Spiritualism, the belief that the living can commune with the dead, turned into a lucrative hustle for many charlatans. The top 10 fake spiritualists on this list proved that anyone with a little showmanship could cash in, whether on a traveling stage or in a modest parlor. Below we walk you through each notorious fraud, complete with the dramatic moments when their deceptions finally fell apart.
Unmasking the Illusions: The Top 10 Fake Spiritualists
10 An American In Paris
How could a woman in the late 1800s afford a round‑the‑world adventure? She did it by masquerading as a spiritualist, convincing crowds that she could summon the dead. Mrs. Mary Williams, a wildly popular American medium, decided in 1894 to take her act to Europe, penciling stops in Berlin, The Hague and St. Petersburg, with Paris as her opening night.
French authorities, suspecting a swindle, set a trap. During her inaugural Paris séance, a participant seized what was thought to be the summoned spirit—only to discover a doll. The crowd’s candles were lit, the illusion shattered, and the truth exposed.
Williams was also found wearing men’s clothing to pull off the stunt of impersonating a Swedish spirit. She attempted to flee, was forced to refund every patron, and warned that any repeat would land her in jail. She escaped to England, never to return to the French stage.
9 Naughty Parrot
Many spiritualists employed hidden helpers to produce eerie sounds, but a Spanish medium took the gimmick to a new level with a trained parrot. In Osuna, the medium spent countless hours teaching the bird a repertoire of phrases, using it as the voice of a long‑dead nun during séances.
When the parrot was cued, it would speak from behind heavy drapes, adding a feathered layer of authenticity to the proceedings. The bird’s uncanny timing convinced many that a genuine spirit was communicating.
During a 1913 session, the parrot had enough and fluttered out onto the séance table, causing chaos. The startled audience turned on the medium, leaving her severely injured and her feathered accomplice the unlikely star of the scandal.
8 Spirits Reading The Mail
We all know the classic trick: a sealed note, a mysterious whisper, and a “spirit” that reads the hidden message. Dr. Walter E. Reid ran a very similar con in Grand Rapids, Michigan, starting in 1890. He advertised that anyone could write a question, seal it in an envelope, and send it to him with a dollar for a spirit’s answer.
Clients could add extra security by sealing the envelope with wax or stitching it shut, paying a few extra dollars for the added “protection.” Reid promised that even the most tightly sealed letters would be opened by a spirit and answered faithfully.
Unfortunately for Reid, who also headed the Michigan Spiritualists’ Association, the postmaster grew suspicious. He was charged with mail fraud, and the scam collapsed under the weight of legal scrutiny.
7 The Flower Medium Of Berlin
Frau Rothe’s séances were famous for the sudden appearance of fresh flowers and fruit, which she claimed were gifts from the other side. The novelty made her a sensation in Berlin, drawing crowds eager to witness the botanical miracles.
In 1903, however, the truth blossomed: police infiltrated her circle with a female detective and later a male officer. During a session, they caught Rothe in the act, seizing her while she pretended to be in a trance.
A search of her garments revealed bouquets and fruit hidden in her petticoats. Rothe argued that the spirits had placed them there, but investigators traced the items to a local florist. After a six‑day trial, she was sentenced to 18 months for fraud.
6 A Medium Of Many Clothes
Mrs. Elsie Reynolds staged her séances at the Grand Pacific Hotel in California. Anticipating a potential expose in 1906, she hired a guard to watch over the cabinet where she claimed spirits would manifest.
When Selma Savoy arrived, seeking contact with her deceased sister, Reynolds slipped into a spirit guise. Savoy, however, lunged forward and grabbed the “sister.” A frantic struggle erupted, with Reynolds and her guard fleeing into an adjoining room where police were waiting.
The officers discovered that Reynolds concealed numerous white, filmy costumes beneath her dress, each representing a different spirit. The charade was exposed, and she faced legal action for fraud, with police gathering complaints for court proceedings.
5 Wardrobe Problem
London’s 1920 spiritualist scene was bustling, and Mr. Chambers capitalized on the craze with a series of séances. Unbeknownst to his audience, he relied on a clever costume trick: a muslin shroud and boots hidden beneath a fake “spirit” form.
During an earlier session, an observant gentleman felt the muslin fabric and noted the booted feet, yet he kept quiet, waiting for a better moment. In the final séance, a sitter switched on a flashlight, illuminating the entire ruse.
Everyone saw Chambers stripped of his coat and waistcoat, his boots removed, trousers rolled up, and a white cloth hanging from his waist. The illusion collapsed, and he was forced to sign a public confession of guilt, which appeared in newspapers across the city.
4 Grabbed In The Spirit Form
F.W. Courtney billed himself as a “full‑form materializer,” claiming he could summon entire spirits to appear onstage. Originally from California, he set up shop in Detroit, conducting nightly séances for about a month.
In 1893, during a session where he purported to bring forth a deceased wife, participant William Cox decided to take matters into his own hands. He leapt from his chair and seized the “spirit,” only to discover Courtney himself. Pandemonium broke out as lights were switched on, revealing Courtney in his underpants, scrambling to escape.
Desperate, Courtney shouted a name, prompting a woman to rush in with a revolver, which she soon dropped. Courtney negotiated a quick exit: he would pack up and leave Detroit, returning all the money, on the condition that the police be kept out of the affair. He obeyed, fleeing with his costumes, wigs, and makeup, while other spiritualists threatened him for ever returning.
3 Kissing Spirits
To outshine rivals, some mediums invented bizarre gimmicks. One Detroit performer in 1885 used a long‑handled paddle wrapped in flannel, delivering gentle kisses to sitters’ cheeks while the lights were out, claiming the contact came from a spirit.
When the lights flickered back, a skeptical man grabbed the paddle, exposing the ruse. A struggle ensued, but the medium quickly slipped his hands back into the loops on his chair, escaping detection.
The audience erupted. A nearby policeman arrested the charlatan on fraud charges. Only one woman in the crowd defended the act, saying, “I know enough about kissing to know the difference between a bathing swab and a genuine salute. I was kissed.” Her comment was drowned out by laughter.
2 Spirit Land Photographs
S.W. Fallis of Chicago claimed he could produce photographs that showed the departed as they appeared in “spirit land.” He marketed these images as priceless windows into the afterlife, charging clients handsomely for each portrait.
In 1905, Mrs. Louisa Reed commissioned Fallis to see what her deceased child looked like in the other world. He delivered a beautiful picture of a five‑year‑old child, which she promptly took to another photographer for enlargement.
The second photographer recognized the image as a duplicate, revealing that Fallis had been re‑using the same photograph for multiple clients. The deception was exposed, and his reputation crumbled.
1 Never Shake Hands With The Living
In 1877 Portland, Maine, a medium insisted on a strict rule: no physical contact with the living. She set up a screen in a corner of the room, claiming spirits would emerge from behind it to interact with the audience.
To reassure skeptics, she invited the sitters to pin her skirts to the floor before the lights were dimmed. Once darkness fell, the séance began, and the supposed spirits moved about.
One bold participant asked the spirit to shake his hand. The “spirit” obliged, and the man grasped a hand—only to discover it was the medium herself, who had slipped out of her pinned skirts. The lights snapped back, exposing the fraud for all to see.