The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-14


 
 ment of her affairs she said, consisted in planting twelve tomato plants" dis tributing the fruits among his relatives and feeding 60 chickens She declared he expressed pleasure in getting out of the army, because he would be his "owr boss now and could sleep till Il each morning." He helped do the housework occasionally, and had tended fires, car ried in coal and run the machine for the negro washerwoman: this was the extent of his administration of her af- fairs. she testified. Mrs Obear said she got up at 6 o'clock each morning and got the children off to school. after which she would keep breakfast for her hus- band until he got up later.
 In managing her estate the major had succeeded in running off the tenant from her Georgia farm. This tenant had ben on it for nine years and after losing him the place "grew up in weeds for over year While away from home her husband was left in charge of the house, but the place was left stocked with supplies. making it unnecessary for him to buy anything He had only to look after the tomatoes and chickens. She said he resigned from this work July %. last.
 She further testified that MT. Obear had very violent temper and abused and cursed the children She would not allow him to whip them when in these tempers.
 During little flare-up between her husband and her attorneys in court Mrs. Obear seemed filled with fear, and could not answer questions asked her until she regained her composure. Her testimony was cut short by the ad- Journment of the hearing until 9;3t this morning.
 FEALY ON THE STAND L. A. Fealy. the bishop of the society took the stand in the morning sessor and continued his testimony as to hi. financial dealings with Mrs Legare Obear and his powers as a healer Ht stated that he was born in Warrensburg Warren county, Ohio, in 1866 and had for. merly been lecturer on psychological subjects. and first came to Alabama ir 1907 with a road show. He was at that time hypnotist and gave demonstra- tions in his show, He paid off Christ. mas eve of that year, after playing to dead houses" for a week after which he forsook the stage and took up teach ing and preaching the Word of God.
 Fealy states that he settled in Cullman where he married and founded the AL trurian society, together with his father in-law and two judges from New Jersey He had many adherents, he said, bu; came to Birmingham because he was repeatedly called here to cure the sick He has kept headquarters here ever since.
 He. testified that he first met Mrs. Obear by being called to her home tc cure her boy Grey, who had a fever oi l04 degrees. This he did overnight and has treated members of the family ever since.
 It was not his own power, but the power of God working within him. that produces these cures. he said. There were two methods of cure he continued one the "contact and the other the ''yibratory'' method. In the former he put his hands upon the sick person and by concentrating his mind and theirs cured by mental suggestion. all sickness being in the mind before it is in the body. Get the mind in order and the body will follow suit, according to his theory. In the ''vibratory' cures he cures at a distance, over telephone or the like it is purely a matter of concentration and prayer on both sides
 COURSE NOT SOLD
 He denied that he sold the course ol treatment" for s250, stating it was Jeff to the patient to pay as he pleased Ht did not use a physician in case of sick. ness. he testified. and neither would one of his good disciples. He denied his dis ciples called him master. They used this term of Jesus Christ only. He would moi allow it in his case if they wanted to Asked if he knew anything about Mrs Obear's husband he said: T don't know anything about her husband I neve1 spoke to him in my life"
 ADVISED INVESTMENTS a rdi inc se Q sryf,. 1e lE E-- Obear's properties, he stated that ht advised her to hold her Georgia farm when her husband wanted her to sell it and thus she got s400O more fol il when she sold 1t later. He bought a farm in Blount county for her for s4200 and she refused an offer of sS0oo for it year later. He advised the purchase of her Cliff Road home for $100 900 and it is now worth about s2o,occ He attended to the cultiva- ton of her farm and had put 20 acres of 1t under cultivation. All the trans actions he advised had been profitable He advised her because she came 70 him. as her husband knew nothing about business. he declared.
 He explained that the six-pointed star in his ring and cross were sym God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost"
 His idea was to form a colony at Altruria, the Blount county farm where the society would have head quarters and the sick members be treated This was to be type of sanitarium. he stated
 MODERN WITCH
 When Judge Weakley. the attorney for Major Obear asked him if he was "mcdern witch" he smiTingly au- swered. ''No."
 He told of an operation upon a boy for empyema. in which by talking t1 the hoy he prevented him from realiz- ing he was in pain and in this way obviated the necessity of an anaes- thetic. The boy felt no pain through out the operation. This was not hyp- notism. he said. simply concentration and suggestion. He talked about God and his mercy in this case. An other time he aided Mrs. Obear remove ! a needle where an incision half ar inch deep had to be made in the flesh n 19 ~