The evening world., 1903-05-15
DEAD SON CAME
TO HER BEDSIDE.
Aged Mrs. Townsend Told Mrs.
Uzes Of the Visit, and Said
She Put Spirits Through a
Test. NIX
OTHER SPIRITS LAUGHED.

Rev. DR.. Robert Collyer was the first
witness to-day in the contest OF the will
OF Mrs. Adaline Darrow Townsend, in
all of the aged woman's acts even when
she made her will leaving half a million
dollars to her dead husbands law part
ner, Joseph H. Mahan.
DR.. Collyer performed the funeral SER
vices for Mrs. Townsend's husband,
Henry Perrine Townsend, In 1900. He re-
cited one OF Edwin Arnolds poems.
Next day ne was not permitted TO sec
Mrs. woTnsend. and at the request of
some ono he sent a copy of the poem.
Mrs. Maria Uzes. the next witness.
testified at length about Mrs. Towns
ends splritualist friends and her be-
l!efs She. too. was denied admission
to Mrs. Townsend the day after her
husbands death. But she brushed by,
and found Mr.. Mahan with the aged
woman. A young man tried to force
her out. and Mrs. Townsend raised her
hand and told her to keep quiet.
Wrote Letter to Medium.
Mrs. Uzes. whose husband Is a bene-
fclary in a bequest of $500 Under Mrs.
Towusends will, was the most impor-
tant witness for the contestants to-day.
She tod of letter shown by Joseph H.
Mahan, the residuary legatee under the
will. to Mrs. Townsend.
This is a letter from Potter" said
Mr.. Mahan. Potter was Jane Pot
ter. the spir!tuallst," the witness ex-
piained. Mr.. Mahan wrote letter
tO1 AIra
which she did
Mrs. Uzes said Mrs. Townsend had told
her she was firm believer in spiritual
Ism, because she had had communication
with her dead son.
She told me-" said the witness. that
one night she was lying on her bed
when there came a rap at the foot or
there" q voice answered.: It's me.
mother-Harry, your son.
Well. II 1t is you, Harry. go and get
the ball you played with Mrs. Town
told rue that Harry went and got the
ball and put 1t in her hand.
The Laughing Spirits.
"At another time Mrs. Townsend told
me that she was sitting by a window
and heard voices laughing, 'Ha! ha! ha!
we Will soon have our old friend with
u.s. and the very next day Mr.. Tuttle.
an old friend of Mrs. Townsend. died"
Mrs. Townsend told me that one day,
the very day before her husband died.
Jane Pottes and a lot of other women
who wre at the house, got to quarelllng
about Christian Science, and Mr.. Town
send got so angry with Jane Potter that
he put her out of the house.
AS Mrs. Potter was going out she
called back: You put me out to-day.
but something will happen tomorrow
The next day old Mr.. Townsend died.
THE night after Mr.. Townsend's fun
eral ! saw Joseph IL. Mahon take Mrs.
Townsend out OF her bed and prop her up
In a choir by a table. He made her sign
her name to paper. There were two
or three other women ard two or three
men there. and they all signed this
paper. too. but l don't know what the
paper was"
Took Ribbons from Flowers.
Th witness said that Mrs. Townsend
directed her to remove the ribbons with
which the funeral flowers were tied. as
She wanted to make a sofa pillow cover
out of them.
Mrs. u eS also said that Mrs. Towns
end had complained TO her that she was
a prisoner in her own houses, and was
not allowed to. know anything of the