David Phelps Abbott (1863–1934) was a Spiritualist medium investigator and amateur magician.
He was born on September 22, 1863, in Falls City, Nebraska.
He had his early schooling at a small schoolhouse on the
Nebraska grasslands for three months a year, followed by nine months at Falls
City High School.
Abbott ultimately pursued a career as a money lender, but he
was also fascinated by science and philosophy.
He also became an amateur magician, devising and executing a
variety of mind-boggling illusions.
He spent some time in Omaha, Nebraska.
Abbott wrote a number of articles and books on the topic of
psychical phenomena.
Many practices of false mediumship were disclosed in his
book Behind the Scenes with the Mediums, including slate writing and billet
testing (see pellet reading).
Abbott, despite his skepticism toward claims of mediumship,
did not rule out the potential of actual occurrences.
"I mention these things to show that telepathy is far
from established as a fact, yet I must say that I believe it to be possible
under certain conditions, but positively it cannot be commanded at will in the
slightest degree," he wrote in a thoughtful contribution to the second
volume of Ram Narayana's The Dream Problem (Delhi, 1922).
He then shared his own and his family's veridical dreaming
experiences.
Further Reading:
Abbott, David P. Behind the Scenes with the Mediums. Chicago: Open Court Publishing, 1912.
The History of a Strange Case. Chicago: Open Court Publishing, 1908.
Spirit Portrait Mystery . . . Its Final Solution. Chicago: Open Court Publishing, 1913.
You may also want to read more about parapsychology and occult sciences here.