'John King' in the Books of W. Usborne Moore

Henry Morgan materialization at Charles Williams seance (The Voice Box photo)

This article is about seance manifestations of the visitor from the ascended realm known as 'John King' as chronicled in W. Usborne Moore’s books.  Passages from Glimpses of the Next State (1911) describe incidents at seances conducted by the nearly blind medium Cecil Husk.  The book is subtitled "The Education of an Agnostic." 

In the Introduction, Moore wrote: "The principal control or familiar spirit of Husk is the famous buccaneer of the time of Charles II, Sir Henry Morgan, who now calls himself 'John King.'  Often have I heard his stentorian voice and seen him materialize above the medium's head and dematerialize through the table."  Moore presented a description of Husk's seances:

The séances were held in the dark.  When a spirit materialised it showed itself by aid of an illuminated slate, prepared and lying on the table.  Sometimes they spoke while in sight, but more often in the dark after they had dropped the slate; when in sight, the lips could be seen to move.  Except in the case of John King, who was life-size, the faces and busts were about two-thirds of life-size.  The singing was remarkable; the voices would join with us, and also execute solos.  I have heard as many as eight different male voices, from tenor to deep bass, singing at different times during one séance; and, at different séances, I have heard twelve languages heard in the direct voice.

Here are some anecdotes of 'John King'/'Henry Morgan' from the book, providing an account of  Vice-Admiral Moore's "investigations into spiritism."

. . . I saw John King several times plainly.  He materialized the face and bust life-size and came to me four times; once two feet above my head.  It was a strong face and very dark.  I estimate the distance from the place where he materialised above my head to Husk's body in the chair in the circle to be four feet across the table.

　

John King took great pains to dematerialize deliberately.  I saw his head enter the table.

　

. . . John King remembers every sitter who has ever sat with his medium.

The descriptions of observing more than forty of Husk's seances result with Moore attempting to articulate his bewilderment concerning the strange appearance of many of the materialisations.  He reported: 

The materialisations which represent the sitters' friends are less than life-size.

. . . how is it the lips are seen to move when they speak?  And, if dummies, they would appear more natural.  I have seen faces even half life-size—for they vary very much—but none that I can remember which looked fresh and of good colour, such as you would expect of a face intended to simulate that of a human being.  There was a parchment appearance about all that came to me, and there is an undefinable look of Husk in some.  This "Husky" appearance is just what we ought to expect, unless we are to suppose that the medium through whom they manifest has imparted nothing of his individuality to the form and face.

In comparison: Helen Duncan (in a trance state) with a materialization of her 'guide' Peggy also ectoplasmically veiled.  An observer with no knowledge of the Helen Duncan case (nor of extensively documented seance phenomena during the epoch of Spiritualism) may not realize that photographs such as this one were taken under controlled conditions and that Helen had no memory of what occurred while she was in a trance.  Helen Duncan's daughter Gena Brealey is the author with Kay Hunter of the biography The Two Worlds of Helen Duncan (1985).

W. Usborne Moore referred to the phenomena of the 'simulacrum.'  Commenting about the American mediums, the Jonsons, Moore wrote:

Materialisation of spirits is only of scientific interest; this phenomena brings home, as nothing else will, the power of invisible beings around us, but the simulacrum is seldom perfect.

It is the "direct voice" that takes the first place in spirit manifestation.  Nothing brings the truth of spiritism so home to one as conversation with those who have passed on . . .

Examples of Direct Voice recordings may be heard without charge at The Leslie Flint Educational Trust.  The following excerpts are from The Voices (1913) by Vice-Admiral W. Usborne Moore, who explained in a Preface the purpose of his sequel to Glimpses of the Next State.

The object of the work is to present to those who have neither the leisure, the opportunity, nor the means to investigate for themselves, a compact story of the exhibition of what is called the "direct voice" through the mediumship of Mrs. Etta Wriedt, of Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A., when she visited England in the spring and summer of 1912 and 1913 at my invitation.

In the book's Introduction, Moore reflected about Mrs. Wriedt's "mysterious gift" that manifested during seances:

It is indeed difficult to know what her personality has to do with the phenomena, for she never goes into the trance condition, and talks naturally throughout.  What we do know is that we cannot hear a whisper when she is out of the house, but that, if she is in the room, we can distinguish voices in full light or in darkness; if in the latter, they speak louder, longer, clearer, and, in every way, more satisfactorily than in light.

A 'control' or 'spirit guide' of Mrs. Wriedt was Dr. John Sharp.  Moore reported:

Mrs. Wriedt is controlled by Dr. John Sharp, who was born in Glasgow in the eighteenth century, lived all his life in the United States as an apothecary farmer, and died in Evansville, Indiana.  He states that he was taken over to America by his parents when he was two months old.  I have never known him say an unkind word, nor express any feeling but benevolence and desire to assist all who seek the help of his medium.  He frequently straightens out obscure messages, and invariably endeavours to manage the sittings to the best advantage of those present.  Very often he talks what, in a mortal, I should call nonsense; but I think he is limited in expression—in some curious way—by the absence of any sort of culture in his medium.

