The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-25
DR.. FUNK has SPOOK PICTURES
IKE LITTER MARSH, ~ T SAYS
HE rs NOT 'NC0FD THEREBl
They We're Acquired for Investigation
He Has Deen I'm Negotiation WIN
the Bangs sisters. Chicago Mediums
1hn Produce such Art Works This
Re,ctIcd In Row over Mrs Pepper,
Whom an Anti-Fraud Societ Calls Fsker


Whom an Anti-Fraud society Calls Fsker
There Ii trouble. large chunks OF IT,.
among the spirituaists, with Mira May
Pepper. medium and pastor of the First
Spiritualist Church Of Brooklyn as the focus
The believers the fervent unbelievers and
the scientific investigators arc all in 1t. In
a wild pamphlet Of secret authorship, pro-
Tossing to come from the "Anti-Fraud
Society Of Brooklyn" At is charged that
Mrs Pepper is ali kinds of a faker and that
the Rev. Dr. Isaac Funk, scientific investi-
gator and author OF THE Widows Mite. >
IL her dupe Incidental TO all this it ID
declared by persons on both sides OF the
controversy that Dr. Funk has been buy
ing spirit portraits" in Chicago.
A medium and one Of tho unbelievers
collaborate in the tale about DR.. Funk's
spirit portraits DR.. Funk himself said
last night that 10 far as nc knew he hadn't
been buncoed by anybody, but he had some
pictures which he was using in his inyesu-
CATION OF spiritualism
Ono story told among the spiritun lists
yesterday about DR.. Funk's practical in
terest in spook pictures was that 1t dated
from visit he paid last December to Miss
Margaret Gaul7. the medium, at her home,
PSI West 'li3th street. In private life Miss
Gaule is Mrs A T. Riedinger. Her hus-
bands first wife died several years ago,
after sixteen years of uninterrupted happi-
ness in the married state, according to
Miss Gaule. and Mr.. Riedinger was dis
tracted with grief
In searching for means by which he
might communicate again with her spirit
Mr.. Riediugcr ran across May and Lizzie
Bangs OF Chicago. who had attained some
fame as the painters OF spook pictures,
and they produced for him picture of his
wife, which. as he described 1t, was mot
painted 10y human hands
This identical picture Is now hanging in
n room on the second floor of the Riedinger
home. II represents good looking woman
Of about twenty-six. with dark hair and
blue eyes. To the material eye it looks
ike any fairly good portrait executed by
the hand OF a human being
Miss Gaue says that on n yisit 10 her DR..
Funk displayed lively interest in the
subject Of spirit pictures Before he left
he viewed the portrait Of the first Mrs.
Riedinger He seemed to he much i'm
pressed with IT, and when he learned the
circumstances under which II was produced
he asked how he could get into communi-
cation with the Bangs sisters. He also made
inquiries rs to their personal character.
Miss Gaue was unable TO furnish tho
address OF the mediums, but told DR.. Funk
that he could communicate with them
through J r. Francis. the editor of spir-
ituslistio paper at, 20 Loornis street, Chi
cage Miss Gaue declined to give. an esti
mate Of the character Of the sisters.
Mr. Riedinger was in the room when
DR.. Funk saw the spook picture. So was
Miss Gaule MIR Riedinger says that DR..
Funk at that time received several me ssages
from the world beyond which seemed to
convince him beyond doubt that the
portrait was the work OF spirits
Afterward. Miss Gaule says, she received
q letter from DR.. Funk saying that he was
going West to investigate the subject they
had discussed. Still later. she says. she
received another communication from him
asking II she could suggest suitable apart
ments in New York wnere the Bangs sisters
could be housed and pursue their work
. Of spirit painting To this abe replied
that she had no room to spare in her own
: house and that she knew Of no apartments
which would meet the needs Of the Chicago
mediums
Since then, Miss Gaule says. she has had
three engagements with DIR. Funk TO talk
over the work of the sisters, but he has not
been able TO keep any OF them.
MIR Riedinger showed the portrait Of his
first wife TO SUN reporter yesterday,
and the reverential manner in which he
spoke OF 1t led TO the belief that he valued
II above all his earthly possessions. Speak
ing OF the circumstances under which 1t
was produced u. said there were four per-
sons present at the operation. the two
mediums, himself and another witness
The portrait is partly done in water colors
and partly in pastel. Mr. Riedinger says 1t
is an exact reproduction of his first wife in a
dress she had not worn in many years and
OF which there was nothing left when the
picture was painted except a scrap in
crazy quilt then in possession OF relative
many miles away He had never seen
the mediums before. he said, and as far an
he knows they had never seen his wife.
He admitted that he had a photograph
of her in his hands while the portrait was
being produced, but said he held it in such a
way that the mediums could not see It.
The spook picture looks remarkably like
reproduction Of this photograph.
This il Mr. Riedingers description Of the
operation. Two sheets Of heavy paper
were set face 20 face and laid on the table
while he and his friend and the mediums
sat around. At the end of twenty-seven
minutes there were three distinct knocks
ON the table. One Of the mediums separated
the sheets Of paper and, 10, on the bottom
one was the portrait Of his dead wife
How much did it cost your asked the
reporter.
Thirty dollars, said Mr. Riedinger,
land assure you could not get one painted
50 we'll by human hands for ten times that
price
A person who is no friend TO spirtualistic
believers volunteered to the reporter the
statement that since seeing the Rio dinger
portrait Or. Funk had invested pretty
good sum in spirit portraits. which he
bought from two mediums in Chicago.
DR.. Funk, when seen at his home in Brook
Ign, denied that he had any pictures which
he was convinced we're manifestations OF
spirit influence He did have in his library.
the doctor said. certain pictures which
purported to be from spirit hands, but he
wanted it distinctly understood that he