Walter Franklin Prince moved from Episcopal ministry to leading psychical research and working against fraudulent mediums
Documented · occurred What these labels mean →Walter Franklin Prince (1863-1934), a clergyman who had been pastor at Methodist and Episcopal churches in Maine, investigated mediumship, telepathy and psychometry 'with a strongly critical eye'. He denounced the Boston medium Mina Crandon ('Margery') as a fraud in Scientific American, and in 1925 left the ASPR to join the rival Boston Society for Psychic Research. He sat on the Scientific American's 1924 committee investigating 'Margery', alongside William McDougall, Daniel F. Comstock, Hereward Carrington and Houdini. The source's further claim that he founded the Boston society is not confirmed in the sources checked.
Evidence
| Relation | Record | Note |
|---|---|---|
| documents | psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk | Psi Encyclopedia (Society for Psychical Research): pastor at Methodist and Episcopal churches; investigations 'with a strongly critical eye'; denounced 'Margery' 'as a fraud in Scientific American'; 'In 1925, Prince left the ASPR to join the rival Boston Society for Psychic Research' |
| documents | archive.org | Houdini, 'Houdini Exposes the Tricks Used by the Boston Medium "Margery"' (1924), full text via Internet Archive: 'The Committee as finally formed consisted of Dr. William McDougall, of Harvard University; Dr. Daniel F. Comstock, formerly of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Dr. Walter Franklin Prince, of the Society for Psychical Research; Hereward Carrington; and Houdini.' |
Sources
| Source | Relation | At |
|---|---|---|
| Empire of the Wheel - San Bernardino 1915 deaths | reports |
Claim
Walter Franklin Prince (1863-1934), a clergyman who had been pastor at Methodist and Episcopal churches in Maine, investigated mediumship, telepathy and psychometry 'with a strongly critical eye'. He denounced the Boston medium Mina Crandon ('Margery') as a fraud in Scientific American, and in 1925 left the ASPR to join the rival Boston Society for Psychic Research. He sat on the Scientific American's 1924 committee investigating 'Margery', alongside William McDougall, Daniel F. Comstock, Hereward Carrington and Houdini. The source's further claim that he founded the Boston society is not confirmed in the sources checked.