Testimony about Katie King in Epes Sargent´s book "The proof palpable of immortality,
being an account of the materialization phenomena of modern spiritualism",
publiced for the first time 1875, p. 43-67:
(the second part of Epes Sargent´s text about Katie King is in the next blogpost)
"The 12th of May, 1874, a spirit calling herself "Katie King"
appeared in a materialized form at a seance in Philadelphia,
Mr. and Mrs. Holmes being the mediums. Dr. Henry T.
Child, himself a "sensitive/' and at the same time an expe-
rienced and studious investigator, was present. He writes
that on the 5th of June, while he and Bobert Dale Owen were
among the witnesses, Katie King appeared in "a very beauti-
ful shape, clothed in white robes." June 7th, they had a long
conversation with Katie at the cabinet, window. She allowed
Dr. Child to count her pulse ; it was about seventy- two per
minute, and perfectly natural. She also permitted him
to see her tongue, and asked if he thought she was "right
well"
Mr. Owen was of the opinion that the "Katie King," or
" Annie Morgan, " who thus appeared, was identical with the
spirit who for three years communicated through Miss Cook
in London. There were many circumstances, however, that
threw doubt on the identity. The features were unlike those
of the London Katie. In London the Holmeses, one or both,
had been proved to possess remarkable medial powers; but it
was also charged that they would sometimes eke out their
manifestations with imposture. It will be seen further on
in my narrative (page 114) that both Mr. Owen and Dr. Child,
having encountered what seemed to them doubtful features
in the phenomena, withdrew their confidence and publicly
expressed their dissatisfaction. When we consider that they
had been forewarned by English investigators that frauds
might be anticipated, the wonder is that they should have
been so over-sanguine in their expressions of confidence under
the circumstances. That genuine phenomena were given,
however, there is now every reason to believe. The whole
subject of spirit materialization was thrown under a cloud
for a time by the conflicting statements growing out of the
Holmes affair. But as the phenomena through other mediums
were multiplied, and test conditions were adopted, and the
number of witnesses greatly increased, the affair gradually
dwindled into insignificance.
In weighing charges of imposture, it should be borne in
mind by investigators, that however the ignorant may scout
and ridicule the idea, it is nevertheless probable that under
certain inharmonious conditions such mischievous spirits may
be attracted as will force an unconscious medium to do things
automatically which, to the inexperienced, look like deliber-
ate frauds on his part. The more we study the phenomena
the larger becomes our charity for the sensitives through
whose peculiar receptiveness to influences good or bad the
wonders are wrought.
The power of spirits to reproduce simulacra of persons who
have passed from the earth-life suggests the question, How
far can we be assured of the identity of any spirit, let the
tests be what they may ? We have not yet arrived at that
stage of enlightenment that would enable us to reply confi-
dently to this inquiry. The John Kings and the Katie Kings
who have come in the full form, and conversed with mortals,
have not yet given proofs of their identity, that can be sub-
stantiated by documentary evidence. In claiming to have
been Sir Henry Morgan and a contemporary of Raleigh, John
King does not give us such minute corroborative proofs as
must be had before his declaration can be accepted.
There is much that is yet a puzzle in the language and ac-
tion of this class of materialized spirits. How far they are
limited in their mental operations and in their recollections
by the act of materialization, or how far by the intellectual
horizon of the medium, is still a question. In other cases,
proofs of identity, both mental and physical, satisfactory to
the recipients, have been given, as Mr. Hazard, Mrs. A. A.
Andrews, and others from whom I have quoted, testify.
It is satisfactory to discover that the further we proceed in
investigation the more apparent does it become, that if there
are deceptive, frivolous, immature spirits, there are also those
who are sincere, intelligent, affectionate and earnest in their
efforts to do good. The great majority, as in this world, are
of the unintellectual sort. Perhaps the development of a
spiritual sense in ourselves is needed before we can have a
confirmation, that can be conclusive, of identity. Perhaps,
under mortal and spiritual limitations as they now are, we
can have only an approximate assurance. The science of
Spiritualism being still in its infancy, we may hope for more
light on this question.
As for the Orthodox notion that "the devil is the only
spirit authorized to communicate with the laity," and that all
spiritual communications that do not come through certain
prescribed channels are Satanic, this will hardly weigh with
people of common sense engaged in a strictly scientific in-
vestigation.
"Nothing is so brutally conclusive as a fact," says Brous-
sais; and, therefore, facts must win in the long run. The
truth itself, and not our mere conceptions of what ought to
be true, must ultimately prevail.
Meanwhile we see the significance of the caution to us to
''try the spirits;" to try them not by conjuration through
this or that name, however sacred, but by our reason, the pu-
rification of our motives, and the singleness of our aspirations
for the truth.
Plainly it is not the proved law of our being, that we should
surrender to any one, mortal or immortal, the custody of our
individuality, our reason, and our self respect. Every earnest
and rational spirit, whether in the flesh or out of it, at the
same time that he has relations to the universe, and the uni-
verse to him, would seem to be impelled by the environments,
the restrictions, and the varied experiences to which he is
subjected, and by the fallacies with which he soon finds that
all human teachings and interpretations are mixed, to exer-
cise his own reason, to discipline his own powers, and to de-
velope his own individuality; end, while courting all good
influences, to resist the dictation of those who would con-
strain him, by aught else than appeals to his sense of right,
to adopt their opinions or walk in their ways.
Think as I do, or drink the hemlock," embodies in words
the monster sin that is not confined to mortals or to ancient
Athens. As there were spirits of old who would try to force
a way for their authority by a " Thus saith the Lord," so there
are spirits now who claim a divine infallibility when they can
find dupes to heed them.
Spiritualism enforces upon us the fact that in being loosen-
ed by death from this exterior husk we call a body, the veri-
table man is not greatly changed. With a corresponding organ-
ism of subtler elements, he starts on his new career from the
vantage-ground, low or high, which he has attained to here.
Condition follows character ; and the spiritual environments
which our prevailing thoughts and affections, our noblenesses
or our meannesses, have created for us in this life, will impart
their beauty or their deformity to our objective surroundings
on our entrance into what is now to us the unseen world.
