Eusapia Paladino

Italian 19th century medium, the first physical medium who stood in the crossfire of collective investigation for more than 20 years worldwide.

Her mom died at her birth and her dad was assassinated by brigands when she was eight, 1866. As a little girl she heard raps on the furniture and saw eyes glaring at her in the dark. She was often frightened in the night when invisible hands stripped off her bedclothes. When orphaned, she was taken in by a family in Naples to train as a nursemaid. It was soon discovered that she was not an ordinary child but her real discovery was at 18 by Signor Damiani, a noted Italian psychic investigator. His wife, an English lady, went to a séance in London where John King manifested and spoke about a powerful medium in Naples who was his reincarnated daughter. He gave the actual address and Damiani went there and found Eusapia. He undertook her occult education, which developed her powers rapidly. For the next five-six years she devoted herself mainly to the phenomena of movement without contact. Then came the famous spectral appearances, the phantom limbs so often noticed to issue from her body and the materialization of full but incomplete figures. She brought up spectral forms and levitating tables and bells at séances.

Her control, John King, communicated through raps and in trance spoke in Italian alone. Eusapia suffered extremely during the process; her gestures would be accompanied by raps, table movement or the table would rise in the air. With her feet and hands held, the bell would float in the air and ring. She gave demonstrations in Italy, England and America, becoming famous and being investigated extensively. In August 1895 she went to England by invitation for a series of 20 sittings, and in November 1909, to the U.S. for sittings. Despite the fact that she was crafty and caught cheating blatantly, she also gave demonstrations in her séances that could not be disproved and were incredible.