Doubt - No 44

Magazine Overview

This issue of DOUBT, The Fortean Society Magazine, Volume II, Whole Number 44, is dated 1931 A.D. The cover prominently features a quote from Emerson: "Science does not know its debt to imagination." The magazine is edited by Tiffany Thayer, Secretary of the Fortean Society.

Contents and Articles

The magazine presents a collection of short, often bizarre, news items and reports that fall under the Fortean umbrella of unexplained phenomena. These items are presented without extensive analysis, encouraging the reader to ponder the implications.

Taxation and Government Oddities:

Several items highlight peculiar situations related to taxation and government actions. A scare story from the San Francisco Chronicle in 1953 reported on "Door-to-Door Tax Hunt" agents. A Post Office employee in Sydney, Australia, refused his pay for 11 years due to "pay-as-you-earn" taxes. The Internal Revenue service in Washington began sending income tax forms to high schools for practice. An unnamed man in Minneapolis earned money from odd jobs and selling blood, only to find he owed $28 in taxes. Congressman Charles Iannello allegedly threatened Harvard's president over faculty members. In Boston, the Attorney General threatened criminal proceedings over a children's comic book. A Senator in North Africa discovered a useless fuel pipeline and surplus lumber. The U.S. Army's operations on Guam are mentioned. The hanging of two soldiers in Guam for alleged rape and murder, despite their claims of innocence, is noted. A resident of Caddo, Oklahoma, had his mail stopped for inviting Eisenhower voters to a picnic.

Unusual Events and Sightings:

The issue is replete with reports of strange occurrences. A teacher in Malden, Massachusetts, discovered "booby-trapped" gift radios. Undergrads at NYU formed a society to "Eliminate Russian Dressing." A Methodist church in Greensboro, North Carolina, added a consulting psychiatrist to its staff. A tire was found in a sycamore tree in Central Park, N.Y.C., leading to a quip about a squirrel smoking. A pasture fire in Beloit, Kansas, was attributed to a flaming owl. A chiropractor in Aukland, New Zealand, knocked off a constable's hat to make a speech. Reports of "fish with feet" are mentioned, with a peculiar French prohibition on fishing for them on Comoro Island after an underwater picture was taken. A dead lioness washed up near Naples, Italy. Lamar Thompson of Newton, Pennsylvania, shot a creature resembling a rabbit with horns and tusks. A carpet in Leeds, England, grew grass-like strands. A man in Holland was arrested for eating a live mouse to win a bet. A statue of General Douglas MacArthur was planned in Los Angeles. Ralph McCabe developed a boat that runs on seawater. A "hideous hairies" tribe was reported in Malaya, described as long-haired, fanged giants. A strange beast resembling a boar or bear was found in Malaya. A gigantic serpent was reported near Lake Bera, India. A wolf-boy was reported in Lucknow, India. Children were trampled to death at midnight mass in Temoaya, Mexico. A crowd at the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City caused injuries and one death. A baby was born during the incident. Prof. Fritz Zwicky sought permission to shoot a gun invention at the moon from a balloon. A "surprise" tide in France drowned two fishermen. A "mysterious soot" covered San Leandro, California. Newcastle, England, dealt with falling ash, tar, and other combustibles. Smog in England contained "sulphur dioxide and sulphuric acid." Holes were made in a roof in London by something falling from a plane. "Seventeen bombs" were dropped by the RAF in the Aberdare forest, Kenya. Minnows were found in the cooling apparatus of a power company in Oklahoma City. Dead fish were found on the streets of Redondo, California. "Sarelines" (small fish) were reported to fall in Yoro, Honduras. Fish were reported to fall on a ranch near Tamaulipas, Mexico. "Radar-jamming tinfoil" fell on Kansas City, causing power failures. A "bright, electric blue residue" was left in Elizabeth, New Jersey. A "mysterious grey dust" continued to fall on Newcastle, England. A wave struck a ship in the Irish Sea. A wave struck a ship in the Atlantic. A tide swamped rocks in France. High water levels were reported along Long Island shores, possibly related to lunar perigee.

