Evening star., 1922-10-26
HEALER DEFENDED
! IN CLERGY REPORT
Character of James Moore
Hickson Attacked UnWar.
rantedIy, Say Investigators.

A protest against what it terms an
unwarranted attack upon the per-
sonal character of James Moore
Hickson, so-called healer" is made
by committee of the Washington
Glorious. comprising practically all
the Episcopal clergy of the diocese
of Washington and nearby Virginia,
recently appointed to investigate
published reports from Boston at
tacking HiCkson.
The committee. consisting Of Rev.
William n. Mes, Rev. George III. Dud-
ley and Rev. J. j. Dimon, said the at
tack was centered on three points:
Ellis failure to be present at the gen
oral convention in Portland. ore.
during its sessions in September. as
ne had been asked to do: that he had
disappeared and no one knew his
Whereabouts: that he had taken thou
sands of dollars. even hundreds of
thousands. from the church people in
the United States and had made no
accounting for the same.
Outside of Jurisdiction.
Continuing, the report says:
"In answer to the first accuse ton,
IL is sufficient to say that MI Hlck.
son is Communicant OF the Church
of England. and is i'll no way under
in America. and therefore could not
be summoned before the convention
for an accounting. and. moreover.
there is no evidence that either the
presiding bishop or any official of the
general convention ever even invited
him to appear there. lie held his
services under the permission or the
bishop of the diocese in which they
were carried on. generally by the
bishops invitation.
- +t,rn
really cared to know where Mr. Hick-
son is and has been since June IS could
fail to find out.
There are hundreds OF people all
ever this country who take the paper
called the Healer. published in Lon
don, at $50 Sutherland avenue, W. f..
In this publication Mr.. Hickson'S trip
to South Africa was frequently written
about and the date Of sailing from Eng
land given.
I'm the August number his complete
itinerary appeared, which showed that
he is now in Pretoria, and will be in
South Africa until the last of November,
when lie sails for Australia, to continue
his mission there.
In the October issue OF the Healer
there are letters from Mr.. Hickson him
self and others from South Africa. tell
ing of the work being done. There is
also account of his visit to the Rob-
ben leper colony, where he laid his
hands upon many man and woman
lepers and prayed for their recovery.
A letter or cable to the office of the
Healer will bring abundant evidence
upon this point. There also appeared
in an issue of the London Church
Times under date of September. an ar
ticle eNtollns the great good being done
in South Africa by MIR. Hickson's mis-
sion.
Published i'm Milwaukee.
tb. i,-ir (-b,tr,b cb,,r>I
publication printed in Milwaukee, Wis,
in the issue of September TO- quotes
from the London Church Chronicle, con-
cerning Mr.. Hicksons work in South
Africa. The excellent and sympathetic
reports of the local tSouth Africa) press
give striking testimony to the general
interest manifested
Surely a lack of knowledge of his
whereabouts hardly justified such
virulent attack upon Mr.. Hickson's
integrity and honor. until at least in
quiry had been made at the one place
where certain information was avail
able.
Unless Mr.. Hickson's methods in
regard to tho offerings made at the
healing services differed in other
places from those insisted upon in
Washington, these facts are beyond
dispute: Mr.. Hickson made no ap-
peal for money except to say that
boxes were provided at the door of
the church, into which free-wili
thank offerings could be placed.
which offerings were to be used to
finance the extension of the mission
into India and China. Mr.. Hickson
certainly did go to these countries
the following year and carried on
services there. Is not this sufficient
accounting? Does he have to ex-
hibit his expense account? and to
whom does he owe this accounting?
To every rector in whose church he
held services? Or to every one who
made an Offering? 1t is hard to see
who else would have even shadow
of right to ask for it. Is not the bur-
den of proof upon. those who declare
or insinuate that he did not make
proper use of the money freely given
for an understood and clearly stated
purpose. which was later carried out?
There is no intention upon the
part of the committee to defend the
wonderful work done by Mr.. Hickson
In this country. 1t is willing and
ready to do SO at any time if called
upon. But we do protest against the
unvarranted attack upon his personal
character. based as it is upon what
we believe to be inexcusable neglect
to discover the facts before making
the accusations. which always re-
ceive more widespread publication
than any denial or correction possibly
could -