The news of the manifestations through Mrs. Andrews, at
Moravia, N. Y., was received by Spiritualists in England
with some incredulity, accompanied by a wish to ascertain if
similar phenomena could be had through their own mediums.
Accordingly, several of these began to sit for spirit forms.
The faces appeared at the seances of Mrs. Guppy, and subse-
quently Messrs. Heme and Williams succeeded in obtaining
these manifestations at dark circles, the spirits manufacturing
a light of their own, which they held in their hands to show
themselves by.
Certain phenomena in the presence of Miss Florence Eliza
Cook, a young lady of fifteen, daughter of a member of the
Dalston Association of Inquirers into Spiritualism, began to
attract attention in England the latter part of the year 1871.
The spirits producing these manifestations claimed to be
John and Katie King, and their daughter Katie ; but Morgan,
they said, was their true earth- name ; and Katie, on several
occasions, would sign herself, Katie King, properly Annie
Morgan.
At numerous seances in America, and at those of Heme
and Williams, in England, spirits calling themselves John
and Katie King have frequently manifested themselves. The
name King would seem, for some reason, to be a favorite one
among the class of spirits giving physical manifestations.
"John King" used to make himself audible, at an early
period, at the sittings of the Davenport Brothers; and, subse-
quently, at those of Jonathan Koons, in Dover, Athens Co.,
Ohio, where he once made a long address, written by a spirit
hand apposed to be his own, in which he calls himself, a
"servant and scholar of God," and says: "We know that our
work will be rejected by many, and condemned as the pro-
duction of their King Devil, whom they profess to repudiate,
but do so constantly serve by crucifying truth and rejecting
all that is contrary to their own narrow pride and vain imag-
inings."
In manifesting himself through the English mediums, John
King claimed to be identical with this spirit, and it cannot be
denied that a certain unity of speech and character has dis-
tinguished him on these occasions. He asserted that his name
on earth was Sir Henry Morgan, and that he was a contempo-
rary of Sir Walter Raleigh.
The 20th of March, 1873, at a sitting in London, of which
full particulars are given by the well-known publisher, Mr.
James Burns, in "Human Nature/' for April, 1873, the spirit
claiming to be John King manifested himself in a material-
ized form so successfully that a sketch was made of him by a
skillful artist. The seance took place in the daylight, Charles
E. Williams being the medium. This sitting was followed
by another the next week (March 27th), when John King ap-
peared visibly, as before, as solid and material as an ordinary
human being, while the medium's hands were held by Mrs.
Burns, and he sat entranced in his seat.
On this last occasion the spirit spoke aloud, saying : "You
won't doubt any more, will you? It is God's truth, is it not?
It is a glorious truth. God bless you! It is. God bless you!"
Having more than satisfied the sitters, he withdrew inside the
cabinet, but returned to the aperture to renew the colloquy.
While Mrs. Burns dragged the medium's hands through the
door of the cabinet into full view, John King also showed his
at the window: the test was complete.
Of the sincerity and intelligence of Mrs. Burns, no one who
has made her acquaintance, as I have, can doubt.
The genuineness of the mediumship of Mr. Williams has
been tested by Prince Wittgenstein and others, who have sat-
isfied themselves of the objective appearance of "John King"
and his wonderful lamp. Even Serjeant Cox admits that he
has found Mr. Williams "most trustworthy." On the 14th
of May, 1874, at a seance held at the house of Mr. Chinnery,
in Paris, 52 Rue de Rome, when John King with his lamp
was seen, a young man rushed forward to seize the spirit.
The latter eluded his grasp, leaving behind only a small por-
tion of the drapery which covered the form. A light was
struck, and the medium was found entranced in his chair.
He was searched, but nothing in the slightest degree suspi-
cious was discovered. What had become of the drapery? The
integrity of Mr. Williams was fully vindicated.
At some experiments at Mr. Cook's house, April 21st, 1872,
of which Mr. W. H. Harrison, editor of the London Spiritu-
alist, has given an account, a dark seance for the voices was
held, Miss Cook and Mr. Heme being the mediums. The fol-
lowing remarkable incident occurred: A tapping was heard
upon one of the window panes; the bar of the shutter was
unlocked and taken down, and the shutter opened, and John
King's voice said: "Cook, you must take that plug out of
the gutter, if you don't want the foundations of your house
sapped. The gutter is stopped up." On examination this
proved to be true. It had been raining, and the area was full
of water. Nobody inside the house knew of this until told in
this remarkable way.
" Strangely human all this!" you will say; "so strangely
human, that we think there must have been a human person-
ator of the spirit ! " But, as I shall have stranger things
than this to relate by and by, I will only pause to remark
that the incident is in full harmony with occurrences the con-
firmation of which, under test conditions, is ample.
We now approach the early manifestations through Miss
Cook, in whose presence the phenomena eventually became
so marked. On the 22d of April, 1872, a seance was held at
which Mrs. Cook, the children, and the servant were wit-
nesses. In the endeavor to abolish dark seances, Mr. Harri-
son had made experiments with different kinds of light.
He had tried, at Mr. Cook's house, a phosphorescent light,
made by coating the inside of a warm bottle with phosphorus
dissolved in oil of cloves, and then letting in the air.
The oil was left at Mr. Cook's, as will be learnt by the fol-
lowing passage from a letter from Miss Cook herself to Mr.
Harrison, under date of April 23d, 1872. I quote the passage
because it is interesting as giving us some notion of the intel-
lectual calibre of the writer, Miss Cook, who was soon to be-
come so famous as a medium :
" Yesterday afternoon Katie told us that if we liked to put
up a cabinet of curtains for her, she would try to show us
something, but as I was not developed enough for her to take
enough phosphorus from me to show her face by, we were to
give her some of your phosphoric oil, I was delighted, and
at half-past eight yesterday evening all was ready. Mamma,
auntie, the children, and the servant stood on the stairs. I
was left alone (not in my glory, for I was very frightened)
inside the breakfast-room. Katie began by giving mamma
some fresh ivy leaves; none were in our house or garden of
the size she brought. A hand and arm with a white sleeve
came to the opening holding the bottle of oil; then, at the
lower opening in the curtain, came a face, unveiled, the head
covered with a quantity of pure white drapery. Katie held
the bottle to her face so that all outside could see her plainly.
