The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-05-20
SAW BEECHER.
DR.. Funk Had Conversation With
the Dead Preacher.
a MESSAGE FROM HIM FIRST.
DIR. Funk Says that He Saw Beeohe1
in Well Defined Form and
Told OF the World OF
.ss Spirits.


q lecturer in the cause OF total abstin-
ence from intoxicants and as an editor
OF prohibition publications, says The
New York Sun, has embodied in book
form the result Of his investigation Of
psychic 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
a quantity of new information regard
ing DIR. Funk's communications with
the alleged spirit of DR.. Henry Ward
Beecher about a yeai ago. The main
points Of tie Widows Mite story were
printed at that time.
DR.. Funk'S new book tells the story
enthusiastically and supports it with
a quantity of atIldavits from every
one concerned except, of course, the
spirits. DR.. Funk tells Of talk he
had face to face with the temporarily
re-embodied spirit OF Henry Ward
Reecher. This incident has never
been related before and will be well
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 univer-
stiles throughout the world on the
actual significance of the phenomena
as described by DR.. Funk.
The incident Of the Widows VI lite
in brief was as follows:
Irving S. Roney, an employee of Mr..
Funk, early in 1903 invited his en-
ployer, DR.. L. X Funk, to 20 with
him to the home Of Il fifty -eight-year-
old widow. She was 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 ill
by the medium and her family. These
were niece of the medium named
Mamie, son cf the medium nan ed
Amos and Il friend named George Car
1oll.
DR.. Funk tells that he took part in
two "Wednesday evening sittings, v
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 usualstrong mas
culine voice, abruptly asked: Has
any one here got anything that be-
longed to Mr.. Beecher?'
There was no reply and Dr. Funk
who had known Henry Ward Beecher
remarked that he had in his pocket q
letter from the Rev. DR.. N Dwight
Hills, a successor Of Dr. Beecher, anC
asked If that was meant. The me-
dium said:
No, but l am told by spirit pres
ent, John Rakestraw, that Mr.. Beech
= or, 7whS' is not present, is concerned
about fan ancient coin, the Widows
Mite This coin is out Of it's place
and should be returned. Mr.. Bcechel
looks to you, doctor, to return it,"
DIR. Funk told the control that ht
had no coin Of DR.. Beecher. He remem
bered then that he had borrowed, some
nine years before, Il valuable ancient
coin known as the Widows Mite
from a Brooklyn gentleman, who had
been friend of DR.. Bcecher 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-
ouGh church, the control said that the
Widows Mite" was in "a safe in q
drawer under lot of papers,"
The insistent statement that Lne
coin had not been returned and the
1act that such an unusual piece of
money should have been mentioned inn
pressed DIR. 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 remembered The Widows Mite"
and what had become Of It, lie was
equally certain that the coin had been
returned DR.. Funk did not tell him Of
the incident OF the previous night.
That same afternoon the cashier
searched the large iron safe in DR..
Funks office, and found an envelope
containing two "Widow's Mites" in an
envelope lying under pile Of papers
in little drawer of the large safe.
1t was discovered by comparison
with the plate of Illustrations in The
customary that the lighter and small
ler OF the two coins had been used, and
IL 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 tflan
the one used
The following Wednesday even
ing" says DR., Funk, II recalled The
incident Of the coin to the control.
There are two Of them, said. Now,
George can you tell me which of The
two Is the right oneN Without hesita-
tion he answered: The black one.
was certain that the lighter one was
the correct coin, as that was the one
we had used in the dictionary. asl ed
MIN whether he was sure it was The
black one. His reply was insta at:
Certainly
The control further explained that
The coin should go to some place in
connecticut and said that Or. Funk
mad received it from a friend of Dr.
Beecher, who had been connected with
a large women'S school on Brooklyn
Heights.
This information about the owner
OF the Widows Mite, says DR..
FUNK, was all correct as far as 1t
NEn n, -