Defense attorney: Would you be good enough to deal with those first of all, materializations where you personally identified?

James Harris: Yes. Well, one that occurs to me as specially interesting was the materialization of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Defense attorney: Did you know Sir Arthur Conan Doyle personally?

James Harris: Yes, he was a personal friend of mine. I have a great many letters from him. He was kind enough to write an introduction to a book of mine on the subject and, always when he was in Edinburgh, he communicated with me, and I used to meet him at dinner and otherwise, and we discussed various things. Shortly after his death I was asked to go to a private house in Edinburgh, again someone who was a friend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. There were a very small number of us four, I think and in the course of Mrs. Duncan’s sitting, a figure materialized. It was not stated who he was. After looking at it a little, I clearly recognized Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Judge: Was he introduced by Albert?

James Harris: No, there was no intro- duction. It was left to me to recognize him, and I was certainly not expecting him. It came as a great surprise to me.

Defense attorney: Mrs. Duncan was the medium, was she?

James Harris: Yes.

Defense attorney: Engaged by your friend? ,

James Harris: Yes, Mrs. Roughhead. Sir Arthur spoke as usual. It took the usual sequence. It was held in this lady’s house. One of the sitters was a W.V.S. of Edinburgh. I cannot recall the fourth at the moment. Mr. Roughhead was an especially close friend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; they exchanged visits and stayed at one another’s houses.

Defense attorney: Mrs. Roughhead?

James Harris: Mrs. Roughhead arranged that sitting.

Judge: We have heard about her in this case.

Defense attorney: Will you deal with the identification?

James Harris: Yes. Well, of course, the figure was rather whitish; it had not the natural color that I have occasionally seen at Mrs. Duncan’s sittings; it Was a little what you would call ghostly; but I did easily recognize the rounded features of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the voice spoke with the truest similarity to the voice of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Judge: Do you remember what he said?

James Harris: I was so much taken aback. It was a question of answering my questions at first. I contented myself with enquiring whether he found the conditions shortly after his death in accordance with his expectations generally. He said, “Yes.” My recollection is just generally, with some little variations, it was exactly what he had expected. The figure remained materialized only for a very few seconds. It sank, in the last answer he gave, into the ground at the foot of the cabinet. It came back in two or three seconds. I continued the conversation. I think I spoke about current affairs. He said some- thing; it was not anything very notable. I only had a few seconds. He remained there visible for a matter of something like ten seconds.

Defense attorney: Has Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ever materialized to you personally on any other occasions.

James Harris: No, that is the only occasion.

Defense attorney: Any other identifications that you can give?

James Harris: Yes, slightly more recent. I think about three years I was at a sitting, more or less a test sitting, in the Edinburgh Psychic College with Mrs. Duncan as the medium, and quite a number of forms materialized. At one point a young woman who had been a nurse materialized. I was not again expecting anything of the kind.

Defense attorney: Was she well known to you personally?

James Harris: Very closely known and related to my wife. She spoke, and while I did not recognize the features in this instance, I did recognize the curious kind of habit of movement; and the things she said I thought were characteristic, and she pointed to mie with a kind of gesture she used to have. And, on the whole, from various things I was fairly clearly convinced that this was the nurse in question.

Defense attorney: Anybody else personally known to you when they were alive?

James Harris: Well, I have not too good a memory; I am just giving some instances. I cannot put my hand on the notes. I usually make notes of these kind of sittings. I remember one or two rather curious things relating to a sitting with Mrs. Duncan. On one occasion I was told by Albert that here was someone who had been accustomed to meet me in a place where there were only men, and I at once thought of the Scottish Arts Club; and then I recall while he was speaking, a friend of mine, an elderly man, an American sculptor, and well known in this country, too. I remember he had just passed away. Albert said he did not think he would materialise, but he tried to speak. He did say two or three words, but the curious thing was that the words were preceded by a dry little cough, and I never knew this man to start to speak to me on any occasion without a little dry cough. It was the one characteristic about him, and I found it was reproduced on this occasion.

Defense attorney: Possibly I may just ask you this, very quickly and as a matter of interest. Can you tell us what Albert’s name was when he was on earth? Do you know?

James Harris: I do not know. I just know him as Albert.

Defense attorney: There is a picture or sculpture of Albert?

James Harris: Yes, we have a sculpture of him in the Edinburgh Psychic College. It was given by an Aberdeen sculptor who had attended sittings, and he made this sculpture which was afterwards shown in the Royal Scottish Exhibition, the premier exhibition in Scotland; and it is now in the Psychic College.

Defense attorney: Just under the name of Albert?

James Harris: Yes.