She remained for quite two minutes. It was an oval face,
straight nose, bright eyes, and a very pretty mouth. She
again came to the opening, her lips moved, and at last she
spoke. All outside could see her lips moving; she talked
with mamma some few minutes. I could not see her face
plainly, so asked her to turn and show me. She said, 'Of
course I will,' came to my chair and bent over me. She was
materialized only to the bust. From there she went into a
cloud, slightly luminous. She told mamma to look at her
carefully, and made the observation that "she knew she
looked most unearthly". It was indeed very startling. I was
too frightened to move or call out when she came near me.
She used no tubes for speaking. The last time she appeared
she stayed quite five minutes, and directed mamma to send to
you, asking you if you could come here one day this week. . . .
Katie King finished her seance with "God bless you all. I am
so pleased to show myself."
On the occasion here referred to by Miss Cook, the face of
Katie King was described by Mrs. Cook, as "looking white
and deathlike, while her eyes were fixed and staring, as if
made of glass."
At a seance at Mr. Cook's, April 25th, 1872, Katie made
several efforts to materialize a form. Mr. W. H. Harrison
was present. He has given a curious description of some of
the performances. The medium, Miss Cook, sat in a dark
room. A scraping noise was heard; Katie had some spirit
drapery in her hand, which she rubbed down over the medium
to collect some of the "influence" used by spirits in materi-
alization. A conversation, in low tones, varied with an occa-
sional scraping noise, then took place between Florence Cook
and the spirit :
Miss Cook— Go away, Katie; I don't like to be scraped.
Katie— Don't be stupid. Take that thing off your head and look at me.
(Scrape, scrape.)
Miss Cook— I won't. Go away, Katie; I don't like you. You frighten
me.
Katie— Don't be silly. (Scrape, scrape, scrape.)
Miss Cook— I won't sit for these manifestations. 1 don't like them.
Go away.
Katie— You are only my medium, and a medium is nothing but a ma-
chine. (Scrape, scrape.)
Miss Cook— Well, if I am only a machine, I don't like to be frightened.
Go away.
Katie— Don't be stupid.
Miss Cook, who as yet had not been entranced by the spirit,
said that the spirit's head and shoulders were materialized;
but below, her form melted into thin air. Katie would be
sometimes high up and sometimes low down, so that the bust
nearly touched the floor, in which position she looked "most
unearthly." It sometimes appeared as if a head were "wan-
dering about with no legs or body, visible or invisible."
At the next sitting Miss Cook was entranced by the spirit,
and a little benzoline lamp was used for seeing the material-
ization. The spirit would cry out "higher," or "lower," as
she wanted the light adjusted. Mr. Harrison gives the fol-
lowing interesting account of what occurred:
"Katie's face came out, all the rest of the head being ban-
daged round with white, 'in order,' she said, 'to keep the
power by which she materialized herself from passing away
too quickly.' She said that only her face and not all her head
was materialized. This time all present had a good look at
her, and saw her features. It was remarked that her eyes
were closed. Each time the face came out for, perhaps, half
a minute. Afterwards she said, 'Willie, see me smile,' and,
again, 'see me talk,' suiting the action to the word. Then
she said, 'Now, Cook, turn on the light.'
"The light was turned fully up, sending a bright glare
upon the face for an instant, and for the first time Katie King
was clearly seen. She had a young, pretty, happy face, and
sparkling eyes, with some little mischief in them. It was not
ghastly, as when Mrs. Cook and family saw it, on April 22d,
'because,' said Katie, ' I know now how to do it better.'
"When her face in its natural colors was seen in full
light, nearly all the observers said, ' We can see you all right
now, Katie.' 'Well, then,' said, she, 'clap!' Accordingly,
there was a shower of applause, in which Katie joined by
thrusting out her arm and hand, holding a fan taken from the
mantelpiece; with the fan she began to gleefully beat the
wall outside the door, and to ring the bells hanging above the
door.
"During the interval of one hour for supper, Mr. Thomas
Blyton came in, and he was present at the next sitting. Katie
showed herself as before. Once she said, 'Put out the light,
and strike a match when I call".This was done, and at the
moment of the striking of the match, her face was again seen
for an instant in a full light. She showed her face a second
time in the same way. Once she said, 'Cook, don't gaze at me
too fixedly; it hurts me.' On another occasion she said, 'The
light hurts me; it makes me feel tired.' All along she was
very careful in adjusting the amount of light, and the dis-
tance of the sitters from the curtains. Now and then she
said, 'Sing, sing, all of you.' Singing evidently helped her
as much as at an ordinary seance.
"She threw out about a yard of white fabric, but kept hold
of it by the other end, saying, 'Look, this is spirit drapery.'
I said, 'Drop it into the passage, Katie, and let us see it melt
away; or let us cut a piece off.' She replied, 'I can't; but
look here!' She then drew back her hand, which was above
the top of the curtain, and, as the spirit drapery touched the
curtain, it passed right through, just as if there were no resist-
ance whatever.
"She then threw it out again, and again the yard of
drapery passed through the curtain. It was a clear case of
something which looked like solid matter passing through
solid matter, and we all saw it. I think that at first there
was friction between the two fabrics, and that they rustled
against each other; but that when she said ' Look here !' some
quality which made the drapery common matter was with-
drawn from it, and at once it passed through the common
matter of the curtain, without experiencing any resistance."
Mr. Blyton, in a published communication, confirms all that
is reported as occurring in his presence, by Mr. Harrison.
"At times, when speaking," says Mr. Blyton, " Katie's fea-
tures were very natural and human. On our requesting to
see a piece of the white drapery, the spirit held out a strip
from the opening, resembling muslin in appearance. On her
withdrawing her arm and hand, this white spirit drapery dis-
appeared through the curtain. This passing of the drapery
through the curtain was repeated several times."
