The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-08-10
COURT TO RULE
ON Immortality
IN GHOST BOOK
Novel Alleged Written BY Mark Twain
After Death.


New York C the face of it the
suit of Harper & Bros, VS.. Mitchell
Kennerley, .Ib'isher, involves had
question Of rol erty right; but by ir-
direction it involves also the qu1s-
lions whether spirit communication
%ith the living demonstrable, an
whether thore is life hereafter. Tie
riddle of the universe is about TO be
debated, not by theologians but by
lawyers.
Harper & Bros, publishers of the
workers of Samuel L. Clemens and
owners of a copyright on the pen
name. Mark Twain, base their action
en- the publication by Mitchell Ken
nerley of Jap Heron" a novel which
according 20 the Introduction, was
communicated to Mrs. Emily Grant
Hutchings via the ouiia board There
is no direct statement that Mark
ETwain's spirit dictated the book. He
is not named as author, and on this
technicality the attorneys for Mr.,
Kennerley might possibly seek, to
evade trial. But James N. Rosenberg
who has been retained by the defend
ant publisher, said the other day that
the case would be tried on its merits.
I'VE will put the issue up to the
Supreme court" he asserted eve
will have a final ruling on immortal
ity."
Has the. shade of Samuel Clemens
any right to the use of pseudonym
lie ADOPTED in the flesh and permitted
his publishers to copyright? What
claims have the departed on the relies
of their earthly pilgrimage? These
are obvious issues in the suit. And
if it is established to the satisfaction
of the court that the spirit of Mark
Twain did indeed communicate the
novel, while the attorneys for the
plaintiff are upheld in their conten-
ton that said spirit had no right to
market any literary commodities ex-
cept through the house of Harpers,
owing to a contract made prior to his
passing, by what mode of procedure
can the disembodied be brought to
book for such unbusinesslike, not to
immoral. conduct?
William Marion Reedy of st. Louis,
who had n part in making the work
of Patience Worth (another ouiia
board authoress), known to the ma
terial world, had finger in this oc-
cult connection, too. Emily Grant
Hutchings had known Mr.. Reedy for
some time. She had contributed spe-
cial articles to his magazine, The Mir
ror. But Mr.. Reedy confesses he did
not think much of her as a fiction
writer. About three years ago she
asked him to read some manuscript
she had with her. He did, and he was
surprised at its worth.
At that time the novel Zap Her
ron" was about half-fnished. Mrs.
Hutchigs said nothing to Mr.. Reedy
about how she had written it, but
during the course of an evening at
duced, and Mrs. Hutchings and Mrs.
Hayes, who sat with her during the
readings, began to work with it. Eth
Ter that or it was moved by the spir-
1t controlling it. Mr.. Reedy was sur
prised to find that he was reading a
continuation of the unfinished manu-
/ script he had recently seen. 1t was
then he learn that Mark Twain was
: declared to- be distating the story.
Mr.. Reedy was in town the other
' day, and when he was asked whether
Z he thought Jap Heron" came up tC
Mark Twain's standard he was in
doubt
Parts Of it are good, as typical OF
. Mark Twaine as l can remember from
y my early readings" he said; but 9th.
er parts are sloppy-awfully sloppy
and sweet and sentiment; usual bset'
selle stuff"
Harper 4 Brothers assert in theil
petition that Jap Heron" is far be
. low the the grade of anything MARI
Twain wrote while alive, and that the
circulation OF the book would hurt
his reputation,
Among tine points Harpef & Broth
ers will present are the two books
Mark Twain wrote, What Is Mann
and The Mysterious Stranger" in
> which he asserted that there was nc
such thing as life after death. He re-
fused to believe in a spirit world, lie
refused to be spook. Judge or Jury
must weigh that fact,
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