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THE LEICESTER MERCURY Leicester, Leicestershire, England 11 April 1934 (pages 1 & 14)
‘BLACK MAGIC’ LIBEL ACTION
MORE AMAZING CLAIMS BY ALEISTER CROWLEY
Story of ‘Hall of Mirrors’ And Attacks By Invisible Assailants
WRITING ON HUMAN SACRIFICES
When He Walked In Street Unseen Wearing Robe And Crown
Mr. Aleister Crowley, the author, who says he has the title of “Master Magician,” gave some more amazing evidence at the resumed hearing to-day of his libel action.
He said that in a London flat he once had was a “hall of mirrors” to concentrate invoked forces, and on one occasion his invocations had resulted in people being attacked by unseen assailants.
“Because of my magic,” he said, “I once walked in a street in Mexico in a scarlet robe and jeweled crown without anyone seeing me.”
Other questions Mr. Crowley answered concerned his writings about human sacrifices and an article said to be part of German war-time propaganda in America.
Mr. Crowley has brought the action against Miss Nina Hamnett, authoress of a book entitled “Laughing Torso,” which, he alleged, imputed that he practiced “black magic.”
Other defendants were Constable and Company Ltd., publishers, and Charles Whittingham and Briggs, printers, the defence being a plea of justification.
At the material time, Mr. Crowley had a villa on the mountain side at Cefalu, Sicily, which was known as the “Abbey of Thelema.” He denied that he practiced “Black Magic” there.
In his cross-examination, Mr. Crowley agreed that he assumed the designation of “Beast 666” and “The Master Therium” (The great wild beast). “666 is the number of the sun, and you can call me ‘Little Sunshine,’ ” he added.
He also said he had the distinguishing marks of a Buddha at birth and still had some of them. He claimed to be a “Master Magician,” saying that he took a degree which conferred that title.
Mr. Malcolm Hilbery, K.C. (for the printers and publishers), in cross-examination to-day, read a poem from the book “Clouds Without Water,” and asked Mr. Crowley, “Is that not filth?”
Mr. Crowley: You read it as if it were magnificent poetry. I congratulate you.
‘Truth Will Out’
Later, Mr. Crowley remarked: “I should like to be universally hailed as the greatest living poet. The truth will out, you know.”
Still another poem was mentioned by Mr. Hilbery, who asked “Is that anything but disgusting and infamous?”
Mr. Crowley: It means, if I may say so, that even the vilest of women can, through the influence of love, become a refining and inspiring influence in a man’s life.
Mr. Hilbery read an extract from an article Mr. Crowley said he contributed to a Chicago magazine before America came into the war, and asked, “Did you write that against your own country?”
Mr. Crowley: I did, and I am proud of it.
Mr. Hilbery: Was it part of the German propaganda in America?—Yes.
Mr. Crowley explained that what he wanted to do was to overbalance the sanity of German propaganda by turning it into absolute nonsense.
Mr. Hilbery: That is your explanation after the Allied cause is safe and no longer in danger?—Lots of people knew it at the time.
Mr. Crowley agreed that he wrote “The Diary of a Drug Fiend” which was assailed in the Press.
He agreed, too that in a newspaper article he had written: “I have been shot with broad arrows. They have called me ‘the worst man in the world.’ ”
‘Degenerate Cannibal’
Mr. Hilbery, did you say ‘Horatio Bottomley branded me as a dirty, degenerate cannibal”?—Yes.
There was some laughter at this and Mr. Justice Swift sternly intimated that a repetition of the laughter would cause him to have the court cleared.
“I also had the reputation of being the best man in the world,” declared Mr. Crowley a few moments later.
He agreed that he had been depicted with his thumbs in a position representing the horns of a ram.
In a London flat which he once had was “a hall of mirrors,” the function of which was to concentrate the invoked forces.”
On one occasion he invoked the forces with the result that some people were attacked by unseen assailants.
Mr. Hilbery: Was that your black magic or your white magic?—That is white magic in which you protect yourself from such things.
Mr. Crowley said that because of his magic he had once walked in the street in Mexico in a scarlet robe and with a jewelled crown without anyone seeing him.
