The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-08
AN INGENIOUS ADVENTURER
The Very Unique Career of Dr. Rich
ard {. Flower, Of Boston.
DOCTOR, LAWYER, INDIAN CHIEF
Spook Medium, Orthodox Minister, Faith
Healer, Agnostic, Promoter of Mining
Spcculations, Reformer and General
Freak-Intcrcsting Biography.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.

tion, is the sensation Of the hour in all
Eastern Ohio. As druggist, Disciple
minister, infldel lecturer, spiritualistic
medium bonanza king in the mines,
owner of ranches and plantations too
numerous to mention, and doctor, law
yer and Indian chief, all rolled into one,
he forms one Of the most conspicuous
and interesting adventurers of the nine
teenth century. Every page of his
eventful life contains sensation, and
the whole forms a farce-comedy with
rich transformation scene at the end of
each act.
Nearly twenty years ago he landed
here, with long hair and an antiquated
cape over his shoulders and glasses on
his nose. He was the talk of the town
and he has been ever since. He came
here in response to a call from the Dis
ciple church. at that time probably the
strongest denomination in the city. The
pulpit, which had been filed in former
years by Rev. A. b. Way, convicted of
forgery, and other unfortunate selec
tions, was vacant. Flower was the son
and brother Of Disciple ministers,
though previous to his advent here he
was clerking in a drug store at Bowling
Green, Ky. He came here on trial and
was accepted.
Proved Sensational Preacher.
For time he preached the simon
pure orthodoxy, but was nothing at all
times if not sensational. Gradually he
commenced diverging from the tradi-
tional teachings of the church, and as
gradually a storm commenced brewing.
The congregation was about evenly di-
vided between his followers and the old
line followers of Alexander Campbell.
Finally he threw off his disguise and
cast dogmas to the winds. A furious
protest went up, and in the midst Of
his sermons he was continually in
terrupted by gray-haired believers in
the true faith. The church split and
in the war that followed the adherents
of the old original faith captured the
property.
Flower then organized THE Inde-
pendent Christian Church" BY de-
grees Flower became more liberal in
his views, until he led his flock through
agnosticism and spiritualism, into the
broad arena of free thought The or
ganlzation became known as the Broad
Gauge Church." and it soon drifted into
a sort of go-as-you-please debating So
ciety.
After having exhausted all other
phases of human existence Flower took
up spiritualism. He became a medium.
and his followers became firm believers.
Seances were held nearly every night,
and the weird performances of his
trained ghosts put to shame the tame
entertainments of all former hobgob-
Inns. He taught that departed spirits
could be made to materialize in the
flesh, and under conditions that COM
pletely prevented investigation he made
his ghosts dance. 1t would require a
very large book to record the interest
ing things this aggregation of prevari-
eating ghosts sprung upon the public.
An Indian Ghost Dancer.
Finally Flower sprung a new wrinkle.
which was the foundation of his for
tune-if he has one. He claimed to be
especially possessed of the spirit of an
old Indian doctor, who had been dead
many centuries. When the spirit would
take hold of him he was full of war
Whoops and the dance. His own spirit
went to sleep, or off on a vacation, he
said, while his brains and body were
possessed of the spirits. Patients came
to him from far and near and his medi-
cal practice assumed such proportions
that he was compelled to open a spoole
L
hospital and sanitarium. He pretended
that he could actually see through his
patients, and If he told a fellow that
he had swallowed an alligator. he
would take an alligator from him and
prove 1t. But Flower, whatever else no
may have been, wasnot fool. and tbou-
sands Of men became infatuated with
his absurd doings plausibly explained.
flower bad plenty of rich hackers and
before the spook regime they estab
Ished for him paper known as the In
dependent Age. For a time it was run
on nigh pressure basis, sinking money
at rapid rate. The late A. w. Coates
ol horserake fame, put little fortune
into the paper and it is there yet
Flower married, during his reign nc
'ne prince or adventurers, the daughter
OF Chris. Manfull, well known bust
ness character of this city, and the
friends of the bride, who was an ex-
ceptionally beautiful and accomplished
girl, almost went into mourning. When
Flower left here he went to Philadel-
phla and then to New York, making
MS appearance in the east as a phy-
sician. He advertised extensively and
succeeded in humbugglng enough peo-
pie to live like prince. He was ar
rested for practicing medicine without
a diploma and fined. He then pur-
chased a patent diploma and opened
shop in Boston, where he won national
fame and fortune. He always PLAYED
for big stakes, and among his pa
fients were many millionaires and peo-
pie OF fame. Even Joe jefferson was.
1t is said, induced to go to him for
treatment
Layer on of Hands.
He claimed to possess the power of
curing by the laying on of hands, as
well as the power to visibly inspect
the interior of every part of the human
body. His practice grew to fabulous
proportions, and he bought page after
page of the greatest newspapers in the
country for "a single advertisement.
He finally built great private hospital
in Boston, and rich patients came to it
from all over the world. Once or twice
a year he would take trip over the
country, having a private train all to
himself. He would stop in all the prin-
cipal cities for a day or two, where he
found hundreds of patients waiting to
be treated.
He and Manfull commenced operat-
ing mines in Colorado, near Silver Cliff,
and the victims of their alluring stocks
are found everywhere Their mining
schemes were extended and land trans
actions that would stagger an ordinary
millionaire were tackled by them in
half a dozen locations. They were in
terested in Florida orange groves and
swarnps, in land on the barren plains,
and mountain peaks. X. C. Flower, or
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