Post by Vampirologist on Jan 20, 2007 6:06:30 GMT -5
A transcript purporting to be of the BBC television documentary 24 Hours, 15 October 1970, appeared on the internet a little while back. It contained significant error and a number of misleading interpolations. These are not dealt with fully here; though elaboration will not be evaded should anyone feel the matter merits it. The tampered transcript originated with "swampfink" who some time back used to promote the fabrications of a certain David F------, but now finds the same F------ disseminating his misrepresentation in copied and pasted form elsewhere, including a forum for hardened sceptics and atheists who find in F------ a most willing ally.
Two examples in quotes will be addressed.
"The Society opperates [sic] out of this small incense smelling living room in North London. Among other accourements [sic](muffled) ... practice, Manchester keeps an alchemy set of chemicals in bottles and several magical circles inscribed with the many titles of the powers of good. (C/U of pentagram on wall; cut to Highgate Cemetery)"
Why does "swampfink" (and now F------ who has copied and pasted this misrepresention) suggest that the two words "of his" are "muffled"? They are as clear as all the other words. The words in brackets regarding a "pentagram on wall" were added by "swampfink" and refer to items not seen in connection with the British Occult Society but in connection with diabolism at Highgate Cemetery. No pentagram was shown on the wall or anywhere else in the "incense smelling room in North London."
Pentagrams are used in Freemasonry, magic and witchcraft. This symbol did not appear anywhere during the filmed sequence with Seán Manchester. Shown were several symbols representing good, eg a Celtic Cross, a Knight's Cross, a hexagram (symbol for Judaism) etc.
Laurence Picethly's narration immediately prior to his introduction of Seán Manchester, however, refers to "Satanist symbols" including "pentacles" on the walls of a desecrated tomb at Highgate Cemetery.
When examined in context this is what the BBC film narration actually states: "This desecration was utterly different to anything that had happened before at Highgate Cemetery. This time there was no lead missing from the coffin and there were pentacles and other Satanist symbols chalked here on the walls. These indications of a black ritualism at work aroused the curiosity of Seán Manchester, 26-year-old president of the British Occult Society. ... The Society operates out of this small incense-smelling living room in North London. Among other accoutrements of his practice, Manchester keeps ... etc."
Although reference is made to alchemical bottles during this introductory narration, none were apparent in the film. In fact, they did not exist and were an unfortunate embellishment by the narrator to bottles of holy water and consecrated oil.
Another example:
"LAURENCE PICETHLY On August 17th, the former associate of Sean Manchester, Mr. Allan [sic] F------, who used to own this Tobacconist Shop in Highgate, decided to pay a midnight visit to the cemetery to combat the vampire once and for all. At the cemetery, F------ was forced to enter by the back wall (C/U of DF leaping into the cemetery), as he still does today. He armed himself with a cross and a stake and crouched between the tombstones, waiting. But that night, police on the prowl for vandals discovered him. He was charged with being in an enclosed space for an unlawful purpose but later the Clerkenwell Magistrate acquitted him."
A complaint was made at the time to the BBC over the words "former associate." This complaint remains on file. The BBC responded to the effect that this was only a claim made by F------ but as he did say it they felt it was acceptable to leave it in. They qualified this by also saying that it did not mean it was true and they expected viewers to take into consideration elsewhere in the film where Laurence Picethly states: "Seán Manchester regards F------ as an amateur." It was also apparent in the film that Seán Manchester was completely separate from the lone "vampire hunter" who had been arrested in the previous August.
"swampfink" knows better than most (because of his obsession with this topic) that David F------ was no former associate of Seán Manchester, but rather an interloping charlatan looking for a suitable bandwagon to board.
The above in quotes is extracted from Google's cache of members.fortunecity.co.uk/swampfink/24hrs2.htm as retrieved on 3 April 2006. The original page uploaded by "swampfink" has not too surprisingly disappeared. However, David F------ has resurrected it as his own work and posted it on a sceptics forum to add to the plethora of misleading and fabricated nonsense which is published on an almost daily basis about the Highgate Vampire case.
Two examples in quotes will be addressed.
"The Society opperates [sic] out of this small incense smelling living room in North London. Among other accourements [sic](muffled) ... practice, Manchester keeps an alchemy set of chemicals in bottles and several magical circles inscribed with the many titles of the powers of good. (C/U of pentagram on wall; cut to Highgate Cemetery)"
Why does "swampfink" (and now F------ who has copied and pasted this misrepresention) suggest that the two words "of his" are "muffled"? They are as clear as all the other words. The words in brackets regarding a "pentagram on wall" were added by "swampfink" and refer to items not seen in connection with the British Occult Society but in connection with diabolism at Highgate Cemetery. No pentagram was shown on the wall or anywhere else in the "incense smelling room in North London."
Pentagrams are used in Freemasonry, magic and witchcraft. This symbol did not appear anywhere during the filmed sequence with Seán Manchester. Shown were several symbols representing good, eg a Celtic Cross, a Knight's Cross, a hexagram (symbol for Judaism) etc.
Laurence Picethly's narration immediately prior to his introduction of Seán Manchester, however, refers to "Satanist symbols" including "pentacles" on the walls of a desecrated tomb at Highgate Cemetery.
When examined in context this is what the BBC film narration actually states: "This desecration was utterly different to anything that had happened before at Highgate Cemetery. This time there was no lead missing from the coffin and there were pentacles and other Satanist symbols chalked here on the walls. These indications of a black ritualism at work aroused the curiosity of Seán Manchester, 26-year-old president of the British Occult Society. ... The Society operates out of this small incense-smelling living room in North London. Among other accoutrements of his practice, Manchester keeps ... etc."
Although reference is made to alchemical bottles during this introductory narration, none were apparent in the film. In fact, they did not exist and were an unfortunate embellishment by the narrator to bottles of holy water and consecrated oil.
Another example:
"LAURENCE PICETHLY On August 17th, the former associate of Sean Manchester, Mr. Allan [sic] F------, who used to own this Tobacconist Shop in Highgate, decided to pay a midnight visit to the cemetery to combat the vampire once and for all. At the cemetery, F------ was forced to enter by the back wall (C/U of DF leaping into the cemetery), as he still does today. He armed himself with a cross and a stake and crouched between the tombstones, waiting. But that night, police on the prowl for vandals discovered him. He was charged with being in an enclosed space for an unlawful purpose but later the Clerkenwell Magistrate acquitted him."
A complaint was made at the time to the BBC over the words "former associate." This complaint remains on file. The BBC responded to the effect that this was only a claim made by F------ but as he did say it they felt it was acceptable to leave it in. They qualified this by also saying that it did not mean it was true and they expected viewers to take into consideration elsewhere in the film where Laurence Picethly states: "Seán Manchester regards F------ as an amateur." It was also apparent in the film that Seán Manchester was completely separate from the lone "vampire hunter" who had been arrested in the previous August.
"swampfink" knows better than most (because of his obsession with this topic) that David F------ was no former associate of Seán Manchester, but rather an interloping charlatan looking for a suitable bandwagon to board.
The above in quotes is extracted from Google's cache of members.fortunecity.co.uk/swampfink/24hrs2.htm as retrieved on 3 April 2006. The original page uploaded by "swampfink" has not too surprisingly disappeared. However, David F------ has resurrected it as his own work and posted it on a sceptics forum to add to the plethora of misleading and fabricated nonsense which is published on an almost daily basis about the Highgate Vampire case.