Douglas daily dispatch. [volume] (Douglas, Ariz.) 1903-1961, 1926-06-26
Complete Statement
OF Mrs. Mcpherson
Given Herman Cline

Statement of Mrs. Aimee Semple
Mcpherson, taken at Douglas Ari-
coma. on June "a, 1925, in the pres
ence of Captain H. K. Cline, Assis-
tant District Attorney Ryan, Mrs.
Kennedy and Percy Bowden, Chief of
Police of Douglas, Arizona.
Captain Cline-Sister, I am going to
let you tell your story in your own
way, and then ask you some questions
afterwards I want you to com
mence at the time you left the tenn
pie, as to who was with you and
how YOU left the temple On the 18th
oe last May. At the time you left to
go to the beach who was with you.
tell us in your own words everything
that you did and everything that
happened to you all the way there.
Mrs. Mcpherson Having been
working very hard on extra meet
ings on Sunday, May 10th, and hav-
ing spoken to about $4,000 people.
Monday and Tuesday, which are al
ways my rest days, but this Monday,
instead of resting l gave my journey
log at the requests of thousands of
people and spoke of my trip TO the
Holy Land, illustrated with scores
of slides. The crowd was so enor-
nous filling the building soon after
six o'clock that the overflow stood
in the street until after half past
nine o'clock when I dismissed the
first audience and refilled the build
ing, repeating my journey-log; even
then the demand was so great that l
promised to give it again on Tues
day night. SO mother and myself and
Mrs. Shaffer thought that L should
have a little bit of rest to be strong
for this extra work. l. love the
beach and swimming and do not play
golf or dance or do any of the other
things for exercise, so 1 asked mother
to go with me, but she was too busy
and she asked Mrs. Shaffer if she
would stay with me, as the children
couldn't go for they were having
examinations, and Mrs. Shaffer, who
has lived with us for some years,
said that she would go and mother
stayed. So we drove to the beach in
my Kissel coupe and stopped in front
stopped at this hotel many times,
having spent a portion of last sum-
mer, there with my whole family and
Mrs. Shaffer, driving out at night to
the meetings. The manager of the
hotel smiled at me and said, Are
you going in bathing2a I said Yes"
ana they said, Come on in and have
a ROOM" have a room always be-
cause I do not want to go to public
bath house being a lady evangelist
and rather timid about appearing
where everybody would know me.
went to the room, disrobed and put.
on my bathing suit. Mrs. Shaffer
and myself were both rather hun
gry;- and, if / remember rightly I had
a waffle. 1 think it was my dress
that 1 put on over my bathing suit,
I am quite sure L put on my dress,
but at any rate, we had the waffle
and Mrs. Shaffer went down and got
some orange juice. I went to the
beach, rented little beach tent, be-
cause Mrs. Shaffer does not swim and
I thought 1 would keep her out of
hte sun. went to the tent and
spread out my Bible, papers, note
book and pencil, to work a little on
my Sunday sermons and prepare the
messages Tor the week, and while
doing this my mind went to the
meeting of Tuesday night and
thought in giving my lecture Mon
day L wished had had certain films
further to illustrate my trip. I made
a list of these. Also some special
music that L wanted for the night
meeting and special singers. I gave
this list to Mrs. Shaffer and asked
her to telephone (being in my BAH
ing suit 1 could not very w9n 40 it
myself) while 1 was having q dip.
She said, Don't go out too far l
said, 81 won't" So I swan out from
the tent pretty near to the END of
the pier, crossed over toward tho per
and swan back.
Captain Cline
@. You swan back on the same
side of the pier you went out on:
A. On the same side of the pier.
@. Did you pass anyone going out?
A. Yes, there was a gentleman 60
ing out. There were not many people
in, hardly anybody goes out far, you
know. AS came in swimming 1
noticed there were some life-guards
drilling and I came up little closer
to watch them. 1 did not come out
of the water for the reason that L
was in my bathing suit [ stopped
about waist deep in the water watch
ing them, when 1 heard my name
called. am not sure whether they
said Sister Mcpherson" or Mrs. Nc
Pherson," but one or the other. MY
feeling was one of annoyance that
had been recognized while swim
ming but I came out. There was
gentleman and a lady standing
there who seemed very much dis
tressed and were crying. The man
took off his hat courteously while
he talked to me but he seemed very
much perturbed and they told me
pitiful tale of a baby dying and they
had driven in all the way from AL
tadena with the baby They stated
that the doctors had given up the
baby, but that they would feel bet
ter even though it died if Z prayed
for it,. GLOW did you know l was