The restrictions placed on observers at séances hosted by materialization mediums allowed for so many opportunities of fraud that any evidence was highly suspect. To start with, the room had to be completely dark. Allegedly, spiritual phenomenon could not be produced even if there were a hint of light. The medium would retire to a specially made cabinet where she or he would be tightly bound to a chair. Sitters were instructed to sing hymns to “tune-in” with one another while the medium went into a trance. The hymns could last up to 30 minutes. Then, a dimly lit figure, draped in luminous white drapes would walk out of the cabinet. The specter would walk around the room, but no one was allowed to touch the apparition. It was believed that there was a mysterious bond that existed between the medium and the materialization, and that touching the ectoplasmic ghost could cause the medium to become very ill or even die. At times, however, the image would touch people, then return to the cabinet. Sitters were again asked to sing hymns until the image was “reabsorbed” into the medium and she or he came out of her trance. This could take just as much time as the materialization. Afterwards, lights would be turned up and the medium found still tied in the chair in their own outfit. Gullible sitters couldn’t conceive how someone could perform these feats.
As Spiritualist séances became more poplar social events, mediums were placed under increasing pressure to produce more astounding phenomenon. It seems the messages weren’t important anymore. People not only wanted physical proof of spirits, they wanted to see one. Mediums that were tempted to comply were soon overshadowed by the materializations they produced and mediums all across the globe claimed they too could produce fully formed apparitions of these famous controls.
John King
Stage magicians knew all too well how to dupe the public. In fact, it was the famous Davenport brothers, trained escape artists, who first introduced one of the most imitated specters in the history of Spiritualism; one that would reappear periodically for nearly 80 years. He was known as “John King,” though he confessed his name while living was Henry Owen Morgan, once appointed Governor of Jamaica by King Charles II of England. He was tall and lanky and was often loud and direct. Even though Sir Arthur Conan Doyle possessed a drawn rendition of the swashbuckler and saw no resemblance whatsoever, supporters could not be dissuaded. Soon, he was popping up internationally in public séances. He always carried a lantern so sitters could see his face and guaranteed fame for the medium that produced him.
Katie King
John King’s fame was only eclipsed by his so-called daughter, Annie Owen Morgan, who liked to be called “Katie King.” While she never reached international recognition, sitters adored the ghost. She was youthful, slender and beautiful. She was materialized during a séance in 1871 by 15-year-old Londoner, Florence Cook (1856 – 1904). It wasn’t too long, however, until people began to notice the uncanny resemblance between Florence and Katie. At a séance held in Hackney in 1863, a lawyer named William Volckman violated taboo and seized the specter’s arm and tried to remove the veil over her face. Florence’s fiancé Edward Elgie Corner was in attendance. Assisted by other sitters, the man was wretched away and restrained while Katie fled to the safety of the cabinet. When the lawyer broke free, he flung open the doors and found Florence still bound to the chair and in her regular dress.
Even with the possible exposure, Florence contacted Society for Psychical Research (SPR) member Sir William Crookes and invited him to test her abilities. An endorsement from the SPR, after all, meant instant fame. He agreed on a few conditions. All sittings had to be conducted on his terms and in his own home. She agreed and in 1874, she got her wish. Crookes published his findings in the society’s magazine and pronounced her genuine. But fame is capricious. The spectral Katie began showing up between 1874 and 1875 at séances held in New York at the home of Jennie and Nelson Holmes. Like Crookes, the couple captured her on film. Before the story could hit the stands, though, a woman named Eliza White came forward and confessed to being a coconspirator. She had dressed up like Katie and allowed herself to be photographed. For her confession, the press paid her handsomely.
In 1875, two months after Florence married Edward, Katie said her goodbyes and Florence retired from mediumship. Six years later, however, she returned to the séance circuit and began producing the image of “Marie.” Marie wasn’t nearly as popular as Katie and sittings weren’t what they used to be. The final nail in the coffin of her career came in 1880. Sir George Sitwell seized the apparition by the arm and led her to the cabinet, where he found Florence’s chair empty.
