Glimpses Of The Next State.Pdf - Spiritualists' National Union

38Those who assert that Craddock is an ordinary vulgar cheat are as much in error as theinfatuated women who have written him expressions of sympathy and confidence. Six clairvoyantsof undoubted power, five of whom are professionals not previously acquainted with him, have satnext to me at his séances. All assured me that the manifestations they witnessed were genuine, andthree described to me forms which subsequently made themselves known to my non-mediumisticsenses.I have not sat with Craddock since his exposure. He is undoubtedly a psychic, but his guideGraem is not to be trusted, and one never knows when he may be again tempted to “help out” hisséances by bringing into the room on his person drapery and articles that should have no placethere. He was condemned, not because he was found outside the cabinet, but because he refused stest of honesty which the sitters had a perfect right to demand. We were all glad that he escapedimprisonment at the subsequent trial for fraud. The fine that was inflicted by the magistrates atEdgware crippled him for some time, taught him, I hope, the valuable lesson that “honesty is thebest policy”.I pass on to a few brief descriptions of manifestations I saw when sitting with Husk in 1905-6. Allthe séances I shall refer to were held in our private rooms in St. John’s Wood and in George Street,Portman Square. Many of the phenomena were precisely the same at one meeting as another; it isno use repeating these. I propose only to record those incidents at the séances which struck me asspecially remarkable.February 7, 1905. Circle of eleven people.In the middle of the materialisation’s Foli sang “Rock’d in the Cradle of the Deep” with specialemphasis and power. The volume of sound filled the lofty room. He had strength to sing a fewwords of “Off to Philadelphia in the Morning” before he departed. The zither (known as the“fairy bells”), worked by the spirit “Ebenezer”, played round the circle over the heads of all thesitters, rose to a height of ten or twelve feet above the table, still playing a definite tune, then dashedthrough the floor, played beneath, and returned to the room as on previous occasions. TheCaptain D. alluded to in Craddock’s séances came to me; I said, “I am very glad to see you. Didyou materialise for me before last night? I never met you in earth life, and did no know you.”The head bowed and the slate dropped; then my hand was stroked three times, and a whisper cameout of the darkness: “You are right Admiral; I came to you as a link of sympathy between me andA. My kind remembrances to him.”John King took great pains to dematerialise deliberately. I saw his head enter the table.The Spirit controls called “Uncle” and “Joey” talked until Husk was quite normal. One sitterasked Uncle, “Are you using the medium’s throat? If so he must have a long neck.” (The sitterwho asked the question was about four feet from the medium). When we were singing, spiritvoices joined in from above with great strength.February 13, 1905. Uncle was heard talking after Husk came out of trance.February 14, 1905. A gentleman who was present spoke to the Greek priests in Russian,and obtained brief but satisfactory replies. The room rocked under our feet.February 21, 1905. Circle of thirteen people. My relative A. recognised two friends in thematerialisation’s. One of the had, in life, a Jewish nose and was identified by that feature.March 14, 1905. Circle of thirteen people.I was discussing with a lady the unevenness of the tops of the table. Uncle came close up to me andsaid: “Admiral, it wants a good holystoning doesn’t it?” The word “holystoning” is almostunknown to any person outside of a man-of-war. The decks of the old wooden vessels wereholystoned once a week; the effect was to make them smooth and clean. I thought this remarkshowed a knowledge of trifling terrene matters that was extraordinary. No other person in theroom knew what the spirit was talking about.