THE ADVERTISER

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

4 December 1947

(page 1)

“Wickedest Man In Britain”

Dies at 72.

From Our Special Representative

LONDON, Dec. 3.

Aliester [sic] Crowley, the “wickedest man in Britain,” who said that he believed in blood sacrifices—”human sacrifices being the best of all”—died today at the age of 72.

In recent years he was a fat, olive-skinned man with staring reptilian eyes, a heavy jowl and wispy grey hair. He wore an emerald diamond ring of two entwined snakes, which, he claimed, was a powerful magic symbol, on the third finger of his left hand.

Crowley was accused of black magic, celebrating black mass, raising devils and every kind of obscene rituals, systematic drug taking and even of being responsible for the death of a young man he employed as his secretary.

On the only occasion when he tried to vindicate his character in a court of law, in 1934, he lost. That was when he alleged libel in Miss Nina Hamnett's book “Laughing Torso,” in which it was said that he practised black magic. The jury stopped the case, and this is what Mr. Justice Swift said about him—“l thought I knew every conceivable form of wickedness. I thought everything that was vicious and bad had been produced some time or other before me. I have learned in this case we can always learn something more if we live long enough. I’ve never heard such dreadful, horrible, blasphemous, abominable stuff as that which has been produced by the man who describes himself as the greatest living poet.” (Crowley was described as the “Devil-raiser” poet).

Crowley was born of a Plymouth Brethren family at Leamington, in Warwickshire. He was educated at Cambridge, where he began his studies of magic. He then travelled to China and Tibet. He claimed to be able to make himself invisible and to have walked in a scarlet and gold robe with a jewelled crown on his head unseen by anyone.

Crowley claimed that he had four hairs growing over his heart in Swastika form when he was born, adding “Before Hitler was, I am.”

He was expelled from Italy after establishing the abbey of Thelema, where he sacrificed a cat and drank the blood. He carried a box of unguent, with which he anointed himself in order to make himself irresistible to women.

His Chancery Lane “temple” in London had walls lined with mirrors. It was here he “raised devils” so that “people passing in the street fell down in fits.”

Crowley claimed the re-discovery of the elixir of life, which should have served him perpetually, but he died at Hastings like any common mortal.