Sometimes a person likes to do things without much notice. Mr. Pink was such a man. When most persons hear the name, Mr. Pink, they do not recognize it. When others hear it they are automatically on guard. Yet when others hear it, they thank God for His servant, Mr. Pink. Mr. Pink was a man of shorter stature, his build was lean, hair was parted in the middle, and his eyes were the type of eyes that saw things and saw through things.
The first group do not know the name because they are not his readers, the second group know his name and shy away from it because they disagree with him but cannot defend their position so they would rather not think about him. To this second group Pink was a a curmudgeon and was fast to rebuke. Pink was a serious minded man, serious like the grave. The third group, however, hear his name and feel love fand thanks for God’s servant. Mr. Pink was a writer, in fact another author wrote a biography on Pink and it was called, ” Born to Write.”. Before his calling to the mighty pen he was an itinterant preacher, he traveled the country with a brother Thomas and they both proclaimed God’s Word under a big top tent. Before that he was a pastor. Before Mr. Pink was a pastor, he was a very, very board student at Moody Bible Institute for two months and before that he was a spiritualist or one who unknowingly served the wicked one.
My name is Herendeen and I am the grandson of Mr. Pink’s friend, student and publisher. In the early nineteen 20’s Pink began a Christ-ian magazine that would span the next thirty years. This magazine was called “The Studies in the Scriptures.” If one was a subscriber to this magazine, they would find a numbers of well researched and well written article that would feed the spirit. If you were a subscriber you would be one of only one thousand at any given time. After his death these writings would be gathered and put into book form and a revival of the doctrines of grace would begin anew.
As I said, “After his death,” as Mr. Pink has gone to his home in glory. His last words were from the Psalms. His wife would outlive him by ten years and she would experience a kind of new life as Mr. and Mrs. Pink were reclusive and rarely went out except for a daily constititional….or so we thought…or so we thought.
Now that Mr. Pink has gone to Glory, certain events can be recalled and told to you.. To those that knew him or thought they knew him, he was reclusive and wholly given to writing his magazine and to a point that was the truth. But Pink had a side life. He would investigate the mysteries that police would not and could not. This brings me to, “Mr. Pink and the Case of the Spiritualist’s Mansion Murder.”
As I revealed above, Pink was a spiritualist before he was a Christ-ian anything. Miss Annie Beasant thought so anyway. Beasant was the founder and leader of this spiritist movement. She played upon the heartstrings of those who have lost loved ones. She believed and brought others to believe in contacting and communicating with the dead. This group was called the “Theophisists Society.” This religion or cult would advance greatly throughout the world and it attracted the likes of Arthur Conan Doyle and other well known persons and little known persons like Mr. Pink. This movement would call upon those that loved their dearly departed more than they loved God.
As I previously said, Annie Beasant saw a great deal in Pink and he remained little known for only a little time. Pink had a great baratone voice and he could sing, he received much praise for this “talent” that would later be recognized as a gift. Pink had a decision to make because he had received an offer from the Theophist’s Society… from Beasant, herself.
Pink had to choose between going to India and representing the theophist’s Society with Miss Beasant and accepting a spot in an Operatic company. Choices…choices…what to do what to do. On his way home, Pink thought and thought and as he entered his father’s home, he once again would hear his father quote Scripture as our young Pink would try and sneak to his room.. This time his quote was from Proverbs and it was somthing like, “There is a way that seems right unto a man but the end thereof is the way of death.”
This Biblical quote hit Pink, a young 20 something harder than he expected. This young man would sit and bathe and think for hours. Our shocked spiritialist remained in his room for four whole days without exit, without food or drink. What was happening his family must have thought, but his wise Christ-centered father knew that God will do what God will do and He will do it when He will do it…..and Thomas Pink praised God for God was doing what God will do and He was doing it now!!!. Pink’s father knew Whom he had believed and he could recognize His work.
After Pink spent four days in his room alone (?) he remembered something. “Oh! No!” he said to himself….”I am to speak at the society tonight….”. What was he to do? You may wonder what the trouble was as he should have been excited to speak to his like-minded spiritualists. The trouble was Mr. Pink had been born again….born anew…born from above and he was not born again according to the will of man but according to the sovereign will of God. He had a new Master and this new Master forbade communicating with familiar spirits. As Mr. Pink was a man of his word, he would attend the societies meeting.
“Where Thou leadeth I shall follow”…..Who said that thought Pink. Then he realized, he did. He was praying and seeking God’s direction and guidance. God would answer…and how He would answer.