John King (Sir Henry Morgan), the control of Cecil Husk [and Williams, as Moore specified in another chapter], the blind medium, frequently managed Mrs. Wriedt's séances in England.  It was explained that he was better acquainted with English people that Dr. Sharp, who, however, was always in the background.

Other 'controls' or 'guides' familiar to Moore manifested in Mrs. Wriedt's seances.

Grayfeather, a North American Indian medicine chief when in life, the control of J. B. Jonson, the materialization medium of Toledo, Ohio, U.S.A., visited me several times at Cambridge House, and often came to the circles; he seldom manifested when I was absent.

Mimi and Blossom were casual visitors.  The former we know nothing about.  Blossom states that in life she belonged to the Seminole tribe of Indians, who lived in the Everglades, South Florida, and that she died as a child.  It is as a noisy, fractious, but extremely witty child that she now manifests.  Her talk. engaging manner, and lively repartee always created a diversion, causing much laughter, which benefitted conditions.

Now and then Dr. Sharp, John King, Grayfeather, and Blossom all manifested at the same circle.

Here are some further excerpts involving 'John King'/'Henry Morgan' from The Voices.

[June 1, 1912]  John King manifested, speaking very loudly, and held a conversation of several minutes with General Phelps, of not particular interest to the reader.  I remarked that his voice was unusually loud this morning, when he said: "Three men against one woman; more men, more power; more women, more fine vibration; clearer and more distinct voices through the female organism."  He then handed me the trumpet, which I stood up on the floor.

　

[from a letter by Alfred E. Turner] . . . John King and others gave me some very strong advice, which cast serious reflections upon one I thoroughly believed in an trusted.  They were most urgent and emphatic, which was all the more strange because up to then he had spoken in other terms of the person in question.  What he impressed upon me at this séance has turned out to be absolutely true.   Had I followed his counsels, I should have been saved from infinite trouble and disillusion later.

　

[from the narrative of a Dutch lady provided to E. Findlay Smith; June 10, 1913]  John King gave us a long address on the non-existence of evil spirits.

　

[from the narrative of Lieutenant Basil Hall, Inspector of Lifeboats; July 1, 1913]  John King, I may say, appeared to be present during the whole sitting, and occasionally interpolated remarks, sometimes commenting on or explaining those of the other voices.

Presently, the voice of John King explaining that every seven years a man’s mind and body are renewed, and changes take place in him.

　

[from a friend in the military; May 10, 1913]  John King spoke loudly through the trumpet, and came repeatedly during the sitting to explain what the other voices could not make intelligible.  He told us his name had been Henry Morgan when on this sphere; that he had been at one time Governor of Jamaica, and that he could speak more clearly than other spirits because he had been practising for two hundred years.

　

[from the narrative of Miss Edith K. Harper, the late Mr. W. T. Stead’s private secretary; May 13, 1914]  At this sitting also John King manifested most wonderfully, blowing some bugle calls for us through the trumpet, saying that was how he used to call his men together, in the old buccaneering days, one most terrific blast illustrating his signal to fight.  John King manifested at all our sittings, and gave us many particulars in regard to his earth life, in Jamaica.

In the "Conclusions" chapter of The Voices, W. Usborne Moore summarized his perspective of Direct Voice mediumship.

The direct voice is the highest spiritistic phenomenon yet discovered, and when it can be obtained without the use of a trumpet, and without the medium hearing what is said, we have reached the most advanced stage of manifestation.  Nothing that I have investigated is equal in delicacy, or conviction, to the still small voice which I, alone, can hear.  It is objective; there is no clairaudience about it, but it is rare.  In the narratives, it will be noticed that M.E., Mrs. Findlay Smith, Mrs. Richards, and a few others have attained his plane of investigation besides myself.  On at least fifty occasions I have enjoyed this privilege.  I have been spoken to for long periods—from twenty to forty minutes—without Mrs. Wriedt hearing a single word.

A subject which is little understood is the importance of the mental attitude of the sitters.  If they are hostile to the psychic, it is needless to say that nothing occurs.  But this is not usually the case; people do not pay to sit with a medium in whom they do not believe.  Suppose they thoroughly trust the psychic, there may yet be failure.  Their minds may be upset by some circumstance that has nothing to do with the séance; they may be angry with someone they have met two hours before; they may be ill, or think they are.  Any jar will upset them.  The only chance of success is when medium and sitters are in pleasant humour and have emptied their minds of everything, even of those whom they desire to see or to hear.

Two voices have been frequently heard by me and others talking simultaneously to two sitters in the circles about matters entirely unknown to the psychic or to each other; occasionally three; and at very rare intervals, four—one using the trumpet and two or three without.  The medium, when talking, is often interrupted by a voice, and for a second or two both have been heard to speak together.  A voice has been heard to sing and another to speak simultaneously.  Certain privileged sitters have heard the voices in full light with the medium eight feet from them; I have heard it when she was eighteen feet from me, in full electric light.  Some of us have heard it when the French windows were open; and one gentleman has heard it in the dark when the woman was downstairs in the drawing-room.

I do not deny that experienced spirits like Dr. Sharp and John King can read the minds of the sitters . . .

It is my conviction that spiritism is a Divine institution permitted by the Almighty to meet the growing materialism of the age, and that sooner or later the Church will have to come into line with it.