As Miss Cook's mediumship grew in power, she was placed
above the temptation of exercising it for gain. Mr. Charles
Blackburn, of Manchester, with a wise liberality, and in the
cause of science, supplied the means for this.
For a long time only a feeble light was permitted at the
manifestations of spirit forms. The face of the spirit would
be covered with white drapery, the chief use of which was
said to be to economize the power by enabling the spirit to
leave part of the head unmaterialized.
As the developments went on, Katie began to exhibit not
only the whole of her bare face, but her hands and arms, in a
strong light. In these early stages, Miss Cook was almost al-
ways awake during the manifestations ; but sometimes, when
the weather was bad, or other conditions were unfavorable,
Katie would entrance her, the purpose of which was simply
to increase the power, and to prevent the mental activity of
the medium from operating as an interference. After a time
Katie never appeared without the medium being in a trance.
Some sittings for recognizable faces were had in the pres-
ence of Miss Cook; but they began, as did Katie's manifesta-
tion, in a weak light, and were imperfect. They were aban-
doned, therefore, for the more marked phenomenon in which a
certain success had been won. Two instances, however, in
which recognizable faces were presented through Miss
Cook's mediumship, occurred, and seem to have been well
authenticated.
At a sitting at Hackney, Jan. 20th, 1873, Katie changed
her face from white to black in a few seconds, several times ;
and to show that her hands were not mechanically moved,
she sewed up a hole in the curtain. On the 12th of March,
at Hackney, Miss Cook's hands being tied and sealed, Ka-
tie, with her hands perfectly free, walked out of the cabinet.
A month or two later, several photographs were taken of
Katie, under strictly test conditions, and by the magnesium
light *
Thus it was not till after many imperfect trials and partial
materializations, accompanied with very gradual develop-
ments of increasing force, that the spirit Katie, in the full
human form, and habited in white, as represented in her
______________________________________________________
* An account of these sittings, by Mr. J. C. Luxmoore. Justice of the
Peace for the County of Devon, may be found in the London Spiritualist
of May 15th, 1873.
________________________________________________________
photographs, came forth in the light from the cabinet, and
walked about the room before a semi-circle of spectators.
Dr. J. M. Gully, formerly of Great Malvern, England, a
thoroughly experienced physician and a careful investigator,
under date of July 20th, 1874, writes me as follows:
" To the special question which you put regarding my ex-
periences of the materialization of the spirit-form, with Miss
Cook's mediumship, I must reply that, after two years* ex-
amination of the fact and numerous seances, I have not the
smallest doubt, and have the strongest conviction, that such
materialization takes place, and that not the slightest at-
tempt at trick or deception is fairly attributable to any one
who assisted at Miss Cook's seances.
"That the power grows with use was curiously illustrated
by the fact that, for some time, only a face was producible,
with, occasionally, arms and hands; with no hair, and some-
times with no back to the skull at all— merely a mask, with
movement, however, of eyes and mouth. Gradually the whole
form appeared— after, perhaps, some five months of seances —
once or twice a week. This again became more and more
rapidly formed, and changed, in hair, dress, and color of face,
as we desired.
" The voice came long before the whole form of the body,
but was always husky, and as if there was a whispering ca-
tarrh ; save when she joined us in singing, when she gave out
a most lovely contralto.
The feel of the skin was quite natural, soft and warm ;
her movements were natural and graceful, except when she
stooped to pick up anything from the floor, when it seemed
as if her legs as well as her trunk bent backwards.
" When that photograph* was taken, I held her hand for at
least two minutes, three several times, for we sat three times
for it on one and the same evening ; but I was constrained to
close my eyes by reason of the intense magnesium light
which shone directly upon me ; moreover she desired that
________________________________________________________
* The well-known published photograph, in which Katie is represented
standing with Dr. Gully sitting at her side and holding her hand.
________________________________________________________
none of us would gaze at her whilst the lens was directed up-
on her.
" I believe that much information might have been obtained
from her concerning the outre-tombe, but the circle seemed al-
ways bent on talking chaff to her, complimenting her, and in-
dulging in ordinary inconsequential conversation; for only
on one or two occasions was I (who hate all the nonsense
that was said to and by her) able to put a few questions on
the subjects about which every thoughtful Spiritualist is nat-
urally anxious.
" It may be questioned whether these spirit beings can con-
vey anything like an accurate idea of their state and powers ;
but I believe that, just as their power of physical manifesta-
tion augments with use, so would their power of mental com-
munication increase were an intelligent curiosity always pre-
sented for their sympathetic reply. In fact, I believe that if
less idle and more serious curiosity was felt by the circles,
spirits of a higher and more powerful character would sym-
pathetically come and teach by vocal words, written words,
inspired words.
"So soon as a man has convinced himself of the reality of
the spirit-presence, and the absence of all deception, he
should, I think, use all his will power to place his own spirit
in a state of reception for spirit knowledge, and feel assured
he will get it. Physical manifestations are the alphabet of
the subject, and if Spiritualism went no further it would do
but little for humanity.
"But I quite believe in your suggestion, that, carried out
to its consequences in thought and sympathy, it is destined to
abolish a thick cloud of darkness which at present renders all
religions more or less superstitious, and all philosophy a mere
circle; and to substitute a light which will enable the mind in
a body to hold communion with minds whose freedom enables
them to see the workings of Great Cause and Great Effect,
and so to bring forth a philosophic religion; whilst philoso-
phy itself will be able to look ever onwards instead of going
round and round, as it has done from Plato to Mill, tedious
to study, and barren of result.''
Similar materializations to those through Miss Cook had
taken place not unfrequently in America, at seances where
the light was very dim. Mr. Home, Mrs. Mary Hardy,
Messrs. Bastian and Taylor, Mrs. Maud Lord, Mrs. Jennie
Lord Webb, and others had, while sitting in the dark or in
twilight, satisfied many of the presence of materialized spirits,
who made themselves felt and heard, if they could not be dis-
tinctly seen. The materializations through Miss Kate Fox
had satisfied Mr. Livermore, Dr. Gray, and Mr. Groute of the
objective reality of the appearing forms.
