The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1904-05-20
SAW BEECHER.
Or. Funk Had a Conversation With
the Dead Preacher.
"A MESSAGE FROM H1M FIRST.
DR.. Funk Says that He Saw Beech
in Well Defined Form and
Told of the World OF
Spirits.


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
quantity of new information regard
ing DIR. Funk'S communications with
the alleged spirit of Dr.. Henry Ward
Beecher about Il 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 aff1davits from every
one 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 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 univer-
slties 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 MIR.
Funk, early in 1903 invited his en-
ployer, DR.. l. Is. Funk, to 20 with
him to the home Of a fifty -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 deadH 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
Mamie, son Cf the medium nan ed
Amos and friend named George Car
1oll.
DR.. Funk tells that he took part in
two Wednesday evening sttings," :"
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 ''lIas
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 d
letter from the Rev. DIR. N. Dwight
Hills, successor of Dr. Beecher, anC
asked If that was meant The me
dium said:
mo, but am told by spirit pres
ent, John Rakestraw, that Mr.. Beech
= or, who is not present, is concerned
about fan ancient coin, the Widows
Mite This coin is out OF it's place
aud should be returned. Mr. Beechel
looks to you, doctor, to return it,"
DIR. Funk told the control that he
had no coin OF DR.. Beecher He remem
bered then that he had borrowed, some
nine years before, a valuable ancicn,
coin known as the "Widow's 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-
outh church, the control said that the
Widows Mite" was in "a safe in a
drawer under lot of papers,"
The inSistCnt statement that the
coin had not been returned and the
1aCo that such an unusual piece of
money should have been mentioned i'm
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, He 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..
Funk'S office, and found an envelope
containing two Widows 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 ia The
distionary that the lighter and small
ler OF the two coins had been used, and
1t 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 tLan
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 one? Without hcsita-
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
him whether he was sure it was ihc
black one. His reply was instant.
Certainly.
The control further explained that
the coin should 90 to some place In
Connecticut and said that Or. Funk
had received it from Il friend Of DIR.
Beecher, who had been connected with
a large womens school on Brooklyn
Heights.
This information about the owner
OF the Widows Mite, says DR..
Funk, was all correct as far as it
f.. l.