The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-05-18
SAW BEECHER.
Dr.. Funk Ead Conversation With
the Dead Preacher.
A MESSAGE FROM HIN FIRST.
Dr.. Funk Says that He Saw Bee cher
in Well Defined Form and
Told Of the World OF
Spirits.

Told Of the World OF
Spirits.
DR.. I. 4. Funk of the Funk & Nag
nails publishing house, well known as
a lecturer in the cause OF total abstln-
ence from intoxlcants and as an edlsor
of prohibition publications, says Ine
New York Sun. has embodied IN oook
form the result of his investigation OF
psvchic phenomena which have seemed
to him to be supernatural in their ma
ture. This book published today un-
der the title The Widows Mite and
Other Psychic Phenomena, contains
quantity Of new information regard
ing DR.. FunE's communications with
the alleged spirit Of DR.. Henry Ward
Beecher about a year ago. The main
points Of the Widows Mite story were
printed at that time.
DR.. Funk's new book tells the story
enthusiastically and supports it with
a quantity Of af6dayits from every
one concerned-except, Of course, the
spirits. DR.. Funk tells of talk he
had face to face with the tempora lily
re-embodied spirit Of Henry Ward
Beecher. This incident has never
been related before and will be vel
coined by those who have sought data
for settling in their own minds the
degree of creduility Of scepticism OF
which the author is possessed. There
are also the tabulated opinions Of
forty eminent psychologists in uniyer-
sities throughout the world on the
actual significance Of the phenomena
as described by Dr.. Funk.
The incident of the Widows Mite
in brief was as follows:
Irving S. Roney, an employee Of Mr..
Funk, early in 1903 invited his en-
ployer, Dr.. I. Z. Funk, to go with
him to the home Of 6fty-eight-year-
old widow. She was a medium, :"
but never took money for her services.
The meetings which he attended were
weekly prayermeetings of the family,
living and dead' and occurred every
Wednesday for four years. " There
was no charge for any Of the serVives
undertaken.
There were three controls" or
spirits who could be called up at will
by the medium and her family. These
were niece of the medium named
Mamie, son CT the medium named
Amos and a friend named George Car
loll.
DR.. Funk tells that he took part in
two "Wednesday evening sittings,"
before he met with anything start
ling. He says Of the third visit that
he was "quite tired" listening to
talks between the cabinet and the
sitters.'' At II O'Clock the control
called George, in his usual strong mas
culine voice, abruptly asked: Has
any one here got anything that be-
longed to Me-. Beecher?''
There was 10 reply and DR.. Funk,
who had known Henry Ward Beecher,
remarked that ne had in his pocket
letter from the Rev. DR.. n. Dwight
Hills, a successor Of Dr.. Beecher, and
asked if that was meant. The me-
dium said:
''No, but am told by spirit pres
ent, John Rakestraw, that MI. Beech
er, who is not present, is concerned
about Jan ancient coin, the Widows
Mite This coin is out Of its place,
and should be returned. Mr.. Beecher
looks to you, doctor, to return it,"
DR.. Funk told the control that he
had no coin Of DR.. Beecher. He erenem-
bered then that he had borrowed, some
nine years before, valuable ancient
coin known as the Widows Mite
from Brooklyn gentleman, who had
been a friend Of DR.. Beecher and told
the control about it adding that he
had promptly returned it.
The control replied: This one has
not been returned" and then began to
discuss large iron safe" After in
timations that the safe was in Plym-
outh church, the control said that the
Widows Mite" was in "a safe in a
drawer under a lot Of papers"
The insistent statement that the
coin had not been returned and the
fact that such an unusual piece Of
money should have been mentioned i'm
pressed Dr.. Funk so strongly that the
next morning he asked his brother,
who had been the business manager
OF the Standard Dictionary, for use in
which the coin had been borrowed, If
he rememb bered "The Widows Mite" !"
and what had become Of it. He was
equally certain that the coin had teen
returned Dr.. Funk did not tell him Of
the incident Of the previous night.
That same afternoon the cashier
searched the large iron safe iu Dr..
Funk's Office, and found an envelope
containing two Widows Mites in an
envelope lying under a pile Of papers
in a little drawer Of the large safe.
It was discovered by comparison
with the plate Of illustrations in the
distionary that the lighter and small
ler of the two coins had been used, and
it was remembered that an experts
opinion had been called in to decide
which Of the two coins was genuine.
The other coin was much blacker than
the one used.
''The following Wednesday even
ing" says DR.. Funk, I recalled the
incident OF the coin to the control.
There are two OF them I said. Now,
George can you tell me which OF the
Two is the right one?' Without hesita-
tion be answered: The black one.' l
was certain that the lighter one was
the correct coin, as that was the one
We had used in the dictionary. I asked
him whether be was sure it was the
black one. His reply vas instant:
Certainly
The control further explained that
the coin should go to some place in
Connecticut and said that Dr.. Funk