Scientific and Medical Curiosities:

Reports touch on scientific and medical anomalies. The Defense Department's effort to induce a private company to operate military germ warfare plants failed. Two Congressmen visiting Spain were robbed, and the robbers were sentenced. A nurse sued the heirs of a patient she allegedly injected with a hypodermic needle, who later died. A surgeon in Binghamton, N.Y., calls out instrument prices instead of names. A German law against vivisection, signed by Hitler in 1933, is still in effect. Alfred Holt is suing the government over confiscated land allegedly for an "underground Pentagon." A "community project" in Houston, Texas, developed a "new medical machine" that checks body functions and detects brain complications. Headstones were overturned in Brooklyn cemeteries, attributed to vandals. A school class was forbidden a Christmas party for not fully participating in the Junior Red Cross drive. A supervisor of Civil Defense was concerned about lack of townspeople participation. Dr. M.W.D. Jeffreys proposed a theory of Negroes crossing the Atlantic to Mexico or South America around 900 A.D. The death of Theodore F. Powys is noted, and his brother John Cowper Powys released a new book. A scarcity of snowy owls is linked to lemmings not committing suicide. A letter from a member discusses why humans commit suicide. The Piltdown Man subject is mentioned, with a commentary on faith in scientific analysis. A fossil insect from Sydney, Australia, identified as an extinct variety, was found to be a common gum tree insect. An egg found in the Gobi Desert, estimated to be 40,000,000 years old, is believed to be the only dinosaur egg in Europe. The "Kensington rune stone" is again denounced as a fraud. Wheat grains from Egyptian tombs, claimed to be viable after thousands of years, are questioned by scientists. A "healthy pink bloom" from a lotus seed found in Manchuria, estimated to be tens of thousands of years old, is credited to the National Capital Parks Service. A "perennial Wolf-boy" was reported in Lucknow, India. The "two-headed atoms" section reports on the birth of two-headed creatures in Germany, Indiana, and Brazil, with detailed descriptions of their anatomy. The issue questions the statement that "three pairs of Siamese twins have been born since Boko came into the news" and notes that the "Dispatch" piece is headed "Atoms Again?" with a theory about radioactive matter. A note about atomic effect on turtles is mentioned under "Russell's Best." Suits were filed in Japan demanding compensation for deaths at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Eric likes a verse from Burton's "Kusidah." Turtles on the Monte Bello Islands are having larger families since the British atomic explosion, with scientists believing radiation may be a factor. A stonemason in Denmark refuses to acknowledge changes in world economics since 1890. Mail-carriers in Singapore refused a new uniform. John Reid described television as "the eighth horror of the world" and American programs as "moronic." Ellen Looney, mother of an N.Y. police sergeant, turned down a trip to Hollywood. A South African Bureau of Standards is testing if "plastic" false teeth can be dissolved by whisky. In Rome, two men are suing for the exclusive right to be known as "Wizard of Naples." A British bill empowers ministers to regulate the addition of substances to food. Lord Webb-Johnson called Lord Douglas of Barloch a "fanatic." Pork was identified as the cause of trichinosis cases in Liverpool, leading to a scheme to vaccinate pigs. Pigs from Melton Mowbray were refused by a bacon factory due to their fat being colored pink. Palomar telescope data led to a recalculation of the distance to a nebula. British television broadcast an image of Jupiter, described as a "whitish oval" with atmospheric effects. Unexplained lights in the sky led to false alarms for coast guard life-boats. The "endless hum or whine" heard in Britain is still unexplained. Stories of "Abom-snowman" are linked to the climbing of Everest. Tracks of a four-footed thing were found on a beach in Shanklin, Isle of Wight. Snakes in Springfield, Missouri, were described as "hooded cobras" or "boa constrictors." A photo of a dead boa constrictor is included. The magazine includes a personal anecdote about a pet python named Hissin-tabern-dunghi. The Oak Island Enigma book is mentioned. Calvin Hoffman's theory about Christopher Marlowe authoring Shakspere's plays is noted. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, Dr. Robert Lindner, and Albert Einstein are grouped for a "Named Fellow" mention. Dr. Robert A. Millikan, a pillar of orthodox physics, died. The Proclamation enclosed with the issue is self-explanatory. Caresse Crosby is mentioned as a candidate for delegate to a World Convention. The Greek Council of State decreed against the "Mondialization of the footprint at Delphi." A monograph on the Manneken-Pis in Brussels is available. James Baker, Jr.'s work on "Psychic Nomenclature" is praised for its cunning coinages.

Fortean Society Philosophy:

The "FS EXPOSED" section explains the Fortean Society's method of encouraging people to think without dictating what to think. It uses lampoons of common mottos like "THINK" and "SMILE" to illustrate this approach, presenting "SNILE" and "THNIK" as examples of inducing thought.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of DOUBT reflects the Fortean Society's ongoing interest in anomalies, unexplained phenomena, and challenging conventional scientific or governmental narratives. The editorial stance is one of skepticism towards accepted explanations and a promotion of independent thought and investigation. The magazine acts as a clearinghouse for curious news items from around the world, suggesting that the unexplained is a constant feature of human experience. The emphasis on "imagination" in relation to science on the cover suggests a belief that rigid adherence to established scientific dogma can overlook or dismiss phenomena that lie outside current understanding.