Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1910-05-06
LONG DEATH list
IN X-SC|ENCE CIRCLE
Nearly a Dozen Gone in the Last
Few Months, Including
Three Suicides
IT SET x-SCIENTISTS TALKING
OF Malefic Influences and death
Thought" Such as Miss Stephens
Believed to Be Directed Against
Her-FataIit,es in Ranks.

New York, N. Y. May 3.-The in
ner circle of Christian Scientists of
| which Mrs. Augusta E. Stetson, the
| accommodated leader of the First
Church Of Christ, Scientist, was the
| centre, has been greatly depleted by
death in the last few months.
The suicide on Saturday of Miss
| Marion Stephens. who, according to
| her friends, was firm in the belief
| that she was victim of the so-called
| death thought" exerted by some enc.
| my, has set Christian Scientists talk
| ing about nearly dozen members of
the inner circle, who have died since
last Summer, when the machinery of
| the Mother Church in Boston was Sc!
| in motion to break the growing influ
ence of Mrs. Stetson here.
The roll of death in the ranks of
| Mrs. Stetson's former students in
cludes three suicides, and in each in
| stance, 1t is said, the victims of self
| destruction have been obsessed with
| the belief that some powerful mental
influence urged them to end their lives.
| The first of the inner circle to die by
| his own act was Henry Pennington
| Toler who committed suicide during
| the Winter by plunging into the East
River, after having escaped from the
| asylum on Wards Island.
Next came the death of Mrs. Lolita
| Phillips. who, according to the abula
| ton of the anti-Stetson Scientists
| ended her life in an asylum not far
| from New York about month ago
She was at one time close to Mrs
| Stetson, but is said to have broken
away short time before her death
| She used to live in West Ninety-siXth
| street, not far from Mrs. Stetson's
| home.
The third suicide was that Of Miss
Stephens, recorded yesterday.
Deaths within the ranks of Mrs.
| Stetson's former students and inti
mates of her household began in the
Summer when Miss Laura Lyman
died at Rye N. Y. She studied under
Mrs. Stetson and absorbed much of
| the teachings which were condemned
| by the Board Of Directors of the
Mother Church when Mrs. Stetson
was tried on charges of mental NAL
practice.
Soon after Mrs. Stetson returned
from Boston where she was put
through a grilling investigation by the
Mother Church Directors another
member of her inner circle died. He
was Robert Van Arsdale, owner Of the
American Engineering and Railroad
Journal He had been one of Mrs.
Stetson's closest friends and advisers.
Miss Sarah Drumm, at one time
proprietress of the Drumm School in
West Seventy-second street, died early
this year. She too, was close to Mrs.
Stetson and studied Christian Science
under her. Miss Drumm had closed
her school several months before she
died. One of her teachers Miss Far
inc, who for many years taught
French, and was also a follower of
Mrs. Stetson, died shortly afterward
at Paterson N. ].
Carol Norton was killed by street
car in Chicago. Regarding his death,
Mrs. Maude Kissam Babcock, Chris
tian Science healer, once member
of the Stetson inner circle, who later
turned against the communicated
leader had this to say yesterday:
"Mr. Norton went to Chicago to es-
cape the torture of the conflict be-
tween Mrs. Stetson's influence and
that of the true faith. Wandering
around, distracted, he was killed in
street accident. Never will forget
how Mrs. Stetson received that news.
She turned as white as a sheet and
cried:
"'God grant that Carol does not
haunt me for that"
Mrs. Babcock also told of the ex-
perience of Mrs. Linda Dietz. at one
time student Of Mrs. Stetson.
Mrs. Dietz went to Albany and
started Christian Science Church."
said Mrs. Babcock. Mrs. Stetson as
sumed that the church was to be un-
der her influence. She thought she
could do anything with those of us
who were devoted to her. Mrs Dietz
had separated from her husband. She
went mad in Albany after a quarrel
with Mrs. Stetson, and was for months
In sanitarium before she recovered"
100000 Day for Autos.