Witness: Herbert John Steabben

Herbert John Steabben, a well-known medium, lecturer, and healer who formed the Pathfinders Society, testified that he had witnessed materializations of his mother and a child he knew whose leg had been amputated.

He had experiences and dialogue showing the people who materialized were alive although their bodies were dead. In their materializations they exhibited

• All the physical, mental, and memory characteristics of the people he knew, as they came very near to him and spoke with him
• The mental and sensory awareness of a child who was put in a coffin and materialized after her body had died

Excerpts from his trial testimony follow. A narration of the trial testimony is available through the audio control bar. [i]

[i] Duncan, The Trial of Mrs. Duncan, 270-272.

Transcript of Excerpts from Herbert Steabben’s Testimony

Herbert Steabben: [My mother] came clearly out from the cabinet and stood about three to four feet clear of the curtains, a full materialization. I noticed the grey hair. I noticed the difference in the eyes. The eyes are grey, whereas Mrs. Duncan’s are brown. She is about half or one-third the size, and she had the peculiar little mannerisms, that as my mother I naturally recognized.

Defense Attorney: What did she say to you?

Herbert Steabben: She called me by a name other than I have given here as my own name to-day…. She called me Charles.

Defense Attorney: You recognized the voice?

Herbert Steabben: Yes.

Defense Attorney: Did you see your mother’s features?

Herbert Steabben: Certainly. I saw the color of her eyes…. She had a little mannerism that, when she was under emotion, one would see before she broke down the lips tremble, like a mother would; and it was very characteristic when she was very stirred. She was stirred naturally then, and I had to comfort her instead of she comforting me….

This little child of fourteen [who materialized] had long black hair. She had skinny arms, and very shortish, and she was very quick. She had had her leg amputated before she passed into spirit. She came out to show that she had the use of that leg. She was well able to dance, which was a thing she wanted to do when she was in life, but was unable. It was tragic.

She also gave what to me was a wonderful piece of evidence. She said to me, “I have your telegram with me.” This telegram was one that I had sent to her mother [to give to the girl] when she was lying ill in hospital. She had so attracted the attention of the nurses there, because no amount of morphia could stop the pain that she was suffering, and, when she had this telegram, she did not have a single moment’s more pain until the time she passed into spirit…. This telegram she had had buried with her in the coffin, and she said she had it; she had still got it.