The movement of something, often a human, through solid objects or from one place to another through paranormal means. Teleportation was a popular feature of many 19th-century seances. The medium conducting the seance might disappear from the premises only to reappear later, or someone not initially involved in the seance would suddenly be present, his or her arrival in the darkened room usually accompanied by uncomfortable bumps and sounds. One memorable incident allegedly occurred in London in 1871. Medium and spirit photographer Frederick A. Hudson was conducting a seance when one of his guests asked that a Mrs. Guppy, an acquaintance who lived in a different part of London, join them in the dark, sealed room. In a moment or two, one of the guests felt something brush his head; there was a bump on the table, a couple of people screamed, and, when a match was struck to make a light, a dazed Mrs. Guppy, a very heavy woman, was found to be sitting on the table in her dressing gown, pen and still-damp ledger in hand.
While teleportation probably reached its popular height during the spiritualist craze of the 19th century, cases have been reported in the 20th century as well. One occurred during an extended Poltergeist incident in India in 1928. A young boy, the older brother of Damodar Ketkar (the focus person in the poltergeist case), suddenly appeared at a home in a town several miles from where he lived. A witness reported that when she looked up, the boy appeared to be doubled over, suspended a couple of inches above the ground, with arms hanging limply as though someone had grabbed him by the waist and carried him to her door. Saints have also been subjects of teleportation, as have Hindu and other mystics.