WRONG TIME, WRONG PLAICE: A fishy witchy tale from Leonard Low

Born in 1870 in Melbourne, Bailey became a World famous apport medium who was later exposed as fraudulent. His loyal following, however, stuck with him until he passed away. In 1889, Bailey who was a bootmaker at

the time attended his first seance where he was told that he had abilities of his very own and he began his work with mediumship as a part-time professional medium. In 1902, his work was highlighted in William Terry’s publication Harbinger of Light intriguing the world with his ability to apparently summon items from thin air, otherwise known as apports. Famous spiritualist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was particularly fascinated with Bailey’s abilities producing coins through to live birds and even a live shovel nose shark measuring 18 inches long. For a period of time, Bailey was the personal medium to Melbourne millionaireThomas Welton Stanford,who made a collection of the apports Bailey produced which is now preserved at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. While figures such asDoyle were initially impressed by his abilities, Bailey would later be exposed as a fraud finding that one of his controls was responsible for bringing in the apports which would later ‘appear’. Even after being exposed with figures such as Harry Price outing the claims, Bailey was still practicing up until 1930 where he still had a small, devoted following. Bailey passed away in 1947 and remains the most controversially famous apport medium in the World.

A.J Abbott

A.J Abbott (Albert James) was a selfproclaimed spiritualist from Melbourne Australia. Well, he was really born in Devonshire England in 1856. His family moved to New Zealand and then to Melbourne Australia where he became the pastor of the Free Christian Assembly in Melbourne. As many were in the early 19th century, Abbott became fascinated with spirit photography. In 1910, he gave lectures to an intrigued audience about seances, spiritualism with a presentation projecting images of spirit photography onto a white screen using glass slides. The images were copied from a book by famous spiritualist medium and artist Georgiana Houghton in 1882, which included photographs by many spirit photographers that were later exposed as frauds. The full collection of AJ Abbott’s slides is on display at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia in Canberra, a building that many claim is haunted itself due to its previous life as a morgue and the Australian Institute of Anatomy where it held human remains. The collection covers many areas of spiritualism and is not just limited to spirit photography.

Richard Hodgson

Born in 1855 in Melbourne Australia, he originally intended to work in the field of law. After graduating from the University of Melbourne, his interest in philosophy and the very concept of the paranormal led him to be introduced by a fellow student into spiritualist literature where he eventually found his way to his first séance. He travelled to the UK where he studied at St John’s College in Cambridge. It was there he met Henry Sidgwick (who would become one of the founding members of The Society for Psychical Research) and studied philosophy under his guide. In 1882, he joined the Cambridge Society for Psychical Research where he was involved in investigating the claims of mediums as well as exposing some of the fraudulent activity. In 1887, he became the secretary of the American Society for Psychical Research. It was here he was introduced to the infamous Leonora Piper. She was a popular trance medium that Hodgson became fascinated with. The information given in the sessions he conducted with Piper were so specific and convincing to Hodgson, that he felt it was proofof survival after death and changed his outlook on life completely. Not long before his death, he was quoted as saying “I can hardly wait to die” and 6 months later on December 20th, 1905, he suffered heart failure while he was playing a game of handball. Of course, Hodgson had long promised colleagues he would be back for a visit which were said to have been communicatedthrough the famous Leonora Piper. The evidence, however, was deemed inconclusive and the sessions ceased.

THE LOWDOWN ON WITCHES FISHING FOR A STORY

By Leonard Low

It’s 2020…nearly October. A last chance to go fishing before the first realms

of Winter approach the Fife coast. Pittenween, where late at night the last few deep-sea prawn boats make their way home, the ships mast lights, slowly illuminate the other silent berthed boats in the harbour.

A ghostly quiet as a low tide gently starts to turn. No wind on these nights. Calm, calm sea like a glass surface. Only broken by another cast of the rod of a fisherman and the sea line, making ripples in the dark tide where the moonlight dances over the expanding little wakes. A shadow near of a Heron, sentinel, one legged, but certain death to any crab or small fish that moves near. The gulls now at peace on boat masts and lampposts around the beach, a day long haggling sea boats of excess baits and tourists of chips had finally taken its toll. All is perfect, beautiful melancholy and still, absolute conditions perfect for fishing, so perfect, Leven based Robert Anderson, was fishing alone for a change as his usual friend was otherwise occupied elsewhere…. lost to his own thoughts in a peaceful tranquil surrounding… then it started...

A sharp scream! Then more, obviously a woman in great distress. It came from the right…it continued for a few moments…loud distressing…far too dark to see anything but it was close. Robert dropped the rod, fixed his head gear light and shone it towards the noise. A powerful beam but it illuminated nothing, really disturbing now…still the screams…louder more desperate…Robert now regretting coming alone, the desperate cries continued. As a regular fisherman he knew the noises and calls of the marine life…this was human and someone in a terrible way. Loud distinctive screams for now 20 minutes ...unearthly mournful wails!

Then a thought came. He remembered a book he had read ‘THE WEEM WITCH’ that would give some history to the ruined old harbour to his right…where the screams were coming from.

In 1705 January 30th the final act of a 12-month Witch hunt that had already claimed one life and a Minister so determined it should claim 7 more, saw a woman handed to a mob who hanged her from a ship mast for 5 hours throwing everything at hand at her, in between releasing the rope and dropping her into the sea. The enraged mob finally bored with the nights action, cut her loose where some kind person approached and tried to rescue her, bringing her into the nearest house on the sands… the villagers, furious she was being saved, surged forward and broke down the door of her rescuer. Pulled it from its hinges and ripped her from her safe haven throwing her to the ground outside where again she was assaulted.

The heavy broken door was raised and placed on poor Janet, pinning her to the sand while they found the heaviest stones from the beach to dump down on her, the whole village joining in this effort. The great stones piled up finally crushing the woman to death. They, then mad with bloodlust, rode over her mangled corpse with a heavy ledge pulled by a horse. Its sharp metal runners sliced off pieces from their Witch, where they then picked up the trophies and ran screaming through the town throwing them in the air as they cheered and screamed approval.