3. Mr Splitfoot

The story of Dr William Jackson Crawford, an engineer and teacher, who carried out a series of strange experiments with a teenage medium and her family before his untimely death on the shores of Belfast lough in 1920. Dr Crawford’s findings were extraordinary and widely published – but was it all a hoax?

Episode 3 – Mr Splitfoot

1848, Wayne County in rural New York. Two young sisters claim they can communicate with a strange presence in their home – the ghost of a murdered pedlar who uses raps, knocks and bangs to answer their questions.

The Fox sisters become key in the creation of a new religious movement known as Spiritualism – the belief that the dead may be contacted by the living. Word spreads fast and it soon takes root in Ireland, where Spiritualism finds its way to Belfast – and the Goligher family.

Written and presented by Reggie Chamberlain King

Readings by

Dave Fleming Lucy McConnell Mark Claney Stephen Beggs

Produced by Conor McKay Editor Andy Martin A BBC Northern Ireland Production