Pink took center stage and all his fellow or former fellow spiritualist sat and waited to hear what Miss Beasant’s chosen man would say. What he said shocked the room and those in attendance thought Pink had gone mad. “What is he talking about they each asked.” Others thought, “Did i hear him right?” Mr. Pink turned the societies world upside down for when Pink spoke, Pink proclaimed the Gospel of the Risen Christ.!!!
Readers, you must understand that I had to say all of that to get you to our case involving murder at the Spiritualist’s mansion. The above documents Mr. Pink’s early life. We now find him as a mature Christ-ian and well established and content in his call to write. He had stuggled with not being able to proclaim the Whole Counsel of God from various and differing pulpits around the world. But he was now content as he knew he was in his Master’s good will.
To preface this record let me state some facts:
- I will not disclose any dates.
- Names have been changed, Besant being the exception.
- The scene of the crime has been relocated.
Now onto the “Case of the Spiritualist’s Mansion Murder.”
“Mrs. Pink, my dear, would you please bring me a cold towel, it is rather hot today.” Mrs. Pink responded with a, “yes, Mr. Pink, it’ll be right in.” Pink is writing for his magazine, “Studies in the Scriptures,” he is soaking his feet in a small tub of ice cold water. As he writes he anticipates the relief the cold towel will bring him. As Mrs. Pink is preparing the icy cold neck towel there comes a “KNock, Knock” at the front door. This is almost unheard of as mr. Pink has made it clear to his readers that they musn’t show up at his door. They could write but to visit…this did not happen…until it did.
“Hello, who is it,” asked Mrs. Pink, the gate keeper. An answer came…”Hello. my name is Blackburn and i have come from America to see Mr. Pink.” Please wait one moment, Mr. Blackburn.” Mrs. Pink thought to herself, “What will Mr. Pink say about this?” She entered the room quietly and told him of these earth shattering events and to her surprise, Mr. Pink welcomed Mr. Blackburn in.
The two gentlemen, one an American and the other a very British man. discussed much and enjoyed a cup of tea as is an english man’s manner. Blackburn would say later that when Mr. Pink asked God’s blessings upon the tea it was as if he was kneeling before God’s very Presence for so he was. As they continued fellowship, Mrs. Pink brought in the day’s mail. Mr. Pink received much mail and he attended to it very dutifully as it was a large part of his ministry. He pastored many via the postal service. His eyes fell upon an envelope, in particular and he stood up, thanked Blackburn for his visit and told him. “You have stayed your welcome, please do not visit unannounced again.” And that was that.
After Blackburn harsh dismissal, Pink opened the envelope that drew upon his interests. The correspondense was from the Society of Spiritualists. Pink thought to himself, “We thought we were done with this bunch…what do they want from me?” Mr. Pink felt shame for his service to the wicked one. In his head he knew God’s forgiveness and salvation, but his heart still pained him for that wasted time so he prayed. And God inclined His Ear and the writer knew this and he was filled with tearful thanks.
The letter read: Mr. Pink, As you may or may not be aware, Miss Besant is very ill and she asks you to call upon her. The Society is meeting at the mansion of one of Miss Besant’s supporters and this is where she is receiving her care. Please reply in the personal ads of your local paper and the address will be given to you. Mrs. Shire of The Society
Mr. and Mrs. Pink prayed over this matter, as all husbands and wives should do, and they felt lead for Pink to attend. The deciding factor came from the Words of Pink’s Master, “Pray for them that despitefully use you.” He thought to himself, “as this Word is true, no one is ever outside of prayer and there must then remain hope for everyone…even a silly servant of the subtle and sinful serpent.
It was a night like you would expect in England. It was a night like you would expect if you were meeting with other and were planning to commune with the dead. It was rainy and dark. The night seemed invite death and mystery. The lightning cracked as if it was being directed, the wind blew where it listed, no one could tell where it came from or where it was going but all could hear it and see it’s effects.
Mr. Pink made his way to the door to who knows what, Pink thought of Abraham walking to God’s undisclosed destination. The door was opened by Shrake, the butler and the door creaked as you would expect on a night when silly persons were seeking to commune with the dead. “Good Evening, Mr. Pink, my name is Shrake and I will be attending to your needs this evening. Please come in.” “Shrake? Shrake?” Pink thought to himself and when pink thought to himself it was like someone going through a filing cabinet or a book of photos as Pink had that kind of memory. “Shrake?…..Yes! Shrake is a bird, a bird that will stick it’s prey upon a thorn or nail as it eats.” Lord, Pink prayed, Lord, please keep an Eye on this bird as Pink knew that names often times would predict the person’s character, like Abigail’s deceased husband’s name meant churlish and so was he.
