CHARGES AGAINST ABRAHAM LIND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3613, 12 June 1923, Page 69

CHARGES AGAINST ABRAHAM LIND.

THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION

Mr J. 11. Bartholomew, S.M., was occupied in the Police Court all day on Wednesday hearing serious charges laid against Abraham Alfred Lind, who has been conducting a religious mission for somo time past in Dunedin. The accused, who is described as English, and 43 years of age, had to answer o! larges of rape alleged to have been committed on December 19 last, of in decently assaulting another girl on September 14, and of committing rape on her on September 21, and of committing rape on a third girl on October 27. Mr J. B. Cullan appeared for the accused, and the Crown Prosecutor, Mr F. B. Adams, conducted the prosecution. An order was made prohibiting the publication of the names of the female witnesses and excluding the public from the court. The matter of tho publication of the evidence was left to the discretion of the press. 7ho wife of the accused and medical witnesses were allowed to remain during the hearing. Mr Adams said he intended to take the charges together. Mr Callan said he would consent subject to any question of admissibility of evidence. r lho Magistrate said that any reasonable doubt on that score would be properly left to tho higher court. Mr Adams said that the charges were laid under section 211 of the Crimes Act. 'lhe accm-ed was charged with offences relating to three girls. In the case of tho first there were representations directly as to the nature and quality of the act. 'The submission of the Crown was that in that case the accused was dearly within sub-section d. In the cases of the oilier two girls there were misrepresentations. In all three cases there might bo a question as to whether there was any genuine consent on the part of the girls. lie took it that tho defence very likely might be that these charges did not constitute rape because there was an effective consent. The Crown alleged that the whole series of occurrences took place under such circumstances as to negative any genuine consent having any effect, in law, and that the charge of ra.po lay in all three oases, apart from any question as to false and fraudulent representations. The accused had been conducting for some time past a mission in succession to the healing mission conducted here last year by Mr Wigglesworth. Among other things the mission purported to have the gift of healing, and it was in connection with this mission that ho came In contact with each of the three girls to whom the charges related. Evidence would be called as to the nature of the meetings at this mission, and particularly in regard to certain meetings which were known as “waiting” meetings. These meetings were held either in the Dowling street hall or sometimes at the home of the accused. They were of a peculiar emotional religious nature, and there was a more or less ecstatic condition produced, particularly in the case of weaker females, which would put them to a very large extent in the power of the pastor. The accused was supposed to have the gift of healing and other special -powers. The suggestion of hypnotism had been made. The Crown did not allege that at>v one of these girls was definitely put in alrance, but tho conditions at these meetings were akin to hypnotism. The characteristic of hypnotic phenomena was that persons at all subject to hypnotic influence were amenable to suggestion. It came to this, that the girls were put into a condition in which they were easily amenable to hypnotic influence. The evidence would be watched by one or two medical men who would afterwards give evidence. Mr -Dalian dissociated himself from the line of defence suggested by Mr Adams, and said they denied that there was anything in the story at all. The first witness was the mother of the fill mentioned in the first charge. She new- the accused, and attended meetings conducted by him. She began to do so at the beginning of July, 1922, and two of her daughters vent with her. The meetings were held first in the Queen’s Theatre and later in the Choral Hall. The meetings started in the Tailoresses’ Hall in Dowling street in September, and they were held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on Sunday mornings and evenings. The Tuesday night one was an ordinary prayer meeting, but Thursday night’s meetings were called “waiting” meetings. She attended six of these. Mr Lind used to speak first for about an hour from the Bible. Afterwards they would kneel down, and were supposed to “wait for the power.” People prayed just as they felt moved. Witness always used to feci as though she wanted to sing. Her daughter, in respect of whom the charge was laid, attended five of these meet, iugs. Her health was good up to that time, but after that her nerves began to give way. Sho used to feel very depressed, and once at the meeting witness saw her begin to cry. She got so bad in the end that witness took her to Dr Williams. Tho girl had given up her work the day before on account of her health. She did not sleep well at all. It was on November 8 that witness took her to the doctor. He gave her medicine, but it did not seem to do her much good. After seeing tho doctor she was very ill indeed, and witness considered she was bordering on insanity. Witness took her to Mr Lind at his homo in Whitby street. Mornjngton, that night. Witness took her to him because ho healed. Accused told the daughter to take off her hat, and he put his hands on her head and asked the Lord to take away what was troubling licr. The daughter slept better that night than sho had for a month, and was better next day. Witness attended two more of Mr Lind's meetings, one at his house and ono at Dowling street. The daughter attended the one at the house with her. That was one of the “waiting” meetings. That night she seemed very depressed, and that was the night witness saw her cry. That was on November 23, and Mr Lind said there was some depression in tho meeting and they could not got a start. He told them to get up off their knees and sing, and when they knelt again ho told them to hold their heads up. Tilings went all right after that. Her daughter told her that night Mr Adams: You cannot tell us what she said.

