THE MAIL

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

14 April 1934

(page 3)

BLACK MAGIC CHARGES SHOCK JUDGE.

Cambridge Man's Dreadful Creed.

LONDON, Saturday.

"Never have I heard such dreadful, horrible, blasphemous and abominable stuff as that produced by this man, who describes himself as the greatest living poet," said Justice Sir Rigby Swift, in the King's Bench Court today.

He was summing up in an action in which Aleister Crowley sued the authoress, Nina Hamnett, for having allegedly libelled him in her book entitled "Laughing Torso."

The judge added: "I have been for 40 years engaged in the administration of the law, and I thought I knew of every conceivable form of wickedness, but now I know that I can always learn something more."

Crowley alleged that the authoress imputed that he practised black magic at his temple in Cefalu, Sicily, where a baby once was reported to have mysteriously disappeared.

Crowley who was formerly at Cambridge University, denied that he practised black magic. He had fought it all his life, because it was suicidal. He stated that he had travelled the world over studying religions. His temple was decorated only with frescoes similar to the religious paintings in Notre Dame, Paris.

He denied that he advised his associates to cut themselves with razors as a punishment, or that he had forced men to shave their heads, except for a symbolic curl. He also denied that he forced women to dye their heads red.

He explained that he took the designation "The Beast 666" because it meant "Sunlight." He added, amid laughter, "You can call me Little Sunshine!"

Crowley denied that he had sacrificed animals and invited people to drink their blood, also that he had obscenely invoked Pan. He denied having published poems advocating unrestricted sexual freedom, but said that he had contributed pathological works for circulation among students. He denied that magic, like poetry, involved eroticism, and added:—"When I wrote sonnets about the Black Mass I was denouncing it."

Counsel read from a book which Crowley wrote, stating that bloody sacrifice was the most efficacious way of practising magic, while human sacrifice the best.

Crowley then explained that this was a scientific theory. He denied that a baby had disappeared at Cefalu.

Mrs. Betty Sedgwick [Betty May], authoress of "The Tiger Woman" and formerly Epstein's [Jacob Epstein] model, gave evidence that the temple at Cefalu had a magic circle on the floor, and improper paintings on the walls. There Crowley presided at ceremonies in which his "spiritual wife," [Leah Hirsig] known as "The Scarlet Woman," participated.

Once, after a three hours' invocation, a cat was killed and her husband [Raoul Loveday] had to drink its blood.

Counsel for the defense said Crowley had preyed on weak-minded people for years. He hoped the proceedings would end his hypocritical activities.

The jury returned a verdict for Nina Hamnett. Crowley later said:—"The judgment is God's particular way of dealing with my soul. I am considering an appeal."