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Spaceways, v. 3, issue 5, June 1941

31858063101350_004

4 SPACEWAYS

To Mr. Fort by Chris E. Mulrain, Jr

Around the middle of February, 1939, there aooeared on the newsstands of America a new magazine. Unknow is its name. And Unknow is its name that applies to the stories contained therein. I take it for granted that all readers of scientific fiction have seen and read the first issue.
As a Friend of mine said, "the first story was a bang-up yarn"." Sinister Barrier" was the title, and the author was Eric Frank Russell. In his foreward, Mr. Russell has this to say: "To these people I acknowledge my indebtedness. To the Fortean Society of America, ans ro Charles Fort, author of 'The Book of the Damned, 'New Lands', 'Lo!', and 'Wild Talents'."
Charles Fort's first book was published in the year 1919 by Boni and Liverright. It was"The book of the Damned" It has been said that Fort began to gather his material for this, his first book, some time in 1904. Fifteen years of research were spent before he offered his findings to the world.
In his review of "The Book of Damned". for The Chicago Daily News, Ben Hecht had this to say: "I am the first disciple of Charles Fort. He has made a terrible onslaught upon the accumulated lunacy of fifty centuries. The onslaught will perish. The lunacy survives, intrenching itself behind the derisive laughter of all good citzens,"
The second bool, "New Lands", was published in 1923, "Lo!" in 1931, and his lasr,"Wild Talents" came out the day afrer he died in 1932.
Charles Fort wrote od many strange thinhs. He wrote of facts that escape the vision of otdinaty men, Yet all his facts and findings are based uopon the reports of others, 
He did not make up these strange facts, They were brought to him by the newspapers of the world, such as the appearance over Boston Harbor, on December 21, 1909, of the bright lights of an airship. Andin the followinh week it was seen nine different times in as many places throughout New England. It was not until 1910 that an airship was flown from Albany to New York. Then there was the strange disappearance of Dorothy Arnold; when she vanished an unerthly swan made its appearance in the Central Park Lake.
But it remained for this man of small stature and mild manners to bring them together and present them to the world. The world turned its back on him called gim "an impudent little boy". There were those who believed in thos man, this bit of human clay that had the courage to stand up to science and challenge the wrath of cosmic demons. And these men stood by him. It is only fitting that we should mention a few of them. Ben Hecht, co-au-thor of "The Front Page", Theodore Dreiser, Booth Trkington, Tiffany Thayer, and many more.
These men met on the night of January 26, 1931, to form the Fortean Society to investigate and substantiate the findings of Charles Fort. 
Another member of this strange company was Claude Kendall had been found murdered in his hotel room, a bed sheet wrapped around his throat. There was no doubt of murder accordinf to the coroner's report. A strange man was seen to hace entered rhe hotek with Kendall and yet he was not seen leaving. The doors and all the windows in the murdered man's room had been locked on the inside. And the stranger had vanished into thin air.

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4 SPACEWAYS To Mr. Fort by Chris E. Mulrain, Jr Around the middle of February, 1939, there aooeared on the newsstands of America a new magazine. Unknow is its name. And Unknow is its name that applies to the stories contained therein. I take it for granted that all readers of scientific fiction have seen and read the first issue. As a Friend of mine said, "the first story was a bang-up yarn"." Sinister Barrier" was the title, and the author was Eric Frank Russell. In his foreward, Mr. Russell has this to say: "To these people I acknowledge my indebtedness. To the Fortean Society of America, ans ro Charles Fort, author of 'The Book of the Damned, 'New Lands', 'Lo!', and 'Wild Talents'." Charles Fort's first book was published in the year 1919 by Boni and Liverright. It was"The book of the Damned" It has been said that Fort began to gather his material for this, his first book, some time in 1904. Fifteen years of research were spent before he offered his findings to the world. In his review of "The Book of Damned". for The Chicago Daily News, Ben Hecht had this to say: "I am the first disciple of Charles Fort. He has made a terrible onslaught upon the accumulated lunacy of fifty centuries. The onslaught will perish. The lunacy survives, intrenching itself behind the derisive laughter of all good citzens," The second bool, "New Lands", was published in 1923, "Lo!" in 1931, and his lasr,"Wild Talents" came out the day afrer he died in 1932. Charles Fort wrote od many strange thinhs. He wrote of facts that escape the vision of otdinaty men, Yet all his facts and findings are based uopon the reports of others, He did not make up these strange facts, They were brought to him by the newspapers of the world, such as the appearance over Boston Harbor, on December 21, 1909, of the bright lights of an airship. Andin the followinh week it was seen nine different times in as many places throughout New England. It was not until 1910 that an airship was flown from Albany to New York. Then there was the strange disappearance of Dorothy Arnold; when she vanished an unerthly swan made its appearance in the Central Park Lake. But it remained for this man of small stature and mild manners to bring them together and present them to the world. The world turned its back on him called gim "an impudent little boy". There were those who believed in thos man, this bit of human clay that had the courage to stand up to science and challenge the wrath of cosmic demons. And these men stood by him. It is only fitting that we should mention a few of them. Ben Hecht, co-au-thor of "The Front Page", Theodore Dreiser, Booth Trkington, Tiffany Thayer, and many more. These men met on the night of January 26, 1931, to form the Fortean Society to investigate and substantiate the findings of Charles Fort. Another member of this strange company was Claude Kendall had been found murdered in his hotel room, a bed sheet wrapped around his throat. There was no doubt of murder accordinf to the coroner's report. A strange man was seen to hace entered rhe hotek with Kendall and yet he was not seen leaving. The doors and all the windows in the murdered man's room had been locked on the inside. And the stranger had vanished into thin air.