“Please Mr. Pink, Come and join the others,” offered the bird.
The room or rather the museum had the images of many of the societies members. There was first edition Sherlock Holmes books that bore the signature of it’s writer, a celebrated member of the Society. Memorabelia of world leaders prominently displayed and there, placed to draw everyone’s attention, a portrait of Annie Besant. Pink shuttered to think of what could have been if God had not so graciously given him new life. A thankful man was the writer and editor and he prayed and praised his Saviour.
Pink, the man with that kind of memory took in the room. He looked to see who was there and where they were at all times as he could not bring himself to let down his guard. he thought to himself, “Charity believeth all things, but these were liars,” as far as he was concerned. The who’s who of the spritualist movement were present. Pink made a list in his head as he had that kind of memory:
- Mr. and Mrs. Horshberry, who had lost their son. This couple looked twin like in their appearance. Both wore glasses, both wore the same colored clothing, he wore a brownish suit and she wore a brown blouse with a brown skirt.
- Mr. Locklard, who had lost his family was a seemingly quiet man, the type of man that was more comfortable near a corner than out in the open. He wore a black suit as he liked to think black made him invisable.
- Mr. Ike, was a major contributor and terminally ill. He was somewhat pharisaichal as he wanted every one to know and to acknowledge his illness. He wore a dark suit as to draw attention to his paleness. Spiritism was his life. It gave him reason to live.
- Mrs. Shire, the treasurer…Judas, Pink thought. This woman seemed to be hiding something, he thought. She wore a very fashionable dress with all manner of flowers and it had gold buttons. Pink thought to himself, “What would the Amish think of her?”
- Mr. Carhoogie, a multi-millionaire and Besants newest convert. Mr. Ike needed to be replaced or rather his money did. Mr Carhoogie was a large and blustery man. He was a great man and if you didn’t believe him, he would tell you so. Mr. Carhoogie thought his money gave him class and rights. Pink said to his Master, “I see why you will not share your glory with another and how you must be so offended by this man’s egregious pride.”
- Mr. and Mrs. Cannot be named
- Mrs. Marooney, one of the trustee along with the Cannot be named. She felt, or so it seemed to Pink, that she did not ever get the credit she derserved for her tireless efforts for “the cause.” She wore a dress that seemed to cry, “Notice me…Notice me…please look at me. This dress was bright red with yellow daisies all over it or was it corn flowers? Again Pink thought to himself….the Amish.
Pink noticed as he had a mind like that, “Seven, the number of perfection and completeness”…and these were persons that were completely lost and perfectly blissful in their ignorance of the truth.”
“Mr. Pink…Mr. Pink, Sir.” called out Shrake, the bird man that stuck his prey upon thorns or nails.. “Miss Besant will give you audience now.” As they climbed the stairs you would expect them to climb, Pink prayed and sought God’s wisdom, knowledge, understanding, grace, mercy and anything else he could think of. As you expected, the door was as you would expect. The door was a set of double doors with all manner of carvings in them that must have meant much to the mansions owner. Pink thought of Bezaleel, the man that God chose and enabled to work on the Ark of the Covenant. One minute Bezalleel was just Bezalleel and the next God downloaded all that he would need to work and carve all manner of carvings and we know these carvings and this Ark meant much to it’s Divine Designer.
Yes, the door creaked open and the writer entered and the doors shut behind him and he thought of Noah’s Ark and it’s doors closing, which no man could open.
“Mr. Pink, such a disappointment you are,” said the dying devil woman. “What can I do for you Annie?” asked the overwrought writer? “Mr. Pink,’ she said ” I wanted you to know that even now as I lay dying I reject your Gospel and I am happy to remain faithful to this society.” “Annie,” asked the writer, “have you read any of my works?” “Of course, many of us have read them and laughed them and you to scorn, what do you think of that, old friend?” “Farewell, Annie, As I depart I commit you to God’s mercy.” “To this she shouted, “Go!!! Go !!! Go to Hell, old friend,” and the doors creaked shut.
Pink, disgusted with all of this begins to make his way for the front door. “I cannot wait to get home, Lord, he prayed.”
When……………………..AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He’s dead, Mr. Carhoogie is dead…he’s been murdered. The writer stopped in his tracks and prayed, thus, “Where Thou leadest me, I will follow,” and Mr. Pink, the writer turned around and made his way to the room or rather the museum. “They’re not lying this time,” he said to God.
Mr. Carhoogie, the self proclaimed great man, lay dead on the floor with foam flooding forth from his mouth and Pink thought, “Mr. Carhoogie is foaming out his own shame, just as Scripture tells us.”
