The evening world., 1911-01-13
DEN0UNCES HEIRS
OF MILLIONAIRE IN
SPIRIT WILL CASE
Surrogate Ketchun Refuses to
Probate Testament of
Robert H. Thompson.
WIDOW WAS CUT OFF.
Granddaughter Accused of
Fraud in Messages She
Got From Dead.
WIDOW WAS CUT OFF.

'"' i"lc ROBERT IL Ihonps0n, the
millionaire paper manufacturer. In his
c~eeision the Surrogate denounced at
lcngth the tostaior's grandchildren.
Mrs. Marion 7. Funk and her brothcf
Robert II. Thompson %. for having
deceived their aged relative with spirit
uhlistlc messages from his first wife.
which resulted In cutting off the young
widow. Mrs. Mabclle Ames Thompson,
without a dollar.
Mr.. Thompson left an estate %
$1,000. 0OO. and as a result OF Surro-
gate kctchaiu's decisiun tho widow.
who was married To the paper manu-
facturer last February. less thnn six
months before he died, will receive her
dover rights. amounting to almost
81 900. 900.
Rarely In a judicial decision have
heirs under "A will been arralgned In
such excoriating language as Surro-
gate ketchum employs la denying the
probate OF the Thompson Will
Had Been His Cashier.
Mr.. Thompson was seventy-two years
Old when he died. His will was made
on June 10, 1905. before his marriage to
Miss Ames. VINO had been his cashier.
~ ~ - A'Hi' ut contemplated the mar
ringe. The Surrogate declares that this
viii was obtained through fraud and un-
due influence eSerted by Mrs. Funk ana
her brother. The frn consisted of
spirit messages Mrs. Funk alleged she
sot from the spirit OF her grandmother,
whom she called 'uzzy."
In March or April. 1903" runs Surro-
gate Kotcham's decision. Mrs. Fun be-
gen to hold sessions at while she pro-
iessed To receive MESSAGES from Thomp-
sons departed wife and others. II Is
claimed by the contestant that these
messages were false and that Mrs. F;lii.
with her brother. delivered them In
writing to the decedcnt. with KNOWLEDGE
OF their falsity and with the intent that
he should believe them to be verltablo
messages from departed spirits; and, so
believing, should be thereby Influenced
to mako his viii partly in their favor.
Upon inquiry 1t is found that the
messages We're tho product OF the grand
daughters mind. and that the process by
which she pretended to receive them was
an i!nposture. In this treacherous pur-
pose she imposed upon his mind the be-
lief that the manifestations were real.
In all this her brother was ~partaker
Falsehood Enacted.
1T is not necessary In this case 10
assert a disbelief In the Manifestations
OF one kind or another TO which n given
the name OF Spirltuallsm. The wicked
ness by which the testator was pract.std
upon IL the same whether 1t was a lys-
ten OF truth or a system OF error with
respect to which the granddaughter pro-
iessed her capacity. she did not do
what she was pretending to do.
Mrs. Funk's testimony Ia as follows:
She just left hcr mind blank; he sim
ply received Impressions. and the i'm
preston seemed TO be n mcssage: q
person called 'Muzzy" which was a
family name for tho dceed"nts de-
ceased wife) was communicating with
her; when 'Muzzy' wanted to say
. something to her she would then take
up a pencil or pen and would write
the imp ession that formed itself upon
her mind.
In this manner there were delivered
by the mediam letters purportlng to con-
tain personal messages from deceased
persona, all relatives of Thompson.
MANY Of the communications were
destroyed. Mrs, Funk says that they
{ never amounted TO a row OF beans.
> Married In September. 1909. Mrs.
c Funk, with Il single exception, In Jan
uary. 1910. then ceased all endcavors
d TO Intervene between the quick and tho
g lead. and In this respect she testines
that she acted NJ the request OF her
husband, one possessed OF such a
d unique ana priceless convenience would
no, dCsp!se her gift. aud no more
j. potent denunclatlon of her professions
OF power can be imagined chan she az.
3 fords whon she a1an1ons the practice
10 of communicating With her departed
friends and relatives at the moment
when she and they had So s~igually
tr!umphed over the victories Of IA,
i grave.
.e Engage nent Broken.
ie I'm January, 1910, the dtcedent, whc
" had become engaged TO marry the con
- testant. had a difference with her and
o the engagement OF marriage wa
broken Off, THIS difference and tn,
ri breach OF the engagement were know
ne Mrs. Funk. At that tine, after she has
ne abandoned the use OF her supposed
le powers since The previous Scptcmbe
~ and Was living IN the home OF her hus
band, away from the deredent. sh,
ne wrote the last Of her letters, which re
20 Nells a rancor Of spirit and u luNdr,
al IN Nituperlt!On whIch m gAt have beel
tae rages that dwell IN celestial minds
n Dut IN tnis case ~ believed to be IN
to !lgatnG jealousy OF a mortal sou, hen
he upon widening a trca-a through whIy.
nj 10 secure It's oNn advantage,
r. Tile evidence JustIhva tal conclusion
that the consp ratprs knew that I 81
lr. grandfather WAS paying ]att,lt.ons I
lu the cJuiG-tant with a View to matrl
Uouy. and that the letters we're lntende
n - secure Themselves against any lesser
rs Ing OF the decodont's teS,amentary re
gard which might otherwise be feare
20 In case OF his marriage.
lie "~ThOmpson's marriage is not show
10 have been contrary to the |lnjunctio
e. Of the splrlts. While expressly advise
ed or ordered not TO marry. he was ais
OF given the alternative that II he shoul
marry, he should first provide for Il