The Van Buren press., 1903-04-11
Did Beecher's Spirit Talk to Rev. Dr.
Funk2

years, the spirit or henry Ward Deech-
er has come back to this city to 'dun
q man for coin Beecher loaned him
many years ago.
The man thus reminded of his forget
fitness is DR.. |. X. Funk, publisher of
directory.
II will not say that the story is true
in all its details, - said the Rev, DR.. |.
K. Funk, when Post-Dispatch re-
porter asked him about the matter.
But it has substantial basis of fact d.
II am not prepared to go into details
until have completed the investigation
| am now making. Certainly | have
heard most remarkable message.
Whether its origin is telepathic or clair
vovant or clairaudient, or whether it
proceeded from an individuality in the
next world through the fundamentally
of the medium, | am not at this moment
prepared to say,
For more than year. DR.. Funk has
been investigating the possibility of
communicating with disembodied spir-
its in the next world. DR.. Funk is
known all over the world for his learn
ing. He is an ardent prohibitionist,
the head ofthe publishing firm of Funk
& Wagnalls. has written and published
widely read books on travel, temper
ance and religious subjects He is 8
tall, gray, spare, kindly gentleman Of
more than so years.
1t is said that the medium told DR..
Funk that his friend, Henry WARD
Beecher. wanted to speak to him from
the spirit world. Dr. Funk assented
why don t you return that coin yor
borrowed from me 30 years ago2'' the
medium, inspired by Mr.. Beecher
spirit, said in Mr.. Beecher s well
known jovial manner.
What CONT" DR.. Funk asked, as
tonished.
why, the widows mite, - sale
the medium, speaking for Mr., Beecher
You used it as model for illustration
in one of your books,
II returned it to you years ago,
said DR.. Funk
Pardon me but you are mistaken,
the spirit insisted. IF you will lool
in your safe, in the compartment In tn
lower right hand corner, you will flint
my old coin under some papers.
The spirit described the bundle of pa
pers and the position of the coin will
considerable detail. When DR.. Fun
arrived at his office next day he aske,
clerk, who was with him at the tim
of the widow 3 mite incident, wha
had become Of the coin. The man wa
sure it was returned to Nj. Beecher
The search was made. The coin was
not found in an old small safe which
was first examined, but search in
larger safe revealed it in precisely tn,
position and under the papers the spiri
or medium had mentioned
DR.. Funk smiled as the Post-Dispatcl
reporter recounted the story. He ad
mitted its substantial correctness.
II will not try to explain it at pres
ent, said DR.. Funk, "TelepaThi
communication by means Of what, fo
lack Of better name, we may cal
thought transference or thought waves
Is well established fact Mother
know when their children are sick
wives have seen as in a vision the fig
ures of husbands as at the moment o
death. These things are common ant
well vouched for.
''Who knows by what means ont
mind communicates with another with
out means of speech or visible signs o.
wrtingH What part Of the mind, o.
the ego, sends and receives these mes
sagesH Is 1t higher consciousness
which we have not yet identifedH AnC
Is the receipt Of such communications
from mind to mind any more wonderful
than the Narconi messages, which, by
means Of wireless electric impulse
fly across the ocean and are clearly re-
ceived thousands Of miles away
4 prefer to give no details as to the
experiments thus far made until my in.
vestigation shall have been concluded
Thus far may say that which has ap.
peared has been profoundly interesting
] cannot say, TO the exclusion Of all
other hypothesis, that | have received
message from the spirit world But
] do say we cannot deny that possibility
0! receiving such messages until that
impossibiity has been proved,
IL am not forgetting the possibility
OF one person reawakening and reading
GEOGRAPHICALLY dormant memory in the
mind Of another, Neither am | denying
that 1t is possible for one spirit to com.
municate with another My mind is
open to conviction, seek only the
truth, -