hiː bɪkˌeɪm ɐ spˈɪɹɪtʃˌuːəlˌɪst ɚɹˈaʊnd nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti wˈʌn, ænd bɪɡˈæn tɹˈævəlɪŋ æz ɐ spˈɪɹɪtʃˌuːəlˌɪst tɹˈæns mˈiːdiəm hˌuː pɹəfˈɛst təbi kəntɹˈoʊld baɪ ɐ spˈɪɹɪt ɡˈaɪd hiː ɹᵻfˈɜːd tʊ æz "flˈɛtʃɚ".
He became a spiritualist around 1921, and began traveling as a spiritualist trance medium who professed to be controlled by a spirit guide he referred to as "Fletcher".