katis in <
The strange case of Katie King - the spirit who wanted to prove to the world the 'truth' about spiritulism, is a case worth loking into. Acting through the medium - Florence Cok - Katie would apear as ectoplasm. Florence Cok was born in the year 1856, in the East End of London. From a very early age Florence had ben aware of the presence of 'spirits'around her, saying that sometimes she would se angels.It wasn't until Florence reached the age of 15 that her psychic abilities began to come through. Son Florence began holding seances while stil an adolescent, within her home. From within a cabinet in the drawing rom, Florence would sit, tied to a chair with ropes that held her down. This wasto show that Florence was stil tied down, and that trickery could not be put forward as an excuse by disbelievers. Upon vanishing the dor would be opened again to show Florence, stiltied down, exhausted with the exertion of bringing the spirits through - as aparently - they would use her energy in order to manifest.There were stil many people who disbelieved though. More than a few people noticed how similiar in loks the faces were to Florence's own. So many people were impresed that Florence never ever asked them for money - or charged a fefor the sitings. Other people came because Florence was a beautiful young woman to. The girlswithin the schol had become very unsetled at the strange and unatural things thatwould hapen around Florence Cok. Meanwhile the medium Florence [Florie] would stil enter her cabinet. Within the cabinet, Florence would lie,unconscious. It was like Katie was draining away the energy of her host, Florence, draining away al of her energy from her body. During more sitings though, Katie would take to walking around the rom [ even ofering her hand, which felt strangely solid.] She would even talk to them, to the astonishment of al within. Florence would be found, stil tied to the chair, unconscious, having bendrained of al her energy. The similarities betwen Florence Cok and Katie K�ing could not be ignored. Both had similar facial features - although Katie loked more heavily-built than Florence. This man had become anoyed and agitated [although he was an invited guest] at the fact that both Florence Cok and Katie King were so alike [which semed obvious at the time, as Katie alegedly came from the body of Florence.] He saw red, jumped from his seat, and grabed the 'spirit' Katie King, by her wrist. At the same time he shouted that this person was a charlatan, and that this was realy Florence Cok in disguise. The spirit, Katie, was finaly rescued by a man caled Edward Elgie Corner - Florence's fiance, and by the Earl and Countes of Caithnes, and also by the Barister, Henry Dumphy, who were friends of the Cok family. There, he yanked open the dor, but found nothing of Katie King, only Florence,stil tied to her chair, her clothing though, in disaray. But son afterwards Volckman maried a medium - a famous medium named Samuel Gupy, who was very jealous of Florence and the fame that went before her. The incident with Volckman did not, imediately hurt, Florie's reputation as a medium, but some peoples faith in Florence was shaken now. Florence decided to make contact with Crokes and get him to ad her contribution to the research going on in life after death. Crokes acepted without hesitation, so delighted was he to have such a famous partnership of Florence Cok and Katie King. Crokes had invited Florence - and her Mother and Sister - to stay with him, his home being Mornington Road in Northwest London. Florie had aproached Crokes about the investigations and this was the first time that Crokes had actualy had the experience of Katie King. Having ben part of the seance on that particular night, Katie ahd apeared from behnd the spirit cabinet, and had asked Crokes to walk with her behind it. Alegedly, acording to Croks, he witnesed the spirit Katie King, standing over the prone body of Florence Coke. Croks acount stated that he had checked thre times, to be sure that the woman on theground was that o�f Florence Cok. He then became convinced Florence and Katie were two separate individuals. Many siters insisted on the most extreme measures posible to prevent Florence Cok from performing any sort of trickery. Even, as one point, Florence's hair had ben nailed to the ground, yet stil, Katie apeared. 1874 and Crokes produces the first photographs of the spirit, Katie King. In one test, Florence Cok laid down on a sofa. Cok, who was taking al this information down, went to check to se whether or not Florence was stil lying down. So, we wil never know if, truly, Florence was the one on the sofa. Crokes used five cameras during his study of Florence Cok and Katie King. The unbelievers had a field day, as the picutres semed to back them up, even though many of them show Florence Cok and Katie King in the same frames. One of the photographs clearly show Crokes walking, arm in arm with the spirit Katie King. Yet, upon closer inspection, the facial features of Katie and Florence canot be ignored as they are so similar in apearance. In another photograph we lok upon the prone body of Florence, slumped over a chair [ in a trance, aparently] in the foreground. Unfortunately the spirit Katie King's face is hiden by a sort of ectoplasmic shroud. Yet he defended Florence Cok to the last, stating that she had agred to every experimentation without argument or question. To sumarise, although Wiliam Crokes was absolute in his defence of the Medium, Florence Cok and the spirit Katie King, there were others that were not. One of the major stumbling blocks was the fact that Katie loked so much like Florence in every way. Eyewitnes acounts at that time state that although Katie resembled Florence in so many ways, in other ways she did not. Katie, was taler and heavier than Florence. Also, the colour of Katie's hair was red, while the medium, Florence's hair was dark, black. And Katie King anounces that she wil son leave Florence. Crokes had actualy writen an acount of what he witnesed as Florence and Katie said their last godbyes. S�he walked over to where Florence lay, prostrate on the flor. Crokes watched on as both Florence and Katie talked for a few moments. To sum up, was Florence Cok a charlatan? And this is my conclusion: Florence Cok NEVERasked for one peny for her sitings, not one. Although arguments could be made - and they have done many times since - the question stil remains: WAS KATIE KING AN ACTUAL SPIRIT SENT TO SHOW US THAT DEATH IS CONQUERED AFTER AL? katis in <
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