But the bold and startling manifestations through Miss
Cook, occurring in the light, and in the presence of a dozen
or more spectators, were peculiarly impressive and satisfac-
tory; and I give prominence to her case on this account. The
manifestations, after the initiatory experiments had been
made, were conducted under strict test conditions, and in the
presence of persons of well-known character and intelligence,
whose single object was the establishment of the truth; the
apparition, being visible under the most powerful light, and
solid to the touch, could be subjected to tests which were
eventually supplied by scientific men and found satisfactory ;
and the medium, being exempted from all necessity of asking
pay from the investigators, was comparatively independent
and free in allowing the manifestations to take their course.
At a sitting at Mr. Luxmoore's, Nov. 18th, 1873, a witness,
well known to me personally, Mr. Benjamin Coleman, was
present, and from his account I have abridged the following :
The seance was given in the large drawing-room, in which
an ordinary fire was kept burning throughout the evening.
The small drawing-room, separated by sliding doors, was ap-
propriated as a cabinet, and a dark curtain was hung between
the open parts, by which all light was excluded. A lamp was
placed on the table of the audience room, where there was a
fire, and at no time was it dark. The fourteen ladies and
gentlemen, who formed a horse-shoe circle in front of the cab-
inet, could see each other the whole evening.
A low chair was placed in the cabinet, upon which Miss
Cook, the medium, was seated-, and Mr. Coleman and Mr.
Blackburn were invited by Mr. Luxmoore to see her secured.
Her hands were tied together with tape, the ends of which
were sewn and sealed with wax; and then the tape was
passed around her waist, and tightly knotted and sewn, and
sealed again. The tape was then passed through a staple in
the floor, leaving a slack of about a foot, and there knotted
again. Thus it was impossible for Miss Cook to move from
her seat more than a few inches.
The ties were all found secure, and the line of tape undis-
turbed, after the seance; and even had this precaution not
been taken, the fact that, the instant Katie disappeared, the
medium was found tied and differently clad, and asleep in her
chair, would have satisfied any reasonable person that there
was no trick or attempt to deceive. Whatever the figure of
Katie might be, it evidently was not Miss Cook.
The figure of Katie entered the room. She was clad in
a loose white dress, tied in at the waist, having long sleeves
terminating at the wrists, with a close hood on her head, long
lappets hanging over her shoulders, and her hair closely
banded.
She at once saluted each of the company in turn, first ask-
ing the name of the only stranger unknown to the medium.
Mr. Coleman asked Katie if she had shoes and stockings on.
She said, "No," and at once drew aside her dress, and show-
ed that her feet were naked ; and to satisfy all, she raised one
foot on to the dress of Mrs. Corner, in the most natural man-
ner, and said, " Now you can all see that I have bare feet,
can't you ? "
There were pencils and sheets of writing paper on the ta-
ble, and Mr. Coleman asked her if she would be good enough
to write something for him. "Yes, I will," she said, taking
a chair, and sitting down on it. "What shall I write?" Mr.
Coleman said he was engaged in getting up a testimonial to
Judge Edmonds, and perhaps she might have something to
say to him.
Upon this Katie raised one knee, and commenced writing;
but, finding the position uncomfortable, asked for something
hard "to rest the paper upon". This being supplied, she
wrote off the following letter : —
"My Dear Friend— You have asked me to write a few words to you.
I wish you every success with regard to Judge Edmonds's testimonial.
He is a good man, and an earnest worker. Give him my affectionate
greeting. I know him well, although he does not know me. My power
is going, so with every good wish,
I am your sincere friend, Katie King,
"Properly Annie Morgan. "
The letter was handed back to Mr. Coleman, who read it
aloud, and then said to her, "I see you have not addressed
it;" she took it back and deliberately folded it upon her knee,
and wrote on the back, "Mr. Coleman."
On his requesting her to let him feel the texture of her
dress, she replied by coming round past the back of Mr. Lux-
moore's chair sideways, as there was barely room to pass, and
holding up the dress to Mr. C; he took it with both hands,
and pulled it, and it was to all appearance, in substance, as if
it were made of strong white calico. She then passed round
the circle and shook hands, by gently touching the hands of
each. Both her hands and her face throughout the seance
were of a perfectly natural color, the reverse of pallid; her
cheeks were red, and hands decidedly so; in fact, her whole
appearance was that of a gentle and graceful young woman.
She stooped down to pick up two sheets of paper which were
in her way whilst crossing the room, and stepped aside to lay
them on the table.
"This completed," writes Mr. Coleman, "the impression,
which all must have felt, that we had been for an hour and a
half holding intercourse with an intelligent living woman,
who glided, rather than walked about, and who showed by
her constant watchfulness of the medium, that there was the
tie to which she was bound. It was altogether a marvelous
exhibition."
Prince Emile of Sayn Wittgenstein, who was present at a
seance at Mr. Luxmoore's, December 16th, 1873, published in
the Revue Spirite, of Paris, an account of it, which was trans-
lated by Dr. G-. L. Ditson, from whose version I quote most
of the following:
" The gauze curtain of the cabinet was agitated, and a
naked arm was thrust forth and made a sign. Then the right
side of the hanging was opened, giving us a view of an appa-
rition of ravishing beauty. She stood erect; the right arm
was across her breast, the other fell at her side, holding the
curtain. She seemed to review the persons present. It was
the spirit of Katie, a thousand times more lovely than her
photograph.
"I had before me a young lady of an ideal beauty, supple,
elegant, and clad in most graceful drapery, with chestnut
locks visible through her white veil. Her robe, trailing like
that of an antique statue, entirely covered her naked feet.
Her arms, of surpassing beauty, delicate, white, were visible
to the shoulders. Their attachment to the body was finely
statuesque ; and the hands, a little large, had long, tapering
fingers, rosy to the ends.
