A medium who undoubtedly produced
fantastic physical phenomena was Carmine Mirabelli from Brazil
(1889-1950). Through him scientists from many parts of the
world witnessed psychic phenomena which up until to-day have not been
rebutted, nor are they likely to be rebutted.
In 1927 there appeared in Brazil a book entitled O Medium Mirabelli
containing a 74 page account of phenomena which occurred in broad
daylight at times in the presence of up to sixty witnesses at the
same time representing the leading scientific and social circles
of Brazil. Among those who gave their names as witnesses
were the President of Brazil, the Secretary of State, two
professors of medicine, 72 doctors, 12 engineers, 36 lawyers, 89
men of public office, 25 military men, 52 bankers, 128 merchants
and 22 dentists as well as members of religious orders .
The testimony of so many prominent credible witnesses cannot
easily be overlooked and in Brazil a committee of twenty leading
men, headed by the President, was set up to interview witnesses and to
decide what should be done to scientifically investigate Mirabelli's
powers.
It was decided in 1927 to mount a series of controlled
investigations by the newly established Academia de Estudos Psychicos
using the same controls as European mediums had submitted to.
The investigators divided into three groups. One group dealing
with spoken mediumship and had 189 positive sittings (which
produced positive results). A second group investigated automatic
writing and had 85 positive sittings and 8 negative sittings
(sittings which produced no results). A third group investigated
physical phenomena and had 63 positive and 47 negative sittings.
Of the positive sittings, 40 were held in daylight and 23 in
bright artificial light with the medium tied up in a chair in rooms
which were searched before and after.
Mirabelli had only a basic education and spoke only his native
language. But when he was in trance spirit beings spoke through him in
26 different languages including German, French, Dutch, four Italian
dialects, Czech, Arabic, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, Hebrew,
Albanian, several African dialects, Latin, Chinese, modern Greek,
Polish, Syrio-Egyptian and ancient Greek.
While he was in trance high level spirits delivered talks through him
on difficult subjects far beyond his own understanding. These included
medicine, jurisprudence, sociology, political economy, politics,
theology, psychology, history, the natural sciences, astronomy,
philosophy, logic, music, spiritism, occultism and literature.
While in trance he also exhibited the faculty of automatic writing in
28 different languages, setting down writing at a speed which normal
penmanship cannot reach. In 15 minutes he wrote out 5 pages in Polish
on 'The Resurrection of Poland'; in 20 minutes he wrote 9 pages in
Czech on 'The Independence of Czechoslovakia'; in 12 minutes 4 pages
in Hebrew on 'Slander'; in 40 minutes 25 pages in Persian on 'The
Instability of Great Empires'; in 15 minutes 4 pages of Latin on
'Famous Translations'; in 12 minutes 5 pages in Japanese on 'The
Russian-Japanese War'; in 22 minutes 15 pages in Syrian on 'Allah and
his Prophets'; in 15 minutes 8 pages of Chinese on 'An Apology for
Buddha'; in 15 minutes 8 pages in Syrio-Egyptian on 'The Fundamentals
of Legislation'; also in 32 minutes 3 pages of hieroglyphics which
have not yet been deciphered.
Mirabelli also excelled in physical mediumship
At a well-attended seance in Sao Vicente the chair on which the
entranced Mirabelli was sitting rose and floated in the air two meters
above the floor. Witnesses timed its levitation for 120
seconds. On another occasion Mirabelli was at the da Luz railroad
station with several companions when he suddenly vanished. About
fifteen minutes later a telephone call came from Sao Vicente, a town
ninety kilometers away, stating that he had appeared there exactly two
minutes after he had disappeared from da Luz.
At a seance conducted in the morning in full daylight in the laboratory
of the investigating committee in front of many people
of note including ten men holding the degree of Doctor
of Science: The form of a little girl materialized
beside the medium. Dr Ganymede de Souza who was present confirmed
that the child was his daughter who had died a few months before and
that she was wearing the dress in which she had been buried.
Another observer, Colonel Octavio Viana also took the child in his
arms, felt her pulse and asked her several questions which she answered
with understanding. The child floated around in the air and
disappeared, after having been visible in daylight for thirty six
minutes. The form of Bishop Jose de Camargo Barros who had
recently lost his life in a shipwreck appeared in full insignia
of office. He conversed with those present and allowed them
to examine his heart, gums, abdomen and fingers before disappearing.
At another seance conducted at Santos at half past three in the
afternoon before sixty witnesses who attested their signatures to the
report of what had happened: The deceased Dr Bezerra de Meneses,
an eminent hospital physician, materialized.
He spoke to all of the assembled witnesses to assure them that it was
himself. His voice carried all over the room by megaphone.
Several photographs were taken of him. For fifteen minutes two
doctors who had known him examined him and announced that he was an
anatomically normal human being. He shook hands with the
spectators. Finally he rose into the air and began to
dematerialize, with his feet vanishing first followed by his legs and
abdomen, chest arms and last of all head. After the apparition
had dematerialized Mirabelli was found to be still tied securely to his
chair and seals were intact on all the doors and windows.
At another seance under controlled conditions Mirabelli himself
dematerialized to be found later in another room. Yet the seals put
upon his bonds were intact as were the seals on the doors and windows
of the seance room (Inglis 1984: 226).
