Observations placeholder
Palladino, Eusapia - The floating trumpet
Identifier
020423
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
The History of Spiritualism – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - CHAPTER XV - THE CAREER OF EUSAPIA PALLADINO
Towards a study of the complexities of medium-ship, especially with Eusapia, the following case is deserving of serious attention. In a sitting with Professor Morselli, Eusapia had been detected liberating her hand from the professor's grasp and stretching it out to reach a trumpet which was on the table. She was prevented, however, from doing this. The report then says:
At this moment, while the control was certainly more rigorous than ever, the trumpet was raised from the table and disappeared into the cabinet, passing between the medium and Dr. Morselli. Evidently the medium had attempted to do with her hand what she subsequently did mediumistically. Such a futile and foolish attempt at fraud is inexplicable. There is no doubt about the matter ; this time the medium did not touch, and could not touch, the trumpet ; and even if she could have touched it she could not have conveyed it into the cabinet, which was behind her back.
It may be mentioned that a corner of the room was curtained off to form what is called a " cabinet " (i.e. an enclosure to gather " power ") and that Eusapia, unlike most other mediums, sat outside it, about a foot distant from the curtains behind her.