Observations placeholder

Rudi Schneider – A scientific examination of his mediumship, compiled by Harry Price (Honorary Director, National Laboratory of Psychical Research)

CONCLUSION

We have had sitters (Lord Charles Hope and Professor Pollard) inside the cabinet while the phenomena were happening outside; and we have had Lord Charles Hope sitting outside the cabinet, at the curtain opening, while materializations were taking place inside the cabinet, a few inches away from his eyes and hands.

We have changed the constitution of the circle, varied the arrangement of the sitters, changed the controllers, and Lord Charles and I have purposely absented ourselves from the seances in order that we could say we had done so.

But the manifestations have occurred under every condition of change or control, and both the mediumship and this report are unassailable and final, and nothing can shake them.

On behalf of the Council of the National Laboratory of Psychical Research, I have handed Rudi Schneider a letter really a certificate-stating that absolutely genuine phenomena have been produced through his mediumship, under triple control conditions which had never previously been imposed on any psychic known to the writer.

Not the slightest suspicious action was witnessed by any controller or any sitter. Rudi did everything we told him, at any time, and never queried any experiment. If the Laboratory issued a 'gold medal' or ' diploma' for genuine mediumship under our own scientific conditions we should have no hesitation in awarding it to Rudi. I know of no other physical medium who could claim it-except, perhaps, Miss Stella C.

How many physical mediums would leave their country, home, and friends and place themselves in the hands of strangers, for three months, and pass every test?

I candidly admit I cannot think of another psychic who would do this.

Most of them would exposed in a week under our merciless conditions of control. So that is why we have given a certificate to Rudi stating that in the opinion of the Laboratory officials, he has produced genuine phenomena while he has been under our observation. If Rudi were to be 'exposed' a hundred times in the future, it would not invalidate or affect to the slightest degree our considered judgement that the boy has produced genuine abnormal phenomena while he has been at the National Laboratory of Psychical Research.

No medium in this or any other country has produced such phenomena under our scientific and merciless triple control; and this report represents the most complete scientific investigation of any physical medium who has ever placed himself at the disposal of British psychists. The severity of our control conditions has never been approached previously.