author
W. W. (William Wortley) Baggally
d. 1928
Known for probing spiritualist claims with a skeptical eye, this British psychical researcher spent years attending séances and testing mediums rather than simply taking extraordinary stories on faith. He is especially remembered for his role in the closely watched 1908 investigation of Eusapia Palladino in Naples.
1 Audiobook
Telepathy, Genuine and Fraudulent
by W. W. (William Wortley) Baggally
About the author
Born around 1848 and dying on March 14, 1928, William Wortley Baggally became best known as W. W. Baggally. He was associated with the Society for Psychical Research, joining in 1896 because he hoped to find solid evidence for life after death.
What makes him interesting is that he approached the subject as an investigator, not a gullible believer. He studied conjuring methods and attended many private sittings with mediums, yet he was known for being hard to convince when the evidence was weak.
Baggally is most often linked with the Society for Psychical Research's 1908 inquiry into the famous medium Eusapia Palladino in Naples, carried out with Hereward Carrington and Everard Feilding. That work placed him at the center of one of the era's best-known debates about whether seemingly supernatural phenomena could withstand close scrutiny.