Palladino, Eusapia

An Encyclopaedia of Occultism (1920)

The most famous physical medium of recent years, and one whose phenomena, investigated at length by some of the most distinguished scientists of Britain, France , and Italy , have led many to conclude that they are genuine manifestations from the spirit world, or that they illustrate the workings of some unknown force. Eusapia was a Neapolitan peasant woman who from her childhood had shown herself possessed of mediumistic powers. In 1892 a group of scientists-Professors Schiaparelli, Brofferio, Geroso, the well-known spiritualist M. Aksakoff, and others-held a series of sittings at Milan, with Eusapia as medium. Some of the séances were also attended by Professors Richet and Lombroso. The phenomena consisted of raps, materialisation of hands, levitation of the table and other furniture within a radius of three or four feet, and fluctuation of the medium's weight in the balance, to the extent of some 17lbs. It was evident even then that Eusapia would not lose an opportunity of using fraud. Nevertheless Professor Richet was so impressed that in 1894 he organised a further series of sittings with the same medium at his house on the Ile Rouband, and on this occasion were present Professornow Sir Oliver-Lodge, Mr. Myers, Dr. Ochorowicz, and at a later stage, Professor and Mrs. Sidgwick. The séances were held in darkness or semi-darkness, but the medium's hands and feet were controlled by the investigators. Mrs. Sidgwick, indeed, declared that Eusapia herself might easily have produced the phenomena, if she had the use of her hands, but Professor Lodge and others were inclined to attribute them to some external agency. In the following year further séances were held at Mr. Myer's house at Cambridge, and when it became evident that Eusapia frequently freed a foot or a hand Mr. Myer's own faith in the phenomena was temporarily though only temporarilydestroyed. Professor Richet and Sir Oliver Lodge, however, retained their convictions unshaken. Dr. Hodgson, who had already suggested that Eusapia might use some such method, was also present at the Cambridge sittings. Besides those already mentioned, many prominent Continental scientists investigated Eusapia's manifestations among them being M. Camille Flammarion, Professor Morselli, and M. and Mme. Curie. The two last mentioned were members of a committee of the Institut Général Psychologique of Paris, which held an important series of sittings with the medium in 1905, 1906, and 1907. In 1908 and 1909 again, the Society for Psychical Research instituted a fresh enquiry into Eusapia's methods. On the whole, scientific opinion is still much divided as to the genuineness or otherwise of the phenomena. Some authorities, taking into consideration the many times the Italian medium has been caught cheating, and the absence of really conclusive tests, incline to the belief that Eusapia is merely a clever conjurer. Such were Dr. Hodgson, Mr. Podmore, Professor and Mrs. Sidgwick. Others, again, such as Professors Richet and Lombroso, M. Camille Flammarion and Sir Oliver Lodge, are of the opinion that the instances of fraud are mere incidents in the career of a true medium, whose performances plainly demonstrate the operation in the material world of strange, unknown forces.