The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-06-28

lar spirltualistic communications from
his wife
He remembers things that hap
pened forty years ago, forgetting those
that happened yesterday.
Predominant Traits.
His predominant traits are his belief
IN the occult. his shrewdness in matters
relating to money, his ability to make
a dollar and keep it-when mediums
do not interGerc-and his aversion TO to-
baccO and whisky. Re is very positive
in his denunciaton of the tobacco habit
and points to his eiShty-nine years as
being in "A measure due TO his absti-
meme.
He took up sriritualism more than
forty years ago. He visited a girl clair
voyaEt at Fort Henry. New York,
whore he was born. She told him some
things which he was unable to explain,
and he began 10 talk spiritualism. lie
has kept it DIP ever since. We never
suspected, however, that his faith in the
occult was so deep as to cost him $4,000.
His fortune was made IN iron mines.
Early IN life he purchased mining prop
erty near Fort Henry Near the close
of the civil war he was ready 10 retire.
Since that time ne has enjoyed life di-
vidinE his time between Saratoga
Minnesota He remained at the springs
the greater portion Of the time until
he became infatuated with Washington
as an ideal city in which TO live. Soon
after he met Mrs. Cramer and the spir-
tuahSuc Se1nceS Of his own begun.
Unable to Explain.
In his present state Of mind my
grandfather is unable to explain why
he neglected 10 verify these messages
from his wife by obtaining spiritu-
alistic communication through another
medium. g says, however, that Mrs.
Gamers long kindness to him was
such as 10 remove all doubt Of any
spirit message she might receive for
him
IT is absolutely beyond us how a man
OF his business SaCacity would issue
drafts calling for thousands of dollars
uDon word from 4 medium Only n
Few years ago my grandfather was 4
money lender He dealt in mortgages
on Minnesota land Some Of the people I
there viii tell You. as has been print
cd IN the 81. Charles papers. that he
was lender who sought not to squeeze
his customers Of their last cent. but
VINO had rather helped them pay back
lie was libe-al in these matters. but he
has never been liberal in buying for
himself nor IN throwing awav his money
Witncut chance Of adequate return"
This makes his obedience TO the die
tates of the medium" all the more re-
markable.
Dr. Hurd, who is named CONSERVATION. (
is a New York physician residing i'm ]
Greenwich The heirs 10 the octeEen- /
aTians fortune are Dr. Hurd and his /
father, the latter owning a farm in I
Connecticut.
Strange As Occult Tale.
Strange as any occult tale ever
penned and as mysterious as the stor- I
les of the ancient secret rites and spir- /
itUalistic communications. which have
come down TO us from the East. ac-
cording TO the charges made by Hurd. I
must have been those evening '-sc- /
ances." held in the modest fiat in the (
De Soto apartment house. where Mrs
Laura r Cramer is said to have lived
and was wont TO summon back 10 earth I
the mind and spirit Of FentOn J. Hurd's .
wife, dead these many years.
Reading the allegations filed by Dr.
Lee Hurd, 1t is easy to imagine the /
scenes which, it is charged, frequently
transpired in the evenings, when Mrs.
Cramer had returned from her days
work. and old 1lr. Hurd, weary after
his lonely wanderings through the parks F.
and streets of the city. but mentally
alert and with thoughts and memories (
turning to the companion Of his early
years. would beg that his friend secure /
him some word Of greeting from his /
wife.
II the charges filed by Dr. Hurd 10 (
the effect that Mrs. Cramer obtained .
$4,000 from Hurd are true. the case con
stitutes one of the most remarkable ex-
aHples of the influence OF a belief in I.
occult and unseen forces ever brought .
before the courts.
The case is the more peculiar when I
the methodicaI and systematic lines
along which Mr.. Hurd's early life We're
mapped cut, became known
As early as 1853 this man had cult
waited a habit OF economy, which in
these times would be regarded as almost
nieEardly- In a little memorandum
book which he invariably carried in his
pocket, no expenditure was too trite
10 be recorded. Indeed. the average
young man Of today, or the average
professional woman who have their
small pet eXtravasances. could learn
valuable lessons from this little mem
orandum book which was the closest
companion of the now octogenarian mil
hOndire.
In 1t ne never failed to record items
Of and 10 cents for soap. apples. shoe /,
Strings, or some other small necessity. D
which today would be considered I'M {
worthy to be iotted down. II is even
known that in some Of his idle mo-
ments his extremely economical tenden-
cies led him to estimate how much his
daily sustenance cost those with whom {
he boarded, and that when he figured
this amount out as l3 cents, his spirit
was disturbed because it seemed To him
that his Iandlady was making an un-
usual profit
Gave Away Thousands.
And yet, it is charged that this same
man, who counted his scent purchases
as jealousy as if they had each repre-
sented a small fortune, and whose life
regulated by habits the most meth
odical and systematic, hesitated not 10
issue drafts represented by four and
sometimes five figures, when he was
under the magic spell OF Mrs. Cramer's
influence.
The most startling example Of the
lengths to which. it is charged, the old
man yielded 10 this black magic" oc-
CURED last May, according 10 the al
legations of DR.. Hurd, when Mrs Cram
ar Is declared 10 have caShcd q draft OF Z
100000. Dr.. Hurd also cites a number r.
# other dates on which the aged mill
iOnaire. when svayed by the enthlisi-
: q rl-lrf a sc Al