The Isle of Wight Times reported a famed ‘spirit medium’ had been caught deceiving his disciples in an article published on 6th November 1879.
In that week, the infamous ‘Doctor’ Monck had been demonstrating his psychic ‘powers’ in Ryde. However, after a private seance, several of those present had expressed dissatisfaction with the ‘manifestations’ they had supposedly witnessed, believing themselves to have been “victims of a gross swindle”. A deputation met Dr Monck, who told them that if he could repeat the ‘manifestations’ made during the earlier seance, they would withdraw their accusations. A further meeting was agreed. The ‘spirit medium’ and his sceptics adjourned to a darkened room. 1 disbeliever – a medical doctor – held 1 of ‘Doctor’ Monck’s arms, and another respected citizen the other. Both claimed to have sat with Monck for an hour with no evidence of any happenings of a supernatural nature. Monck shook and writhed violently, claiming spirits had taken possession of him, but there were no ‘rappings’ or anything else untoward. Eventually, the medium rose and his chair was flung violently against the wall. However, the motive power for the chair was the medium’s foot. Monck then claimed to have medical problems and demanded to be let go on account of his heart condition. The supernatural sceptics suggested lighting a candle, which Monck claimed might kill him, and begged them not to do so. When the room was lit, string was found in a corner. At this point, the seance was terminated. Monck was abused and threatened by his critics and they parted – possibly to meet again in another dimension. Francis Ward Monck – who was born in Portsmouth in 1842 – was a former Baptist Minister. Before his seances on the Isle of Wight, he had previously been convicted of fraudulent mediumship in Huddersfield in 1876. On the occasion leading to his conviction, 1 of those present at the seance had demanded that Monck be searched. He fled the room and locked himself in another before jumping out of the window. A pair of stuffed gloves, cheesecloth, reaching rods and further evidence of fraudulent devices were found in his luggage. Monck’s trickery in Huddersfield led to his being sentenced to a 3 month’s term of imprisonment with hard labour. After his sojurn on the Isle of Wight, Monck rematerialised in the United States, where he continued to ply his trade in Brooklyn, earning himself a fortune from gullible Americans. He was undone in a lawsuit in 1886 and forced into bankruptcy after relieving a mentally unstable female follower of $4,500 to build a ‘temple’ for the benefit of humanity. The temple was never completed.
