The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-04-11
HIS "SPOOK" HUNT
CAUSED HIM TROUBLE
The Reverend Doctor Funk Wants
Private Secretary and "Boun-
Ger" for Protection.
BESIEGED BY CHARlATANS.
Publishers Interview With Ghost
Causes Him TO Be Talked
About = Psychical Re-
search Tribulations.
BESIEGED BY cHARLATANS.


SPECIAL
New York. April D.-Ths Reverend Doc
tor Isaac K. Funk, head OF the publishing
firm OF Funk & wagnails. No. % Lafayette
place. wants 4 "bouncsr" and q private Sec
] Rotary. Both necessities arise from the
published accounts of the doctors interest
ing interviews. through sp!ritualisdc medi-
ums. with the ghost OF his Old friend, Henry
Ward Beecher.
h solutions OF the phenomena vouch-
sated to the wealthy publisher thar arise
IN the average mind are that it is a Joke
by some OF Doctor Funk's employees or that
some one Is working" him, . that he
IS an easy mark"
Both these theories are wrong" said
Doctor Funk. and especially the one that
me much trouble. II VIII probably he neces-
saTy Tor me TO engag an additional private
secretary Just 10 attend TO the tons OF let
troubles, which have poured in upon me
since l told Of the remarkable ceunonstra-
ton In which the spirit Of Mr.. Beecher re
Mite, which / thought had been returned
years agS, and told me where II was.
One OF the most remarkable OF these
clever young man. who called on me With
out Introduction and saic he had read how
the spirit OF John RakesTaw. through
whom / communicated with Mr. Beecher.
had told rue that all inventions on this
earth are conceived IN the spirit world. grd
that some OF the greatest aL1 most import
ant have Just been perfected but have not
been made public.
That Doctor Funk said he, most I'm
presstvely, Is absolutely true We have
the greatest invention OF the ages and Il
Is all ready TO place at the disposal OF
the world II Is q machine for the produc-
ton or bquid air At a cost OF less than !
per cent Of that now turned out by Pro-
fessor TEipler. II IS indeed the greatest
thing In the world ! suppose he added,
unoer his breath, And YOU are the easiest
This man went on 10 tell me all about
the machine and its workings 1t was
simply Q process to squeeze out OF the air
the heat the sun puts into 1t He said they
could get unlimited capital. but that there
were certain men OF science whom. they
thought II would be an honor to have as
ISOLATED with them. and that TO some OF
these might be given the privilege OF get
ding IN on the ground noor. I laughed
heartily, and my visitor departed somewhat
crestfallen-
4 notice In q dispatch from Boston that
Doctor Hodgson. president OF the Society
for PsYchical Research Of which ! am a
member. IS quoted as entertaining the pos
sihility OF fraud without my knowledge.
This IS not Impossible. but Il Is so very i'm
probable that II amounts to the same thing.
by the way. the courts may have to de-
eide who the rightful owner OF the coin is.
Mr.. West claims the coin as executor OF
his fathers estate I an nos at all sure
that he Is entitled to IL as the purchaser
OF the collection, which Mr.. West sold Tor
N7.oa after his fathers DEATH. may nave
paid that-Gmcunt with the belief that tbs
Mia was Stn In II"