Human Sacrifice
Mr. Hilbery: As a part of your magic, you do believe in a practice of bloody sacrifice, do you?—I believe in its efficacy, but I do not approve it at all.
Don’t approve it? You say—in his book on magic—“for nearly all purposes human sacrifice is best”?—Yes, it is.
Mr. Justice Swift: Do you say that you don’t approve it?—Yes.
Mr. Hilbery, referring to the “abbey” in Sicily, asked, “With your approval an inmate had a razor or knife with which to cut himself if he stumbled into using a forbidden word?”
Mr. Crowley: They were not gashed, but minute cuts. You can see marks of them on my own arm.
Asked if heroin was used there, he said that it had been prescribed for him for asthma.
Mr. Crowley said that at the villa at Cefalu there was “a sort of square box” used as an altar. On it were a book, purporting to contain the laws and candles for ceremonial purposes.
Incense, a dagger and a sword were used, and he wore an appropriate robe.
Mr. Hilbery: In some of the ceremonies were you endeavouring to get concentrated spiritual ecstasy?—Yes.
Did you keep Hashish and other drugs at Cefalu?—There was no hasheesh but there was opium and strychnine.
Are you skilled to administer hasheesh?—I can get the desired results in ten minutes.
Questioned about the ritual of his magic circle, Mr. Crowley said that he walked round the room in “a sort of three-fold step which resembles the waltz.”
“The pace resembled the pace of the tiger stalking the deer,” he added.
He had never performed a ceremony naked in the presence of another person.
Mr. Hilbery referred to articles in which Mr. Crowley was described as “The King of Depravity,” “The Wickedest Man in the World,” “The Man We Would Like to Hang,” “Another Traitor Trounced,” and “The Notorious Aleister Crowley.”
Mr. Justice Swift: It is said of you “it is hard to say whether he is man or beast.”
Mr. Crowley: It was said of Shelley that he was sent from hell.
The hearing was adjourned until to-morrow.
====================== The hearing was resumed before Mr. Justice Swift and a special jury in the King’s Bench Division to-day of the libel action by Aleister Crowley, the author, against Miss Nina Hamnett, authoress of “Laughing Torso,” which he alleged imputed that he practiced “black magic.”
Other defendants were Constable and Company, Limited, publishers, and Charles Whittingham and Briggs, printers, the defence being a plea of justification.
At the material time Mr. Crowley had a villa on the mountainside at Cefalu, Sicily, which was known as the “Abbey of Thelema.” He denied that he practiced “black Magic” there.
To-day Mr. Crowley remarked: “I should like to be universally hailed as the greatest living poet. The truth will out, you know.”
Mr. Crowley agreed that he wrote “The Diary of a Drug Fiend,” which was assailed in the Press.
“DEGENERATE CANNIBAL”
Mr. Hilbery: Did you say: “Horatio Bottomley branded me as a dirty degenerate cannibal”?—Yes.
“I also had the reputation of being the
best man in the world,” declared Mr. Crowley a few moments
later.
Mr. Crowley said that because of his magic he had once walked in the street in Mexico in a scarlet robe and with a jewelled crown without anyone seeing him.
Mr. Hilbery: As part of your magic you do believe in a practice of bloody sacrifice, do you?—I believe in its efficacy, but I do not approve it at all.
You say in your book, “For nearly all purposes human sacrifice is best”?—Yes, it is.
Mr. Justice Swift: Do you say that you don’t approve it?—Yes.
Mr. Crowley said that at the villa at Cefalu there was “a sort of square box” used as an altar. On it were a book purporting to contain the laws and candles for ceremonial purposes. Incense, a dagger, and a sword were used, and he wore an appropriate robe.
Mr. Hilbery referred to articles in which Mr. Crowley was described as “the king of depravity,” “the wickedest man in the world,” “the man we would like to hang,” “another traitor trounced,” and “the notorious Aleister Crowley.”
Mr. Justice Swift: It is said of you, “It is hard to say whether he is man or beast.”
Mr. Crowley: It was said of Shelley the he was sent from hell.
Mr. Justice Swift: I am not trying Shelley. I am only trying your case. When that was said in the public Press, did you take any steps to clear your character?—I was 1,500 miles away, I was ill, and I was penniless. I wrote to my solicitors.
The hearing was adjourned until to-morrow. |