“I fancy father’s record alone should be sufficient to satisfy any sensible being. I daresay I can find well over twenty psychic results received from him on different occasions, most of them under reasonable test conditions.
(Signed) “H. Walker.”
The Crewe Circle invariably place implicit faith in the messages they receive from the other side. These worthy and simple people are very closely in touch with their invisible helpers, who advise them, by means of photographic messages, in their troubles and ailments. Occasionally the advice given has been directly opposed to the wishes of the mediums, but they never hesitate to carry out these instructions, which usually prove that the directing intelligences possess knowledge and foresight far exceeding that of their human instruments.
I can appreciate that some of my readers will experience difficulty in accepting these remarkable statements. When first I heard of these marvellous things I put them down to credulity, exaggeration, and so forth. However, I determined to get at the truth for myself. Nothing less than personal experience would satisfy me. The first psychic photographs I saw did not very greatly impress me. As a photographer, I recognised that I could produce similar results, and with the conceit that comes from ignorance I suggested they were fakes. Even as fakes they were interesting, however, and on inquiring further into the matter I discovered that the conditions under which they had been secured would necessitate smart work on the part of a trickster. Also I was puzzled to understand how photographers of the calibre of Mr. J. Traill Taylor could be easily gulled. Eventually I travelled to Crewe in a rather critical frame of mind, but fully prepared to be fair to the mediums. I received a surprise. The result obtained bore a strong resemblance to myself. It could easily be taken as a twin brother. I had a brother who, when he died, was a little older than myself. I was given practically a free hand in the photographic operations, and was impressed by the faith and honesty of the mediums. To detail all the precautions I took from time to time to eliminate the possibility of conscious and even unconscious deception, in my further experiments, would prove a wearisome business. Suffice it to say that the use of my own apparatus and specially-prepared plates, the dismissal of the medium from the dark room for all the photographic operations, the sharp look-out that was kept for certain known methods of faking, and the conducting of experiments with the mediums in my own home, eventually convinced me, beyond all doubt, of the reality of psychic photography.
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.
With the three photographic sensitives most known in this country I have secured remarkable results. 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. Moreover it is not essential, in every case, that Mrs. Deane should have the plates beforehand for magnetising. On several occasions, members of the S.S.S.P. have, without Mrs. Deane’s knowledge, substituted a fresh unopened packet of plates for the unopened packet she has had with her, without interfering with the success of the experiment.
Mr. Vearncombe has been most successful as a medium for obtaining results on plates in sealed packets. Effectively to test Mr. Vearncombe, I devoted a great deal of time to wrapping and sealing packets which could not possibly be tampered with without leaving some trace of such tampering. Others have done likewise, and on the plates in such packets, which after the most careful scrutiny have revealed no evidence of tampering, we have secured successful results. On one occasion I persuaded a local professional photographer to seal a packet of plates before I handled them. This he did very thoroughly, and then I added my own wrappings and seals and sent the package on to Vearncombe. Within a week the packet was returned intact.
Mr. Frederic Lewis of Birmingham, who co-operated with me in this test, is a technical photographer of more than average ability and his certificate is of value. In this he states:
“I certify that on May 14th, 1920, I wrapped and sealed an unopened packet of Imperial Special Sensitive ¼-plates and handed the packet to Mr. Fred Barlow, who then fixed his own wrappings and seals. Mr. Barlow brought back the packet of plates to me on the morning of May 20th, 1920, and in my presence broke his own wrappings and seals. I then very carefully verified that my own seals and wrappings were intact and am quite convinced that these had not been interfered with. I personally developed the plates in the presence of Mr. Barlow. On two out of the twelve plates in the package distinct negative images of faces developed—one face on one plate and three small faces on another. I can offer no explanation of this result apart from being perfectly satisfied that no trickery or deception was practised.