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Mina Crandon: The True Crime Story and Key Facts

Mina Crandon: American spiritualist (1888–1941). The documented story, timeline and key facts of the case.

By the Pop Culture Files editorial team4 min read✓ Fact-checked
Mina Crandon
Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA

Mina 'Margery' Crandon was an American psychic medium who performed under the stage name 'Margery' and claimed to channel her dead brother, Walter Stinson. Investigators who studied Crandon concluded that she had no such paranormal ability, and others detected her in outright deception. She became known as her alleged paranormal skills were touted by Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and were disproved by magician Harry Houdini. Crandon was investigated by members of the American Society for Psychical Research and employees of the Scientific American.

Why the case is remembered

The Mina Crandon story remains one of the most discussed entries in true-crime history, covered in documentaries, podcasts and books. The summary above follows the publicly documented record.

Text adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Facts reflect the documented public record.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Mina Crandon?

Mina 'Margery' Crandon was an American psychic medium who performed under the stage name 'Margery' and claimed to channel her dead brother, Walter Stinson. Investigators who studied Crandon concluded that she had no such paranormal ability, and others detected her in outright dec.

Why is the Mina Crandon case famous?

It is one of the most documented fraudster cases, widely covered by true-crime media.

Sources

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