The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-16
MRS, KATE TINGLEY
GAINING RECRUITS
Ex-Secretary Lyman J. Gage
Becomes Interested
PURPLE MOTHER RULES
She Claims to Have Been on Earth
Refore-stays Here Merely to
Save Mr.. Gage and
Others.
PURPLE MOTHER RULES
From the New York Sun

Point Iona, near San Diego, Cal, who
has just gained another recruit in the
person of ex-Secretary Lyman J. Gage,
HASN'T figured much in the public eye
since 1862, when she imported eleven chill
dren from Cuba to be educated at her
Raja Yoga school. She got more than
an ordinary share of notoriety at that
time. A strong effort was made to take
the children away from her ON the ground
that the school was not fit place for
them, but she won out by AN appeal to
another secretary, Secretary Shaw. after
the special inquiry board at Ellis island
had decided that the youngsters should
be deported
According to her own theory there ought
to be several obituary notices of Mrs.
| Tingley ON hand, for this is not by any
means her first time on earth. Back in
| 1900 b. C, just after Tlheseus whaled the
Amazons on Thought he did, she and Mime.
| Blavatsky were making pastoral So
journ in Egypt. She reappeLared several
times in various parts of the Old World,
always making the acquaintance of noted
! adopts many of whom are now supposed
to live in her pet dog spots. But there
| ds nothing about this in who's Who
| As far as her present sojourn ON earth
|
| Newburyport, Mass, about fifty~nine
years ago. Her father kept hotel and
saloon there, but did not make out very
we'll, having trouble with the excise Off
cdals
Mrs. Tingley says she was educated in
"a convent in Montreal. From there she
| went to Savannah, where she married
Richard Cooke. a printer Her next VEN
ture in matIdmony was with George W.
Parent q detective, who afterward be-
| came q saloon keeper, Mrs. Tingley lived
| in Boston for while and then she came
| to this city. She studied hypnotdsm, and
| finally became a spiritualist, giving Sc
ances in her homo in West End avenue
| Her third husband was Philo b. T1ngley,
who was a stenographer Ids employer
boarded with them in the West End ave
nue. house.
From splritualism Mrs. Tdngley turned
| to theosophy, which was then attracting
much attention. She made the acquaintr
ance of William Q. Judge, who was the
boss of the theosophists, and she sue
ceeded In impressing him with her powers
as a hypnotist. When he died several
| documentary references to her We're found
among his writings. She pieced them
| together, and upon them based the claim
| that she was the reincaGnat1on OF Mme
| Rlavatsky and had been chosen the sue
cessor of Mr.. Judge.
In the meantime Ernest T. Hargrove, a
| young English barTister or good FAMILY,
| had been called to New York and made
| president of the Theosophical society,
| whose Headquarters were in Madison ave-
| nue. Mrs Tdngley convinced many or
the members THAT while Hargrove was all
| right as the nominal president, she was
really the secret head of the organization,
the adept whose Identify was not TO be
revealed until one year after the death
| of MIR. Judge.
| From then on she was referred to in
philosophical circles as THE Great I'm
known" and sometimes as The Yelled
| Ma.hatnla" Her identify was revealed
! after she had officiated as THE Velled
| priestess in the remarkable ceremony
| which was performed in connection with
the marriage of Claude Falls Wright
then secretary of the Theosophical society
| and Miss Laura Leoine Leonard. After
| that she took actual control of the so
| ciety and Its name was changed to line
| Universal brotherhood. Mr.. HargroNe
went back to Temple Bar and many other
well known theosophists left the society
leaving the Tingley crowd in full control
| Contributions were asked for the purple
| nance fund. and with the proceeds Mrs
| Dnelev and some of her allies made
| CRUSADE around the world in the interests
Of the new brotherhood. 1t was broadly
hinted afterward that the Crusade was
a sightseeing tour
The school at Pont Iona was built by
money raised by the Tingley crowd all
| over tho country. Mrs. Tingley Is the
| undlsnuted boss of the entire institution
After the Chicago convention of 1898,
| where she was proclaimed the supreme
head of the organization for life, with
| the mower to name her successor, large
| number of persons who mad accepted her
| as the successor of Judge denounced her
/ t,o4 m 4 lNriGD0m
Jr, who had selected the site OF the school
| at Point Iona: Donald Nicholson OF the
| Tribune. Alexander Fullerton, Dr. Thad-
| deus p. Hyatt and host OF others prom-l
| nent In the old theosophicai society alb
| iured Mrs. Tingley's organization ana
never went back to 1t. This left her with
a free hand and she rules with rod Of
| iron.
| Light was shed on the career of Mrs
| Tinglev and her management of the
| brotherhood school when the board or So
cial INQUIRY met at Ellis Island TO give
| a hearing on the case of the eleven emil
dren brought from Cuba to be educated
| at Point Iona.
| Edvard Parker. a retired Boston banker,
said that he had first met Mrs. Tingley
| in 1897 at her request. He had heard that
| she had been guilty of reprehensible con-
duct This she denied, and he was Obliged
| to tell her that the evidence was over
! Whelming. He mad learned from III W al
| ton of this city that the Doctors belief
| in Mrs. Tingley had been shattered in
the ecstasy of an affectionate farewell at
| the wharf when Mrs. Tingley and her
| party were starting on a tour OF the
| world.
! Lewis S. Fitch testified; II applied for
| the place of bookkeeper at Point Iona
| and Mrs Tlngley employed me. Spots
! il her spaniel. Mrs. Tingley told me that
| Spots could always tell a lover OF
| theosophy at a glance and knew me at
| once Spots was given to her. she said,
| NV william O. Judge. Mrs. Tngley said
| TO me: 4 know that the spirit of MIR.
Judge is In Spots directing this move
| ment.' Spots is an object of reverence TO
| most of the persons al Point Iona as well
| as to Mrs Tingley 7 never brought the
| books to balance in all the nine months
| | was there / was. always called off,
| sometimes by Mrs. Tinsley herself.
IAN OF the Universal Brotherhood went
| to the Holy Hill TO greet the sunrise.
was at the Holy Hill once as member
| OF the Esoteric Society of Theosophy 1t
| was night and | saw lot OF mummery.
| The men and women were dressed in a
| sort of Grecian robe which was worn over
| their underclothing. No starched cloth
| ing was allowed.
what caused me to show up the whole
| thing was that l found that they taught
| the succession of teachers-through Con-
| fuscius. Buddha, Jesus Christ. Moham-
| med and now the greatest of them all,
Katherine Tingley. She claimed that she
| had the power to stay in the spirit world