Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-03

err @. Eddy, discoverer and founder of
Christian Science, has been incompe-
tent to manage her business affairs
and that she has been controlled and
dominated by certain of her followers.
has suddenly collapsed by motion OF
the plaintiffs.
For months glazing charges concern
ing the condition of Mrs Eddy and the
conduct of her near supporters have
Ybeen blazoned forth to the public. and
counsel for the so-called friends have
given out the impression that startling
disclosures we're to be made that they
would be able to prove that Mrs. Eddy
Is In helpless state and in the hands
of designing men who were not CIV
ing proper account of her income.
After months Of noisy boasting 1t
now turns out that the so-called next
friends" and their counsel are not able
to produce a scintilla of evidence in
favor OF their allegations but that they
have made their charges without the
slightest provOcation; that they never
had the slightest evidence, but have
manufactured their charges out of
whole cloth.
There has been and is much specu-
lation as to the real plaintiffs in the
~tASCf oc W VIM ilSludttu InlS RlRa0-
tic farce, and 1t now appears to have
been simply been an effort to anuoy
and discredit Mrs. Eddy and stis ma
tie the religion of which she Il the
founder and that probably the So
called next friends" were themselves
the tools of dssign and that
they probak never would have in
stituted <<E suit of their own yolition
nhSd th1y not been solicited and mis-
led. MS
A rev days ago in the course OF the
nearing which has just closed. the
1three masters who had been appoint.
ed by Judge Chamberlain to determine
tne question of Mrs. Eddy's business
capacity on the second of March. last
When she executed a deed of trust to
gether with the leading counsel on
both sides of the case, visited Mrs
EDDY at her home and it was found
that Mrs. Eddy was not only thorough.
ly competent, but exceedingly alert
and quite match for the gentlemen
who visited her. Even the counsel
who was seeking to prove her incom.
potency was heard to remark that
she was as sharp as a steel tran"
4 The result of this Interview. which
mas been published all over the coun.
Try, has established beyond any doubt
the fact that Mrs. Eddy is not only
physically strong for one of her years.
% ne most alert women of |
is period
of the BILL the |
their counsel, |
l-I1 Elements to the |
pubic press as TO what they expected |
to prove and the evidence they. sle;sl- !
ed IN have In hand H,,f ~
serted could not be disclos
dime but when opportl1
I'D offered andA "A
III lelatias to the helm In
mrs. Eddy and the i'm
restraint that was i'm.
her by all those that were
Lg her.
he beginning of the hearing
Masters appointed by the court.
tne nlest opportunity has been given
them and the greatest latitude and in
uuigence has been shown them by the
masters, and yet each succeeding day
mas SHOWN their inability to produce
any material or competent evidence
tnat would tend to show in any degree
that Mrs. Eddy was not fully CONNIE
tent and able to manage her own af
1airs, or, as matter of fact, that there
was any ground or foundation what.
ever for any of the charges that thew
SO audaciously set forth. And. after
days of reiteration and REPETITION of
what they intended to show tbev
have finally admitted, by their own
motion to dismiss the proceedings
their utter inability to produce the
shgntest evidence in support of these
grave, unjust and unfounded charges
tnat they so emphasized and proclaim
ed at every opportunity through the
press and In all other public ways
mere could be no more complete
and higher vindication of Mrs. Eddy
ana no stronger admission of failure
on tneir own part than their volun-
lary act OF asking dismissal of the
Ease tnat they have themselves insti-
tuted. such a disposition of the case
must have greater weight in the minds
of all fair-minded persons than ave,,
"a finding of the masters in favor Of
Mrs Eddy could possibly have-to
concede that the evidence thew had
offered was so slight that thew them.
selves recognized that it was not even
sunlcient to submit to the masters for
their consideration.
During the time which has eIansed
since the institution of this suit if
has developed in various ways that
with the exception of Mr.. Calvin A
Frye, Mrs. Eddy's faithful secretary
none OF the ten defendants had the
s1Shtest knowledge of Mrs. Eddv,s
business anairs nor had ever handled
dollar of her money. It was also
shown by the affidavits of expert ac-
countants that Mr.. Frye had very care
FULLY given account of Mrs. Eddy's A.
fairs and that when he closed them
Up ne had made errors against him
self SO that there was due him some
thing over six hundred dollars.
y was also discovered that Mrs.
Oddly has manifested shrewdness
~ her investments and in the general
nauaeement of her affairs which Is
eldom equalled even by the most
eInetaking and careful business men.
Another point Of interest to the pub
- the disclosure that Mrs Icddx, is