"Her face was pale and rather round than oval. Her
mouth, smiling, shewed beautiful teeth. Her nose was aqui-
line ; her eyes were very large and blue, almond-shaped,
shaded by long, heavy eyelashes, and having eyebrows deli-
cately arched. And, to conclude, there was in this apparition
the grace of a Psyche descended from her pedestal.
"Yet this rare feminine embodiment, this faithful repro-
duction of one many years dead, was soon to evaporate and
disappear like a breath! One might mistake her, seen from
a distance, for Miss Cook; but the apparition was large, with
slender waist, while Miss Cook, though pretty, is much small-
er, and her hands are not as large as Katie's. There could be
no mistake: they were two distinct personalities.
'The apparition seemed to regard me with curiosity, and I
saw in her something that reminded me of a spectre, and that
was the eye. It was as beautiful as possible, yet it had a
haggard, fixed, glassy expression; but in spite of that, with
mouth smiling, with bosom heaving, she seemed to say, "I am
happy to be a moment among mortals". She then remarked,
in a sort of tremulous whisper, but with infinite grace, 'I can-
not yet go far away from my medium, but soon I shall have
more force.' When she was not fully understood, she repeat-
ed her words with infantile impatience.
" I asked to be favored with a sight of her foot; she grace-
fully raised her robe to comply with my request, and, when
being solicited to show more of it, the robe was lifted to the
ankle, and I saw a delicate foot, like that of an antique
statue, white, plump, lovely as a child's, high and arched, the
toes finely attached, and of a purity of design irreproachable ;
but all this ensemble was as if of one piece, and the real life
was wanting.
" Katie King talked, laughed, chatted pleasantly with those
present, calling each one by name with a roguish, infantile,
defiant vivacity; gesticulating with her right hand as do the
women of the Orient, with the movement of the fingers and
curvature of the hand peculiar to that people; accenting her
words with the most gracious movement of her head; often
with gentle modesty gathering her veil about her neck; in a
word, in everything, in her features, form, costume, gestures,
giving an impression of the women of the Levant that could
not be mistaken.
" A man of little intelligence, who was present, having ad-
dressed some rude words to Katie, she crumpled some paper in
her hand, and threw it at him with an expression of disdain.'
As an evidence of the spirit's clairvoyant powers, Prince
Wittgenstein sends the following to the London Spiritualist
of July 10th, 1874, in a letter from Nieder Walluf, on the
Rhine :
" A very striking fact, in direct writing, was recently ob-
tained by Miss Cook, at my request, putting my sealed letter
at night on her dressing table, with some pencils and sheets
of paper near it. The letter, closely sealed by me, was fur-
ther put into a second envelope by Mr. William Crookes, who
also sealed it several times with his private signet.
When it was sent back to me with Katie's answer, his
seals, as well as mine, were quite intact.
" Katie copied the contents of my sealed letter to her, word
for word, without a mistake or omission, on a separate sheet
of paper. She also wrote an answer to me, with the follow-
ing postscript :
"I have given a copy of your letter, dear friend, to show you I have
really read it. I must trust to your good nature to excuse any errors, as I
have never done anything like this before.— A. Morgan, or Katie King."'
Dr. George Sexton was for many years one of the most
earnest of the secularist teachers, and an energetic lecturer
against Spiritualism and all other forms of belief in a future
life. After fifteen years of skepticism, during which, how-
ever, he did not disdain to investigate, the needful evidence
came. In his own house, in the absence of all mediums other
than those members of his own family and intimate private
friends in whom mediumistic powers became developed, he
got evidence of an irresistible character that the communica-
tions came from deceased friends and relatives.
Dr. Sexton's first attendance on the manifestation through
Miss Cook, took place at Mr. Luxmoore's, Nov. 25th, 1873.
The usual precautions for the satisfaction of skeptics were
taken. Tied as she was, it seemed to him impossible for Miss
Cook to remove from her seat more than a few inches. We
quote the concluding portion of his testimony:
"The seance commenced, as is usual, with singing. The
lights were turned down, but not so low as to prevent our see-
ing each other most distinctly, and being eye-witnesses of all
that was taking place in the room. The medium speedily be-
came partially entranced, hands were shown at a small aperture
at the top of the cabinet, and Katie gave indications of being
present. Soon after, the curtain was moved aside, and the
full form of the spirit, dressed in white, was distinctly seen
by all present.
"Katie requested me to ask her questions, which I did con-
tinually for at least half an hour. These questions were
mostly of a semi-philosophic character, having reference
mainly to the laws and conditions under which spirits assume
materialized forms, and such, therefore, as it is very question-
able whether a young lady like the medium would have been
able to answer. They were all replied to so satisfactorily
that more than one well-known and highly-educated Spirit-
ualist present stated that they had obtained information
which they had previously often wished for, but could not
procure.
"The spirit form came out of the cabinet several times dur-
ing the evening, and walked about amongst the audience.
She showed her feet, which were perfectly naked, and stamped
them on the floor to prove that she was not standing on tip-
toe, this latter fact being a very important one, seeing that
she was at least four inches taller than Miss Cook. Her fig-
ure and complexion were almost totally unlike those of the
medium. She came across the room to me, patted me on the
head, and returned. I then asked her if she would kiss
me. She replied she would try to do so. In a few minutes
she again crossed over to me, and kissed me on the forehead
three or four times. I may here remark that although the
sound of the kisses were distinctly heard by all present, and
the attitude of the figure seen, I felt no pressure of the lips
whatever.
"Toward the end of the seance the spirit requested me to
examine the cabinet to see that the medium was still fastened
in her chair. Mr. Luxmoore lifted the curtain, and said, 'She
is still there, lying down in the corner.' The curtain was
then dropped again, and I, being on the opposite side of the
room, had, of course, not seen into the cabinet. The spirit
immediately inquired, 'Did Dr. Sexton see that?' I replied,
'No, I did not.' 'Then,' she said, 'come and look; I want
you to see.'
