Theos-Talk Archives (June 2005 Message tt00445)

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, gregory@z... wrote:

> According to Harris, Vittoria Cremers gave a jounalist, Bernard
O'Donnell, a 
> detailed memoir of her relationship with Mabel Collins, Blavatsky 
> and "D'Onston Stephenson" (which is very interesting as a by-way of 
> Theosophical history). Alas, I cannot find anywhere in the book a
reference to 
> the source from which Harris claims to derive this memoir - he notes
that 
> Cremers did not write any such account for publication so,
presumably, someone 
> (probably O'Donnell - although Harris notes that this was not his
real name!) 
> had or has the notes. Assuming, of course, they exist. 

Hi Gregory,

Thank you for that info which I have read in the copy of Harris's book
that I have. Opposite the contents page of Melvin Harris's book "The
True Face of Jack the Ripper", the copyright acknowledgements includes
this statement:

"By agreement with Peter O'Donnell, the publishing rights in
Vittoria's Cremers' memoirs are now owned by Melvin Harris. Permission
to quote from them will be granted in return for a payment to the
NSPCC (charity)." 

Melvin Harris recently passed away and Cremer's memoirs I assume are
controlled by the estate executors and his widow. Unfortunately,
Cremers account as reprinted in Harris's book is fraught with errors
and has proved unreliable in the recording of her early experiences
with the Theosophical Society, Mabel Collins and Robert D'Onston
Stephenson.

It is in these memoirs that she recounts the commission of Donston's
article "African Magic" for Lucifer by herself and Mabel Collins. In
these discussions on Theos Talk, of which I am grateful for assistance
in this matter, it has now been established that Blavatsky did not
write this article as has been assumed and included in her collected
articles. 

Also, Cremers and Collins had been expelled from the Esoteric Section
by this time though I am not sure if their involvenment continued
within the mainstream Theosophical Society. It would appear that this
is highly unlikely as demonstrated by the Cous/Collins affair and the
subsequent legal proceedings between Collins and Blavatsky.


> I note that neither "Taudriadelta" nor "D'Onston Stephenson" appear
in Michael 
> Gomes' extensive "Theosophy in the Nineteenth Century. An Annotated 
> Bibliography" (1994).

Thanks for going to the trouble of checking this entry on Stephenson.
In view of the above statements I wonder how did Stephenson have an
article included in Lucifer to begin with. He must have had some
contact with the Society but it is difficult to resolve this.

Regards
Spiro