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Harry Price, the famous English ghost hunter, had a passion for unmasking supernatural fraudsters. RICK HALE delves into three of Price’s most revealing cases
Over the past twenty years, an industry has emerged around the field of paranormal research and investigation.
Thanks to television, the internet and social media, there are dozens of websites selling all kinds of ‘ghost detectors’.
Now many wrongly believe that a muscular DJ from Las Vegas or two plumbers from Rhode Island were the first to use scientific equipment in the search for proof of the existence of ghosts.
That is of course incorrect. That unique distinction belongs to a paranormal investigator who took ghost hunting out of the hands of 19th-century academics and made it accessible to the common folk. The Gentleman Ghost Hunter himself, Harry Price.
Considered highly controversial by many of his colleagues at the time, Harry gave us two of the most scandalous investigations into the unknown in the early decades of the 20th century.
Borley Rectory opened up the possibility of an extreme ghost tour that could last decades.
And Gef, the so-called talking mongoose – a case so bizarre that even the most scientific among us scratch our heads in bewilderment.
And while many in the history of organized paranormal research would consider Harry Price to be the world’s first reckless ghost hunter, there was another pursuit he was passionate about: exposing fraudulent psychics. It was a pursuit in which he was ruthless.
Fraud abounds
In my time as a paranormal investigator, I have met a number of people who claim to have a gift for speaking to the dead or predicting future events.
And to be completely transparent, I can count on one hand: those who I am convinced have a legitimate gift. Or swearing, depending on your point of view.
It was no different in Price’s time. Predatory scammers were everywhere. So Harry Price, a former stage magician, took it upon himself to expose these unscrupulous people. These are some of his most famous cases.
William Hope
In Price’s time, spiritualism and photography were two things that seemed to go hand in hand. They still do that to this day.
And just like the ridiculous bubble photos, and photos that clearly show cigarette smoke, fraudsters and scammers have traditionally used these photos of so-called ghosts to separate the bereaved from their money.
No one in Britain was as adept at this as William Hope.
In February 1922, William Hope was brought to the College of Psychic Science by Price, James Seymour, Eric Dingwall, and William Marriott.
Their goal: to test the man’s extraordinary claim that he could capture images of the dead on camera plates.
The four researchers were pretty sure Hope was full of bunk beds. Price was able to determine that Hope was pulling a bit of hand-holding by replacing his own plates with the sitter’s.
In turn, Harry himself pulled a little with his hand. Price marked Hope’s plates with the Imperial Dry Plate Co. logo. Ltd. If Hope used them, the mark would be transferred.
And Hope fell for the ruse. He replaced Price’s marked plates with his own, proving himself to be nothing more than an impostor.
When the smoke cleared, there was an unexpected consequence: Hope was exposed.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was so offended because he believed the SPR was anti-medium that he, along with dozens of others, resigned from the SPR.
Harry Price later wrote that he was publicly vilified and abused by Doyle and his followers. Such rude behavior continues to this day.
Rudi Schneider
To say that Rudi Schneider extraordinary was an understatement.
In some of his scenes, Rudi amazed those present by not only manifesting ghosts, but also using the power of his mind to make objects levitate.
To the untrained and uninitiated, such a thing was nothing short of miraculous. Harry Price was not there. He was convinced that Rudi was an impostor and that he would prove it.
According to Price, he had in his possession a photo of Rudi Schneider releasing his hand and moving a handkerchief while sitting.
When the photo was released, the mainstream scientific community applauded Price.
Unfortunately, his colleagues in the SPR did not share that view.
They accused Price of conspiring to defame a man with a legitimate gift.
He was accused of faking the photo, but was eventually vindicated by several photo experts who diligently analyzed the photo and concluded that it was indeed genuine.
Rosalie
Mistakes happen, and that’s just a hard fact. Now you would think that a seasoned professional like Harry Price wouldn’t be fooled by mere parlor tricks.
Unfortunately it was, and his opponents rushed at it like a flock of ravenous vultures.
In December 1937, Price was attending a séance when the unexplained happened.
The ghost of a little girl named Rosalie emerged.
The ghost actually allowed itself to be examined by Price. And when Price was done, he was convinced this was just another fraud. Until the lights came on.
When the séance was over, Price made some disturbing discoveries.
The cornstarch he spread around the room remained undisturbed. The doors he locked were still locked. And the tape he used to seal the windows was still intact. Was this a true manifestation of a spirit?
Soon after, two of Price’s biggest detractors, Eric Dingwall and Trevor Hall, called shenanigans and claimed the séance was completely fictional.
Fortunately, a few of those present came forward to confirm that the séance was not only real, but that it had shaken Harry Price to his very soul.
Many years later, Peter Underwood published an anonymous letter and photo confirming that Price was indeed there.
However, it revealed that Rosalie was indeed a fake. The child was nothing more than an actor hired by Rosalie’s father because he owed the mother money. I don’t know about you, but to me that’s sick and twisted.
Harry Price, scourge of fraudsters and a gentleman, has gone down in history as one of the greatest ghost hunters of the paranormal.
Of course, many disagree, believing that he is nothing more than a showman. Nevertheless, despite what you may think, Harry Price left behind a great legacy.
Tell us your thoughts on Harry Price in the comments below!