" I at once crossed over to the cabinet, raised the curtain,
and looked in. There I saw Miss Cook, sitting, or rather ly-
ing, in a trance on the chair in which she had been fastened,
knots, seals, and all intact. The seance continued for some-
thing over an hour. I may remark that the spirit in the course
of the evening wrote several short notes to persons present.
The following was the substance of the one given to me :
"My Dear Dr. Sexton— I am pleased you have asked me questions.
Yours, truly, Annie Morgan."
" Thus ended one of the most marvelous seances at which
it has ever been my good fortune to be present."
Dr. J. M. Gully, from whose letter to myself I have al-
ready given an extract, was for many years at the head of
the well-known water-cure establishment at Great Malvern,
England, and is known to thousands of Americans as a skill-
ful and scientific physician and a thoroughly estimable gen-
tleman. He satisfied himself of the genuineness of the mani -
testations through Mr. Home, several years ago. The 28th
of November, 1873, he was present at Mr. Luxmoore's, at one
of Miss Cook's seances, of which he gives the following ac-
count :
"The spirit, Katie King, appeared this time dressed in a
longer and more flowing white dress than usual, the sleeves
reaching to the wrists and bound there, whilst over her head
and face a beautifully transparent veil fell, giving to the
whole figure an appearance of grace and purity which is not
easily conveyed by words.
The spirit greeted every one in the circle by name ; then
retired into the dark room, where she was heard moving
heavy furniture about, and talking to the medium who was
sealed and bound as usual. She then brought a large bowl
into the circle and gave it to the hands of a sitter. After-
wards she brought a low chair, or prie-dieu, out of the dark
room, and placed it wholly in the circle, sat down upon it,
and desired that the sitters should sing, but not loudly, as
she would try to join them, which she did with the clear con-
tralto voice which she has several times exhibited. It is im-
possible to convey the impression of that voice issuing from
an inhabitant of the outretombe!
She then begged that all would join hands in order that she
might get all the possible power for what she wished to do,
and whilst we, the sitters, did so, she retired for a minute or
two to get fresh power from her medium, returned, and then
deliberately walked around the entire circle (composed of
fourteen persons) and touched each one in turn, some of the
ladies on the cheek, the men on the hands; one man she told
to put out his hand and she would show him that she could
press it, which she did. The circle occupied a great portion
of a large-sized drawing-room. She then desired to be ques-
tioned, and something like this colloquy took place :
"' Is it possible for you to explain to us what are the pow-
ers or forces you employ in materializing and dissolving your
form ?" "No, it is not." "Is it electricity, or does it bear any
resemblance to it?" "No ; it is all nonsense what thy talk
about electricity." "But have you no name or mode of convey-
ing it?" "It is more like will-power than anything else; in
fact, it is the will which is at the bottom of the power I exercise."
"When you disappear where is it to?" "Into the medium, giv-
ing her back all the vitality I took from her. When I have got
very much power from her, if any one of you were to take her
suddenly round the waist and try to carry her, you might kill
her on the spot: she might suffocate. I can go in and out of her
readily, but, understand, I am not her — not her double; they
talk a deal of rubbish about doubles; I am myself all the time."
"When you dissolve, which part disappears the first, the body
or the dress ?" "The body, of course ; its material power goes
back to her, and then the dress goes into its elements." "Do you
think one in the flesh can ever appreciate the powers you use
in manifesting ?" "No; you never can." ( You speak of being
yourself, and not a double of the medium— who were you
when in the flesh ?" "I to as Annie Morgan." "Were you mar-
ried ?" "Yes; but don't talk of that." (At this she retired be-
hind the curtain, apparently either hurt or grieved at the
question, a state she has exhibited before when questioned
about her married life.) She speedily returned, and was
asked, "Have you a husband now?" "Of course I have." "Can
you give us any idea under what reign you lived?" "I left
the body when I was twenty-one years old, and I lived in the
latter part of the reign of Charles I., during the Commonwealth,
and to the early part of the reign of Charles II. I remember
the high peaked hats of the Commonwealth and the broad hats of
Charles I. and II.; the short hair of the men, but Cromwell's
was not short." "
" At this point the time which had been agreed on as the
utmost that could be given, having the health of the medium
in regard, was reached, and, although the spirit expressed a
desire to remain longer, she retired on Mr. Luxmoore's insist-
ing on it, and the seance terminated.
"It is not always, nor even often, that the spirit Katie is
in the humor to give us information of her present and past
history, such as the above, and it has occurred to me that she
declines it because she has been accustomed — too much, in my
opinion — to jokes, and what might be called "chaffing" from
the circle, and this probably is more to the taste of a spirit
who, as she has herself stated, is not by any means in a high-
ly spiritual sphere. But this may be mere speculation on my
part."
Notwithstanding the confidence of these and many other
intelligent parties in the genuineness of the manifestations
through Miss Cook, the phenomena were so extraordinary
that doubt, even among confirmed Spiritualists, would fre-
quently be excited. That a spirit, palpably materialized or
reincarnated, could come into the presence of mortals, that
she should be undistinguishable in appearance from a human
being, that she should allow herself to be touched, write let-
ters before the spectators, converse fluently and audibly, and,
in fact, show all the traits of an average and somewhat petu-
lant young woman, and then disappear at once, on reentering
the cabinet, naturally awakened an amazement akin to dis-
trust.
Although the faces of Miss Cook and Katie were much
alike, it was found, on close examination, that there were
marked differences, varying in degree at different times.
The hair of the two was decidedly unlike; that of Miss Cook
being dark, and that of the spirit of a light auburn or brown.
That the hair of the latter was not false was proved by trac-
ing it back to the scalp. This was done by Prof. Crookes,
and also by Mrs. Florence Marryat Ross-Church. Specimens
of the spirit hair have been subjected to the microscope, and
found to be genuine hair, though rather coarse for a woman.
The spirit-form was repeatedly measured and found to be, in
its bare feet, taller by from two to four inches than Miss
Cook. Other points of difference were noticed; but it is un-
necessary to dwell upon them here, inasmuch as the distinct-
ive individuality of Miss Cook and Katie was subsequently
proved by irresistible tests.
