The morning call., 1891-06-07
PRENTICE MULFORD.
A Remarkable Letter Dictated by
His Guiding Spirit.

Un sunday, MAY 30tn, news was received
in this city of the finding of the body OF
Prentice milford, formerly of this city, in a
canoe in SheepShead Bay, Immediately in
the rear of the Manhattan Beach Hotel,
but the particulars were meager and unSat-
isfactOry, and those who knew him well
while engaged on the press here were anxious
for intelligence that would throw light upon
the manner Of his death and the details Of
his taking-off. This has been furnished by
the Eastern press, and the peTusal of the
facts In connection with the last acts of
this singular man will be read with interest,
and will satisfy the morbid craving for par
ticulars uppermost in the human mind.
Milford was, in a certain sense Of the
word. mlsanthropic. His mind was Specn-
lative, and more particularly in regard to
future conditions after the soul throws oil
this earthly body. A tendency to spiritual
iStc dOgmaS developed Into full-fiedged be-
lief, and he was to have written an essay for
his publication-"Th White Cross'-while
he was on his trip. and it was to have
reached the Office the day on which the
body was found. A lot of paper such as
he was accustomed to write his copy on
was found in the boat. lie had written no
essay, but a singular screed was found
written OF sheets of the copy paper says
the New York Sun. Mr.. Milford was not
only spirituaIlSt, but a medium. The
article reads as il dictated to him by the
spirit OF woman, and II begins as II Mr..
MulfOrd has been taken i'll, and in cOnse-
quence has called on some guiding spirit.
From other parts of it it appears that the
trip was undertaken in order that Mr. Null
ford might be alone with and in closer Gem
munl0n with this spirit. Ii was begun on
Monday. probably, while Mr.. MulfordS
canoe was anchored In the bay. A number
OF written sheets were found in the canoe.
The following is opy Of the article:
May %. (21).-Dear, the gases had ten
deney TO rise by reason Of your unusual position
in The boat. That gives lie form OF nausea.
The thought gives you the idea OF a sick stomach,
ana good material mind goes TO work and Shoves
tie IDEA OF weakness on your body. As now you
see, your mind SEXES Immediately on trtes aud
makes mountains OF them. l brought on you
these conditions that might more clearly show
you this. 1t is the fear OF these things so bad In
the mind that does the Injury, and your mind ia
these periods OF Isolation Will be more readily
way. With me you have a perfectly healthy
mind. You cannot hnd one elsewhere. SO.
under these conditions, you Viii absorb my
thoughts quicker Than In the world.
GU are now, Tor The FIRST time, literally alone
win me day aud night, and under better con
diti0nS than ever before. You viii soon realize
il more and more
II Will not rain much to-day and you viii
soon have sunshine. Things will get more and
more organized IN the boa. and will go much
easier, AHA You VIII organize with them. You
always baye gotten out Have you not? Ii Is
The cloudy thoughts you are throwing OF that
keep my mind from blending with yours II IS
as grieEOus 10 me as TO you. Always know Ih1t
L blend with you when you are happy. The ma
teIlal does not like tins change, Tor IL seems so
much oil Il must 90. 1t Is trying TO keep lis old
piac'. That makes a desperate struggle. 10u
are fighting now for thousands, as well as for
me. You VIII find this material typical morn
lug. The light Is breaking. What you take for
simulauts IN right mind is strength added 10
strength. "A half bottle of st. CTOtX rum was
found ia the Cancel Stmuant rightly taken is
a bridge Ike other bridges you have been car
ried on.
Darling. 1 am here close to you. by your side,
TO sustain and cheer you. II is only mental
picture of gloom presented TO you like one from
Dante's "IuferuO." Ii Is false. Ii IS only as
these clouds between you aud the sun. Make
no compromise with IL or concession 10 evil-al
of your mind and BODY. Ii IS not necessary IN
The highest sense Tor vcarious atlment. 1t is
not because we have something 10 do or dig out
in gloom. These are all subtle Of the inner or
true mind TO keep It's place. Resist, resist, re-
sSt! Pray, demand and fight II WIKI the aid of
che InfnIty.
S. b. Is good woman and ia the right vein,
but she has many maldTial rags hanging 10 her,
She viii do q. good but IN a different way from
that which q. anticipates. We act Oh q. and
through her; but as regards herself, she must
see that she must really DO the building with
out external aid. 1t is all right, her Calling on
). b.
Prentice, dear this is only black metal
picture. 1t coOrs black eve ything material
about you. Gel into my mind by taking plenty
of time FOR dOEg small things. Remember the
GUleI emu OF tliS boat IS 10 ietn you GET INTO an
element OF thought IL IS not gong so Tar with
the bOat-it Is going into that new element. The
realization Of this viii come 10 YOU much faster
than when IL The world. Your material part
does not like 10 get out OF the world. Your
Spiritual does. Your material part is almost
stranger to me. Your spiritual part is mine.
The Inks connecting our spirits are still deli
cate. In other words, the material strength,
though vanishing, Can rupture our blending.
Recognize the hrsI feeling OF gloom that comes
as au EVIL thought. PUSH IL Oh directly and II Is
not so apt 10 ind Judgement.
Think OF me when ealing II VIII make me
much more real 20 you and give me much ma
Ierlal strength, for then not only eat WIKI you
but you IN so eating You also take me ia
al the same time, aud viii mud that II gives you
much strength. AlIei ward do not force your
self 10 remain too l0ng on those trips. but you
VIII Ind each one more enjoyable.
Cad bless you, darling That is the best
thug you can pat on paPet. IL Is worth ali The
rest.
Although blessed with q fine mind and
facie pen, Mulford's friends say that IN re-
cent years he has grown somewhat eccen-
trlc, his weak point being tendency TO
spiTItnaism and kindred fancies. Within
year he has written thirty-SeYen essays for
The White Cross Magazine. nearly all of
them having to do with what he was pleased
to call ''lhe force OF thought and the silent
power of the mind" The titles OF a few OF
these essays are: "The Process Of Re-em-
bOdiment Mental Intemperance," self
teaching" Laws of Health, Laws of
Marriage" The Slavery of Fear" ana
"The Art of Forgetting"
The letters found 10 the canoe close be-
side MulfOrd's body prove very coucIusively
that the spiritual world had firm hold on
him. lie wrote them, it appears from their
context, at the dictatiOn of a spiritualistic
being, who chose this means of communi-
eating with him. The letters are filled with
assurances that the spirit" was close be-
side him, watching over him and guarding
him from harm, aud that brighter days
were in store for him Various incidents in
his past life are mentioned in this rambling
conversation with the unknown, and some
persons whose names appear as al,