The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-07-28
uGERSOLL DID NOT RECAHT
o,v OF THE FAMOUS AGNOS-
r,C pENOUNCES REPORT.
Rase Perversion of Truth,
e,e declares. Ingersoll Died
Ten Years Ago.

Rase Perversion of Truth,
sba Declares. Ingersoll Died
Ten Years Ago.
NEW YoRK.-Ten years ago to-
-, on July 81, 1899, the newspa-
u'., Of the world announced the
p atb Of the greatest foe of christian
~ pobert G. Ingersoll. Although
nv ~, ond of the famous agnostic ora
Wv came suddenly and silently, and
oxnired without word this fact
~ not prevented the circulation of
nonv reports alleging that Inger-
~ recanted on his deathbed.
SUI Tboen statements are denounced
:. Mrs Ingersoll, widow of the ag-
N pic as base perversions of truth
p IVA absolutely without foundation.
s slss ngersoll remains firm in her
M 'lborence to the views on religion
auu+hor+ained by her late husband.
S Sho Indignantly denies the widely
oonIIished report that she has become
'snirftualist. Rumors to the effect
tbst she has accepted the Baptist or
o srr' other faith she dismisses as un-
ror+hv of attention.
what is denounced by friends of
tbo ngersoll family as one of the
aost barefaced falsehoods regarding
+bn death of the great orator is in
oindpd in what purpOrts to be an af-
fdayit signed by an Oregon man.
which is now being given wide pub
1icitv bv eyangelists and the religious
mess This sworn statement is as
follows:
Il do hereby declare that Robert
ngarsoll confessed to my father,
Ioebiel S. Berry, on his dying bed,
that he did not believe the doctrine
he preached
He said these words: 'Joehiel,
wish | had my life to live over
again. When asked why he said:
Because l do not believe what I have
nrpached and never have. | only did
It for the money that was in it.
His daughter then asked: Whose
life shall | live after, yours or moth
prs?" Mrs. IngersO1 was a strict
BAPTIST and a sister to my father
Signed ARCHIE E. BERRY, st.
John Oregon"
Mrs. Ingersoll denies any relation
ship to or knowledge of the Berry
family, says that no such person as
Berry was present at her husbands
death, and that she is not and never
has been a Baptist, strict or other
wise. Another story which meets
with as firm a denial is to the effect
that before his death Colonel Inger-
soil sent for a priest, who was intro
duced into the DObb's Ferry house by
the back way. Several other reports
concerning IngeTsolls alleged recant-
alton, published by religious and
Sunday school papers during the last
decade, are alleged to be but new
versions of fables about Voltaire,
Paine and other .Freethinkers. 1t is
also stated that an almost identical
affidavit to the one signed by Berry
was once circulated about Ethan
Allen, the Ticonderoga hero, who
was an atheist, and his daughter.
Another recent story, accredited to a
famous evangelist who is now touring
the west, alleges that Ingersoll's son
committed suicide, but it is invali-
dated by the fact that the agnostic
had no son.
In an attempt to put an end to
these deathbed recantation fables
Mrs. Ingersoll, her sister, Mrs. Sue
N. Farrell, and Susan Sharkey, an
other member of the family, pre-
pared an affidavit setting forth the
Facts regarding Colonel Ingersoll's
passing.