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Anna Eva Fay
| Anna Eva Fay | |
 Cover of Genii (2005) | |
| Born | Ann Eliza Heathman February 3, 1851 Southington, Ohio, USA |
|---|---|
| Died | May 12, 1927 (age 76) Melrose Highlands, Massachusetts |
| Resting place | Wyoming Cemetery, Melrose, Massachusetts |
Anna Eva Fay Pingree (1851-1927), born Ann Eliza Heathman in Southington, Ohio, was a Spiritualist popular in vaudeville during the late 1800s, where she billed herself as "The Indescribable Phenomenon".
Biography
Between 1870 and 1874 the eminent scientist William Crookes conducted a series of controversial experiments with some of the most remarkable mediums of the age, including Fay whom baffled him.[1]
Washington Irving Bishop, who had worked with her as an assistant and manager, exposed her methods to a newspaper. She was also investigated by Harry Houdini, to whom she eventually admitted many of her tricks, after her retirement. [2] Fay and Houdini would become good friends and he even visited her at her home in Melrose, Massachusetts.[3]
The Magic Circle made her an honorary member, designating her an Honorary Lady Associate, since women at that time were not eligible to be a members.
Her magic tokens are very sought after and listed in Kuethe.
Her son, John Truesdale Fay (1877-?) also had an act with his wife billing themselves as "The Fays."[4]
References
- ↑ http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-58545669.html
- ↑ http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/Fay,%20Anna%20Eva.html
- ↑ http://deadconjurers.blogspot.com/2011/02/grave-of-anna-eva-fay.html
- ↑ The Indescribable Phenomenon: The Life and Mysteries of Anna Eva Fay by Barry H. Wiley. Hermetic Press, Inc. (2005)
- The Sphinx, Vol. 6, No. 7, September 1907, ANNA EVA FAY AND HER FAMILIAR "SPIRITS", by Henry Hatton, page 82
- M-U-M, Vol. 56, No. 12, May 1967, Ask the Doctor, by Dr. John Henry Grossman – about Anna Eva Fay, page 31
- The Linking Ring, Vol. 80, No. 3, March 2000, Vaudeville Magicians, by Bill J Weldon, page 52
- Cover Genii Magazine, Vol. 68, No. 4, April 2005, The Early Years of Spiritualism and Anna Eva Fay, by Barry Wiley, page 64
- Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, Vol. 1, (A-L), Fay, Annie Eva (ca. 1855–1927), page 551
- http://psychictruth.info/Medium_Annie_Eva_Fay.htm