Mr. Coleman suggested the theory that Katie was the double,
or, as the Germans call it, the doppelganger, of the medium;
but he was soon led by Professor Crookes's decisive experi-
ments to abandon the idea.
While even among Spiritualists the element of skepticism
was thus at work, an incident occurred at a seance at Mr.
Luxmoore's, December 9th, 1874, which seemed to be, for the
moment, a triumph of the skeptics. In violation of the condi-
tions of the seance, Mr. Volckman rose from his seat and at-
tempted to seize the supposed spirit. She glided from his
grasp, however, and Miss Cook was soon afterwards found
tied as she had been left.
This occurrence served only to confirm belief in the genu-
ineness of the phenomena, for it drew forth testimonials from
many in behalf of the reliability of the medium. Mr. Henry
Dunphy, a barrister, and well known man of letters, who
was present at the attempt, published in the February num-
ber of London Society (1874) an account, from which we
quote the following :
" I was seated between Lady Caithness and Mr. Blackburn,
holding a hand of each. The apparition appeared several
times and came out into the centre of the room. It was ar-
rayed in a long white dress with a double skirt, had naked feet,
and wore a veil over the head and falling clown below the
waist. Count de Pomar asked whether he might approach it ;
and, having obtained permission, left the circle and walked
straignt up to it. Katie held out her hand, which he took,
and subsequently returned to his seat.
" The apparition then advanced to the portion of the room
farthest from the cabinet, when a person, who to me was a
perfect stranger, jumped up, caught the figure round the
waist, and held it, exclaiming "It is the medium!" Two or
three gentlemen present rushed forward and caught him, and
a struggle ensued. I watched the result with considerable in-
terest, and observed that the figure appeared to lose its feet
and legs, and to elude the grasp, making for that purpose a
movement somewhat similar to that of a seal in the water.
Although the person who made the attempt was apparently
well able to hold on to anything he might happen to clutch, the
apparition glided out of his grip, leaving no trace of corporeal
existence, or surroundings in the shape of clothing."
Mr. George Henry Tapp, of the Dalston Association of In-
quirers, added his testimony to that of others on this occasion,
and threw light on some mooted questions. He says that the
points of difference between Katie and the medium were often
remarkable, not only in regard to features, but as regards
height, bulk, &c. The resemblance between the two was at
times hardly perceptible. When he first saw the full form of
Katie she stood five feet six inches high, with her naked feet
flat on the floor. She was stout and broad across the waist
and shoulders, quite a contrast to her medium, who was much
shorter and petite in person.
Katie has frequently stood by Mr. Tapp, and leaned against
him at seances for several minutes together, permitting him
to thoroughly scan her face and figure in a good light. Once
she laid her right arm in his outstretched hands, and allowed
him to examine it closely. It was plump and shapely, longer
than that of the medium. The hands, too, were much larger,
with beautifully shaped nails, unlike those of Miss Cook, who
was in the bad habit of biting her nails.
Holding the arm of Katie lightly in one hand he passed his
other hand along it from the shoulder. "The skin," he says,
"was beautifully— I may say, unnaturally— smooth, like wax
or marble ; yet the temperature was that of the healthy human
body. There was, however, no bone in the wrist. I lightly felt
round the wrist again, and then told Katie that the bone was
wanting. She laughed, and said, "Wait a bit," and after go-
ing about to the other sitters, came round and placed her arm
in my hand as before."
This time Mr. Tapp was satisfied. Sure enough, the bone
was there.
In two instances he saw Katie with long ringlets reaching
to her waist, the hair being of a light brown color; while the
medium's hair was cut short, and was not curled, its color be-
ing a very dark brown, almost black. Katie's eyes were
sometimes a light blue color, sometimes dark brown ; and this
difference was frequently noticed.
On one occasion Katie, on coming out of the cabinet, held
up her right arm, which was of a dusky black color. Letting
it fall by her side, and raising it again almost instantaneously,
it was the usual flesh color like the other arm.
One evening Mr. Tapp made some jesting remark to Katie,
when she suddenly struck him heavily in the chest with her
clenched fist. He was startled, and, indeed, hurt by the un-
expected blow; so much so, that he inadvertently caught hold
of her right arm by the wrist.
"Her wrist," he says, "crumpled in my grasp like a piece
of paper, or thin cardboard, my fingers meeting through it.
I let go at once, and expressed my regret that I had forgotten
the conditions, fearing that harm to the medium might ensue;
but Katie reassured me, saying, that as my act was not inten-
tional, she could avert any untoward result."
In conclusion Mr. Tapp bears the fullest testimony to the
good faith and integrity of Miss Cook and her family.
That some abnormal power was at work in the manifesta-
tions through Miss Cook, no intelligent investigator seems to
have denied. Katie would not be gone more than forty sec-
onds at most from the circle, when the curtain of the cabinet
would be drawn, and Miss Cook would be found waking from
her trance. It was manifestly a physical impossibility for
her to have changed her gown, put on her boots, dressed her
hair and altered the color of it, and, in addition to all this,
destroyed all trace of the "spirit's" flowing white robes, in
less than a minute.
The question, therefore, reduced itself to this: Does the
mysterious force do all these things, after having thrust forth
the entranced medium to play the part of a spirit ? What re-
mained now to do in this investigation, was to establish still
more conclusively, and by scientific tests, the separate identi-
ty of the two forms.
CHAPTER V
Early in the year 1874, Prof. William Crookes, F. R. S., a
well-known chemist, discoverer of the metal thalium, author
of several esteemed scientific works, and editor of the Quar-
terly Journal of Science, undertook the investigation of the
phenomena through Miss Cook.
In a letter dated 20, Mornington-road, London, Feb. 3d,
1874, Mr. Crookes writes: " Miss Cook is now devoting her-
self exclusively to a series of private seances with me and one
or two friends. The seances will probably extend over some
months, and I am promised that every desirable test shall be
given to me. . . . Enough has taken place to thoroughly
convince me of the perfect truth and honesty of Miss Cook." "