Do I need to tell you that the bridge had flooded over and the police would not arrive for several hours? Well, it did and they wouldn’t. “This whole night seemed to be a stage play,” thought Pink, the writer. And then he reminded himself that all of life is a stage play with the Director being Divine. Pink decided there and then to play his part and he sought God’s forgiveness for his poor attitude concerning these matters and God inclined His Ear and granted his servant the forgiveness he sought. Pink knew this and he prayed on.
With everyone beginning to unravel with thoughts of their own possible poisoning, The writer took contol of the room or rather the museum, as a good leader would do. “Ladies and gentlemen, please collect and compose yourselves,” said Mr. Pink. Where is the bird m…err rather where is Shrake? Here, I am, sir.” squawed the shaken Shrake. “Shrake, get everyone situated around the seance table, and after that check on Anni,….Miss Besant. To these suggestions or demands, Shrake obeyed.
Mr. Pink found the guests at the seance table as he suggested or demanded. One of the guests…one that cannot be named stood up to Pink and asked him who had put him in charge. To this, Mr. pink said quietly, ” Mr.X, We are not in the mood to suffer any fools gladly, now please sit down and speak only when I speak to you!” Mr. X with a smirk of derision took his seat and crossed his arms as to indicate his anger and rebellion.
Mr. Pink, like all good investigators asked himself, “who is to gain by Carhoogies death?” He again began to go through the files of his memory…that kind of memory….
- Mr. and Mrs. Horshberry
- Mr. Lockhard
- Mr. Ike
- Mrs. Shire
- Mr/Mrs. Cannot be named trustees
- Mrs. Marooney trustee
By his understanding of the societies mindset, it became obvious to him who the killer was, for he was like his Master…he knew what was in man. But how would he get the confession?
“Mr. Ike, would you say that a person could fight to stay alive?” “Mr. Pink, though you have no authority here, I will still humour you…yes i believe we have power over our life.” Pink continued, “Would you then say that if you lost all purpose in life you might lose the power to live? “Didn’t he just say that, Mr. Pink,” shouted the treasurer, Mrs. Shire and the others nodded their heads in agreement.
“Mr/Mrs. Horshberry do you care for Mr. ike?”, of course, he is like family, they answered.”
“And Mr. Lockhard, How about you?” “Mr. Pink, Ike has been a mentor to me.”
Mrs. Marooney, To tell the truth….I’m sorry, Mr. Ike but sometimes I felt as though he thought he deserved preferential treatment, but Yes…I still care about him…we are a family, you see.
“Aren’t you going to question us” demanded the Cannot Be Named? “No.” said Pink, “You have too much to lose to do something like this in a place like this among persons like this.”
Out of no where, Pink asks, “Mrs. Shire, Are you in love with Mr. Ike?” Mrs. Shire reponded, “What? what are you talking about? I am a married woman.” Pink went on without mercy, “Mrs. Shire, you evaded my question. You do, in fact love Mr. Ike, don’t you? Do not give him a reason to stop fighting for his life, Mrs. Shire.” Yes, yes, oh! God I do love Him…I love you Mr. Ike.
“Mr. Ike and Mrs. Shire”, Pink began. “Since you hold to these ridiculous and ungodly beliefs, it is a short distance from fighting for one’s life to losing all purpose for one’s life…would you agree?”
“What are you saying, Mr. Pink? The adulterous couple inquired of the writer.
Mrs. Shire, you are the treasurer, therefore you are fully knowledgeable of who gives what, am i correct?” “Yes, of course.” she snarled. “So,” Pink said as he was winding things down, “You would know that Mr. Carhoogie was the societies new benefactor and he is giving far more than Mr. Ike. Would n’t this, Mrs, Shire, give Mr. Ike a reason to give up?” “Further more, Mrs. Shire,…what about…IKE WHAT POISIN WAS USED?” Mr Ike looked as though he saw death himself, he was utterly shocked, and equally petrified and mortified and he shouted…Arsenic…it was arsenic…we used arsenic, and he gave up the ghost and as if this were a stage play or something out of Acts 5, Mrs. Shire fainted to her death as well. As all of this was happening, Shrake entered the room with the news that Miss Besant has died and Mr. Pink prayed.
At this, Mr. Pink rose from his chair and said with a sarcasm that surprised all, “I suppose you silly persons with these ungodly beliefs will have much to talk about with the newly departed at the next meeting.” He shook his head in judgement, stared them all down with his eyes that saw things and saw through things, then the man with that kind of memory left the Spiritualist’s murder mansion and he prayed and God inclined His Ear.
thechildrenofissachar 