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Eileen J. Garrett Page of Nandor Fodor’s Scrapbook

A page from a scrapbook with two newspaper clippings and three photographs. The first photograph shows a woman leaning back in a chair with a glasses-wearing man standing beside her. The second photograph shows a group of five people standing in front of a fireplace in a home. Some people are addressing the camera while others are not. The third photograph shows a white woman with short, slicked hair, a black top, and sparkling earrings facing to the right with her head and eyes facing the camera.

This is page 39 of a scrapbook created by parapsychologist Nandor Fodor and primarily focuses on an investigation he held with Eileen J. Garrett. It features photographs and clippings of articles taken from different periodicals. Each item has a typed note from Fodor explaining its context.

The article in the top right corner is an obituary for Harry Grindell-Matthews and does not appear to have any connection to Garrett.

The article in the bottom left is from the November 5, 1936, edition of Light: A Journal of Spiritualism, Psychical, Occult and Mystical Research. It was originally titled “Laying a Ghost: Mrs. Eileen Garrett Takes Part in an Interesting Investigation” and has been reproduced in its entirety below:

A ghost story authenticated well up to the point of credibility was told by Dr. Nandor Fodor, Research Officer of the International Institute for Psychical Research, in the course of a lecture at Queen’s Gate Hall, South Kensington, on Friday evening, October 30th, on “My Recent Experiences in a Haunted House.”

The “home” of the ghost was Ash Manor House, near Guildford. Its presence there was vouched for by the occupants, Mr. and Mrs. Kelly, and a retainer named Miller. All these had seen the ghost at different times and described it in similar terms—a little man with mud-covered leggings and with a ghastly throat wound. Also it was often heard when not seen. So apparently solid was the ghost that Mrs. Kelly mistook [it] for a physical intruder and when it did not answer her challenge she struck out at it—and her hand went right through it and hit the wall. Mr. Kelly also, on another occasion, tried to seize the ghost, but his hand closed on nothing—although the ghost remained visible.

When Dr. Fodor’s attention was called to these manifestations, he undertook to find out if anything could be done to “lay” the ghost. Exorcism had been tried, but without result. Once a month on the average the ghost appeared—as it had appeared to previous occupants of the house. Dr. Fodor spent three nights in the haunted room and took a number of flash-light photographs, but without result.

Eventually, Dr. Fodor secured the help of Mrs. Eileen Garrett, the trance Medium. Together they visited the house, Mrs. Garrett went into trance and the ghost controlled her, and after many efforts, told his story. He was Charles Edward Henley, a titled man who had lived four hundred years ago, who had taken part in a feud, been betrayed by his supposed friends, locked up in Ash Manor House and eventually murdered. He gave the names of several of his friends and the date of his marriage, and said he wanted vengeance: also that his jailer still held him.

When Mrs. Garrett was controlled by the ghost her features changed so that Mr. and Mrs. Kelly recognised the likeness of their troublesome visitor.

Dr. Fodor and Dr. Elmer Lindsay, of New York, who was with him, reasoned with the ghost, explained to him that he was not now in the physical body, and said that if only he would give up the idea of vengeance he could break away from the surroundings which had so long been his astral prison, and possibly find his wife and son. This at length he promised to do; but on the following night, Mr. Kelly telephoned to Dr. Fodor that the ghost had appeared again and had tried to speak.

Dr. Elmer Lindsay had a trance sitting with Mrs. Ruth Vaughan and the ghost “came through” and spoke to him—although Mrs. Vaughan had heard nothing of the matter.

Later, another sitting was held with Mrs. Garrett (not at Ash Manor House) and the ghost came and gave many particulars regarding himself and his friends, and ultimately was persuaded that he could break away from his earthly prison and so cease to haunt the house.

Three months had elapsed and there had been no further disturbances at Ash Manor House, so that it was hoped the ghost had been effectively “laid.”

Mr. Kelly, who was present, corroborated the main features of Dr. Fodor’s description; and Lt.-Col. W. R. Mansfield, an expert on hand-writing, spoke of the signature which the ghost had written through the hand of Mrs. Garrett, and which, he said, had certain characteristics which were absent from Mrs. Garrett’s normal writing.

Answering questions, Dr. Fodor said efforts were being made to follow up the names and dates given by the ghost. Some corroboration had been found and enquiries were being continued.

Page 39 of Nandor Fodor’s Scrapbook, Nandor Fodor Scrapbook, Eileen J. Garrett Parapsychology Foundation collection, Collection 331, Special Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD).

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