Creery Sisters

Children often feature among those claiming to possess paranormal powers — among them, six year old Master Watkins in 1887; a thirteen year old Londoner Amy Joyce in 1913, and nine year old Lillian of Duram, N.C., in 1936. More recently there have been many authenticated cases of children able to psychically bend spoons and metal in the manner made famous by Uri Geller.

In 1881 the Creery sisters became famous for their thought reading abilities. Children of the Rev. A. M. Creery of Buxton, England, they were able to decide on a target, usually playing cards from a shuffled pack while one of the girls was out of the room, and on her return she was able to nominate the chosen card. Professor Sir William F. Barrett, FRS, an honoured founder of the British Society for Psychical Research experimented with them and was convinced of their genuineness. The following year they were again investigated by the Society who found the girls free from "morbid or hysterical symptoms, and in a manner perfectly simple and childlike."

The results of the tests were considered phenomenal. Six years later, two of the girls were re-investigated at Cambridge and found to be cheating. They also admitted that signals had been used on previous occasions of failure, so that visitors would not be disappointed.