Boy’s Magnetic Power.
Mystery of Moving Chairs.
Scientists and an “unruly spirit”.
Special tests are being arranged at the National Laboratory of Psychical Research, Queensberry Place, London, to find out if little Douglas Drew (8), who lives in Park Street, Grosvenor Square, London, has an “unruly spirit” or poltergeist. Mr Harry Price, director, told a “Daily Chronicle” representative yesterday, during a spell of preliminary observation on the lad in this laboratory, that Baron Bonde, late secretary at the Swedish Legation, brought Douglas to their notice. In a letter, he described how the boy’s mother and aunt were with him on one occasion when chairs moved, teapots were flung across the room, and doors opened, apparently without human agency. Baron Bondo was himself present when a chair moved across the room three times. He suggested that the lad was possessed of some magnetic power.
Miss Akerblad, the boy’s aunt, who was formerly employed at the Lord Chamberlain’s office and afterwards at the Swedish Legation, related her experience in the mystery to a “Daily Chronicle” representative yesterday. She said that one morning Douglas called her attention to a slipper on the bedroom floor. It was moving round and round, and as she thought the movement might be the effect of some creature inside, she went across to investigate, when the moving stopped.
Yesterday Douglas spent three hours at Queensberry Place, playing with a number of toys. The position of objects in the room was carefully noted. If nothing unusual is observed, test seances are to be held in varying lights. One part of the room will be partitioned off and fitted with shelves, upon which many small objects are to be placed in marked positions, so that it will be possible to tell if any of them move. Other tests will be applied, and it is hoped to get a satisfactory conclusion without the aid of a special seance.
Edinburgh Evening News, 29th February 1928.
“Poltergeist” Test.
Young boy’s powers.
Electrical experiment in Psychical Laboratory.
Inducing secondary currents.
An eight-year-old boy, Douglas Drew, who is stated to possessed of a “poltergiest,” causing abnormal physical properties, was experimented with at the National Laboratory for Psychical Research in London yesterday. Mr Harry Price, director, carried out the experiment, which was of an electrical nature.
Mr Price explained that he was trying to induce secondary currents from the boy into a powerful coil. If it worked it would increase enormously through a Marconi 8-inch coil, and the shock would have gone along a long wire and knocked over a line of glasses on the bench. It was an attempt to magnify any little electrical power the boy might possess. The test was to see whether the phenomenon was due to electrical causes. He himself was inclined to think it was.
After an hour’s experimenting nothing untoward happened. Douglas, a pale-faced boy in a sailor’s suit, was the least interested person in the room. Seated in a chair in front of a musical-box, he paid very little attention to the proceedings. He was accompanied by his aunt, Miss Akerblad, of Grosvenor Square, with whom he lives.
Yesterday afternoon’s experiment is one of a series which Mr Price will conduct during the next few weeks. Miss Akerblad suggested that on the next occasion, they should be experimented with together, because most of the phenomena had taken place when she was present. She said that Doublas appeared to be perfectly normal in every other way. He had a wonderful memory, and speaks French and English and Swedish (she herself is a Swedish lady), and he can read French, but not English. He has lived for long periods in France.
A “poltergeist” may be described as an “evil spirit” or a physical abnormality observable between the subject and moveable objects. A “poltergeister” has become known as one possessed of peculiar physical powers over which he has no control.
Belfast News-letter, 1st March 1928.
Test That Failed.
Musical-box recital, but no “poltergeist.”
Douglas Drew, the nine-years-old boy who is said to be possessed of a “poltergeist” or unruly spirit, sat playing a musical-box at the National Laboratory of Psychical Research yesterday afternoon, while Mr Harry Price, the director of the laboratory, waited anxiously for phenomena. Nothing happened for an hour and a half, so Douglas Drew went off to tea with his aunt. The musical box was really nothing to do with the experiment. It was to amuse Douglas Drew, who was dressed in a sailor suit and appeared vastly interested in the musical box, but completely disinterested in the scientific test.
In the far end of the room was an eight-inch induction coil. Mr Price hoped that he could induce a current from Douglas Drew to the coil which would produce a current of 20,000 volts. This mighty current was to break into fragments a number of glass jars and produce the thrill of the afternoon. It was suggested that, as the boy was supposed to emit a current, which in the past, had even drawn chairs towards him, this current could be used to affect the induction coil.
The induction coil hissed away in the corner, and the musical-box droned out its monotonous tune, but not a bottle shook, and it was obvious that Douglas Drew was getting tired and hungry. Miss Akerblad, Douglas Drew’s aunt, said that she would bring the boy back again for further experiments.
Nottingham Evening Post, 1st March 1928.
Absent Spirits.
Douglas Drew, the eight-year-old “poltergeist” boy, in whose presence chairs and other things are said to move without being touched, spent some hours yesterday at the National Laboratory of Psychical Research, South Kensington, where Mr Harry Price, hon. director, and others interested in the case waited patiently for something to happen. Nothing did happen. The boy will pay daily visits for a week or so to the Laboratory, and it is hoped that something of interest will occur.
Daily News (London), 1st March 1928.