The San Francisco call., 1904-06-05
PSYCHIC PUZZLE
For Science to Solve.

~HE promise made a year ago by
4 DR.. !. X. Funk, the editor Of the
Standard Dictionary, to give the
world a book as resultant of fuller in
vestigation of the puzzling psychic in
cident known as THE Widows Mite"
has been fulfilled: and he has added
thereto many other automatically re-
corded psychic phenomena which act as
sidelights on the main subject of his
new publication.
The authors avowed purpose is only
to attempt to state clearly a problem
and TO urge others, better qualified, to
the discovery of its solution. There are
many reasons given why the book
should have a claim upon our atten-
ton, and most of these might be con-
densed into that sentence from Glad
stone who, speaking Of efforts in
psychical research, said: 1T. is the
most important work which is being
done in the worldly far the most i'm
portant" In regard to the moral atti-
tude of the attention which we give
DR.. Funk would have IS remember
the teaching of Huxley, who said that
we should sit down before the fact as
a little child, and be prepared to follow
hurnbIy wherever nature leads. "or you
shall learn nothing"
The story of THE Widows Mite in
brief is this: DR.. Funk, while prose-
cutting in a general way his inquiries
irto psychic phenomena, attended
seance at the house of medium IN
whose honesty he felt perfect. conf
dence. The seances held at the house
OF this medium were never for money,
but were family reunions of the hv-
ing and dead" Here the spirit control,
causing tho woman mediums voice to
sneak in the strongly. masculine tones
of the spirit who was using her, as she
Law in trance, for the mechanism by
which to put his thought in matter
nodded forms of speech" asked DR..
Funk to have returned to its proper
place an ancient coin called the
Widows Mite, sayins it was the re-
quest of the spirit of Henry Ward
Beecher. Funk replied that the coin
had been returned he then sup
posed il was. The answer from the
spirit world was that the coin had not
been returned, IS DR.. Funk supposed,
and that Mr.. Beecher said he wished
the matter attended to.
should be returned the spirit replied
that he could not give the name, but
that il was a friend of Mr.. Beecher,
that he was shown picture of col
leee from which he inferred that the
man was connected with large schooi
1T was a ladies' school, on the Heights
in Brooklyn.
In his investigation of the facts as
yerifable from the mortal side OF the
boundary DR.. Funk tells us that the
coin in question was a very rare one
valued at $250o, a part Of very val
uable collection belonging to Professor
West. who was a close friend OF
Beecher and had been principal Of
a ladies' high school on the Brooklyn
Heights. Funk had borrowed the coin
nine years before to be used for a cut
in the Standard Dictionary. He had
ordered the coin returned and sup
nosed it was, but his instructions had
been neglected and the matter had
been forgotten by himself and by all
his subordinates In the office. 1t had
also been forgotten by Professor West
and his son, who assisted him In his
business affairs.
When asked WHere Ine Oo1u "0S' eiio
spirit control replied that he was
simply impressed that 1t was in a large
safe; that 1t had been lost sight Of; 1t
was in this safe. in . drawer. under
lot Of papers. Now, In Funk's office
there were two safes in charge OF the
cashier and his assistant. large safe
and q smaller enc. In the large one
the lost coin was found. in drawer.
under lot Of paperA
The deepening mystery deepens still
further thus: The coin was in an en-
velope with another also nominaliy
a Widows Mite. One coin was dark
colored. the other lighter. The die
tionary makers had decided the light
er coin was the genuine and used 1t
for the cut in illustration. At a sub
aAdUnnf neance Funk aakod f1a Snfrft