Munnings' Story for "The People"
Munnings' Story for "The People" is an article published in The People on 29 january 1928.
The article announces that The People will publish Frederick Tansley Munnings's confessions, presented through Sydney A. Moseley, describing an allegedly extraordinary nine-year career of fraudulent mediumship. It also stresses that this exposure is not meant as an attack on Spiritualism, and reinforces that point by quoting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who says Munnings had already been denounced by Spiritualists and did possess some psychic power, though he was morally unprincipled and resorted to trickery.
Munnings' Story for "The People"
Amazing Confessions of a Notorious Medium.
Next Sunday "The People" will begin publication of the story of Frederick Tansley Munnings, the notorious spiritualistic medium.
In a letter to the Editor, which we published last week, Mr. Sydney A. Moseley, the well-known author and journalist, stated that Munnings had come to him with a full confession of his astounding career of imposture over a period of about nine years.
And "astounding" is a word rightly used in this connection. Confessions such as these have never before been given to the world.
"The People" holds no views either for or against spiritualism, but it regards the story of Munnings' career as a matter of wide public interest. It has, therefore, arranged with Mr. Moseley to publish these confessions, which he has edited and which he will present, as far as possible, in Munnings' own words.
There is no doubt that Munnings has been suspect, even among spiritualists, for some time past, and in this connection we are very willing to reproduce the following letter, which was received during the week from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:—
Windlesham,
Crowborough,
Sussex.
Sir,
In your comments upon Munnings it would be only fair to state that he has been repeatedly denounced by the spiritualists, first in Portsmouth, then in Hastings, and finally in a warning signed by Dr. Abraham Wallace. Messrs. Saunders, Dennis Bradley and myself, which was published in "Light" two years ago.
I have myself only had one sitting with the man, which was not evidential, but I have much evidence to show that he actually had considerable psychic power, but he was unhappily quite devoid of principle, and was always ready to cover his deficiencies — and every medium has his barren days — by deliberate trickery.
Yours faithfully,
A. CONAN DOYLE.
January 23.
Sir Arthur, recognised as one of the foremost spiritualists in the world, need be under no apprehension lest Mr. Moseley should fail to make clear the full facts about Munnings.
The publication of these confessions is not intended to make out any case against spiritualism. But it will reveal a number of facts, so extraordinary that we can promise a surprise to all our readers, not excepting Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself.
