointing to the survival of mind and memory of certain individuals; and certain materialization phenomena appeared, giving some ground for the belief that death was not the end of the human personality.
Forty planned experiments convinced T. G. H. of the following things:
1. Telekinetic energy was a fact. 2. This energy was probably carried or released by ectoplasm - the two phenomena being immediately related - perhaps one and the same. 3. The apparatus that made the raps and moved the table issued from the lower part of Mrs. Poole's body - spontaneously, that is, without her conscious volition playing any part. 4. Back of it all stood a supernormal intelligence - what that intelligence was he was not prepared to say, the evidence that the dead were present was still insufficient for him to advance such a tremendous hypothesis. It was possible that the dead were the operators, but it was not proven. In a moment of reflection upon the work, Dr. Hamilton was much later found to have written the following:
"The Scientific features make this class of work very tedious and often boring to the experimenters. Results have to be extremely slow and consequently repeated experiments tried which fail.
"The factors being so uninteresting makes it practically impossible for some to endure with patience. Many who wish to be entertained give up in disgust.
"Nature keeps her secrets well guarded. And it does not require the permission nor the effort of official science to discover nor to pronounce upon them. They are free to all. But the experimenters must be discerning to check well what they may think they have found - "Seek and ye shall find" is perhaps more true and pertinent to us than ever before in history.
"But always let us use to the uttermost our discretionary powers, not alone to fully examine skeptically and critically what is disclosed; but also in not obtusely refusing to see or consider what others may consider apparent to them."
And then, on April, 1922,
by non-contact raps came the message: "Helping in Amity ... Prepare ... Myers and Stead ..."
On May 29, 1922,
some notes on what the Hamiltons called the "Houghtaling case" were made.
Dr. Hamilton had to this point worked exclusively on the kinesthetic aspect of psychic phenomena, and was not really prepared to countenance proof of human personality surviving physical death.
Briefly traced, the remarkable facts are these.
Mr. James Young, a gentleman who had recently come to live in Winnipeg and had formerly lived in Edinburgh, brought us a letter to read which he informed us was addressed to a lady of whom he had never heard, said to be living in Sharon, Connecticut, the widow of the recently deceased Mr. Warren Houghtaling, who a few days before had purported to communicate through Mrs. Young's mediumship, a powerful mediumship which Mr. Young had been quietly studying for some years. Asked to read his letter to this alleged widow, Dr. Hamilton and the writer did so, and as well filed away a copy of this letter which I still possess. Here is Mr. Young's letter. It speaks for itself.
"Mrs. Wilhelmine Houghtaling Sharon, Connecticut, U.S.A.
P.O. Box 2244, Winnipeg, Man. Canada May 29, 1922
Dear Madam:
A number of my friends who are interested in Spiritualism, and the various forms of phenomena associated with it, meet at my home from time to time for the purpose of investigation.
At a recent meeting we were informed that a Mr. Warren Houghtaling, who resided at the above (Sharon, Connecticut) address, had died on the 1st of March, last, and was anxious that a message should be conveyed to his widow. We were led to understand that an arrangement had been made by Mr. And Mrs. Houghtaling that the one who passed first should attempt to communicate to the survivor.
Before proceeding further with this investigation I should like to be informed on the following points:
Are you the widow of the late Mr. Warren Houghtaling? Did Mr. Houghtaling die on 1st of March last? (I may mention that the date of death was originally given as February 27, but we were informed later that the correct date was march 1st.)
If you are the lady in question will you be good enough to inform me if there was a compact between you and your husband of such a nature as I have indicated. If you will forward me the reply to the above questions I shall be glad to forward you the results of our investigations. For reasons which you can readily understand, we do not wish, as this stage, to be supplied with any information regarding your husband, other than the replies to the above questions, as this would tend to destroy the evidential value of any results which we might obtain.
Your faithfully, (Signed) J. D. Young
Dr. Hamilton's reaction to this supposed manifestation was at this time completely skeptical: for his own experiences of evidential phenomena had not yet begun, although he did not doubt for one moment that such a message had been received, for we both knew that Mr. and Mrs. Young were individuals possessing the highest degree of integrity, with Mr. Young being no credulous investigator but a man endowed with a highly developed mind and widely acquainted with the methods of true research as well. Yet it seemed that it could not be true - this random shot in the dark, so to say, this singling out of one man in many thousands who had died recently and of whom none of us had ever heard. I can recall, yet, with what amazement we read the actual Mrs. Houghtaling's reply confirming the three points. Her original letter (bordered in black) is before me as I write.
Wind Sweep Sharon, Connecticut
Mr. J. D. Young,
Dear Sir,
In accordance with your request I am answering your letter of May 29, 1922.
No. 1. I am the widow of the late Warren Houghtaling.
No. 2. Warren Houghtaling died on March 1st, last
No. 3. There was such a compact between us as you mention in your letter, though of only a half serious nature.
Hoping that this is the information that you want, I am,
Very truly yours,
Wilhelmine Houghtaling.
In the June 10, 1922 issue of LIGHT magazine Lillian Hamilton wrote under the title
Records of a Canadian Circle
A Study of Psychic Messages and Physical Phenomena
We have received the following notes of sittings held at the house of Dr. T. Glen Hamilton, of Winnipeg. In the letter (from Mrs. Hamilton) which accompanies the records, we learn that one of the sitters (Mrs. Poole), a Scotswoman, has developed considerable power for physical manifestations, and that the circle has obtained frequent non-contact movements of the table, complete levitations and many non-contact raps, varying from "ticks" to loud, firm knocks.
Mrs. Hamilton also writes: - "In regard to the 'Myers' message, we think there is some internal evidence suggesting that his mind may be the controlling agency, but we feel that the greatest caution should be shown when the genuineness of the identity of famous men is concerned ... Dr. Hamilton has recently made arrangements to hold a series of sittings at which he plans to carry out some experiments along the lines of those of Dr. Crawford.