Witness, continuing, said she did not think anyone saw this except the daughter. It was a flash. Witness told accused sho was going away in a week’s time and would be away till the end of January. She told Mr Lind ’ that twice. The last Sunday morning she was present at the Dowling

street room Mr Lind had been at her house tho previous day. The daughter in question went to the door, and accompanied Mr Lind into the front room. Witness heard talking in there for about an hour. Witness went away on Wednesday, November 29, and leturned on February 9. She did not go back to his meetings because she heard certain rumours. Ilcr daughter joined her on January 2, and had not attended any of Mr Lind’s meetings since. She had gradually got better. Witness knew tire girl mentioned in the second charge She was in the habit of attending these meetings, and was affected far more than anyone else. She used to get very excited and shout out “Hallelujah!” “Praise the Lord!” and “Glory be to Jesus!” One night she looked completely exhausted. Her liat was off and her hair all ruffied, and she was almost prostrate. On Easter Sunday last she attended a meeting _ in the Queen’s Theatre called by Mr Lind. It was really a challenge meeting in answer to Mr Dunlop’s meeting of the previous Sunday. Certain charges were made against Mr Lind, but her daughter was not mentioned. The third girl named in the charges was mentioned. Mr- land was saying things against the character of the girl, and he declared that he had never interfered with any innocent girl. Witness told him that he was trying to make these men and women believe that he was innocent when 6he knew he was not, for she knew what her daughter had told her. Then her daughter got up and told him not to go after innocent girls. Mr Gallan questioned the relevancy of this evidence, which was, however, allowed. Continuing, witness said Mr Lind replied that he could not go about tho streets without taking Mrs Lind Or one of the brothers of the mission with him because the police were watching him. Witness asked him what right he had to come to the house when he knew she was away and at such an hour of the day as he knew her daughter would bo alone. She thought he told her to sit down. Mr Lind said he did go to visit her once alone. The house was on the street, aud tho windows were wide open. Her daughter got up and said, "Yes, but you closed them dowm.” Mr Lind said nothing. Dr E. H. Williams said the last witness came to see him on November 8 last, bringing her daughter. The daughter was in a nervous depressed state of health and was uncommunicative. He observed tremulousness, and treated her for nervous depression. Her condition remained the same, and she did not respond to any advice or treatment.

The next witness was the girl mentioned in the tirst charge, the daughter of the first witness. She gave her age as 21, and said she first attended Mr Lind’s meetings in March of last year. She gave evidence as to the time arid place of these meetings. She had attended about five of the ’'waiting’’ meetings. They started at half-past 7, and she generally came away about 10 before they had finished. Those present would remain kneeling for about an hour or an hour and a-quarter. He never touched her in the meetings. She used to feel a power come over her which made her feel like crying and took all the strength out of her. She first had conversation with Mr Lind early in October. Accused first came to their home at the end of November one Saturday afternoon. Her father and mother were at home. She was alone with him in the front room for about an hour and a-half. Mr Lind read out of the Bible and prayed. Mr Lind next came to her house on a Monday, she thought, December 18. She was going down town in the afternoon and met him at the corner of the street. He asked her to go back to her house with him. Witness’s nerves had been bad, and she had not been sleeping. She described what happened in the front room when the assault. she alleged took place. Accused represented his act as treatment for her nerves, and said it ivaj between him and her and the Lord. Witness did not at that time understand about the birth of children. Mr J. B. Callan conducted brief crossexamination. A young woman, a member of the Salvation Army, said that on December 18 or 19 last she was selling War Crys in Mornington. She saw tho accused coming out of the gate of tho home of the previous witness. She was only a few feet away from him. Witness went in and knocked at tho back door. The last witness, who was an old schoolmate of hers, came to the door. Her hair was hanging down, and she see mod very much upset. The last witness detailed to witness a partial account of what had occurred between Lind and herself, hut Mr Callan objected to this as evidence, and it was not admitted. Detective Frederick J. Beer said that about 10.30 a.m. on May 15 Detective Roycreft and he arrested accused at Ids home on a warrant charging him with rape on the first witness. Accused said, “This is a bombshell. I expected them to do something, but not in this direction.” In looking through accused’s library he found the book produced, entitled “Psychic Phenomena.” Accused said he had studied the book in connection with his work. The book was marked in a number of places, and some of the leaves were turned in. The next witness was the girl named in the fourth charge. ■ She gave her age as o. and said that for the last four years she had taken a deep interest in religious matters. She had attended the close of the Smith Wigglesworth faith-healing mission and had been wonderfully healed of heart trouble and chest trouble and her nerves restored. The mission was afterwards continued by the accused from June of last year, and she attended and devoted a lot of time to it. She had received such benefit herself that she longed to see others enjoying the same. She was in the habit of attending all the meetings. The Thursday night meetings were for Christians who were seeking to consecrate their lives to God and to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. IVfr Lind impressed on them the necessity of going there with one mind and one spirit. They were never quite sure when the meetings would close, sometimes a little after 9, but she had known the meeting go on till after midnight. Describing the meetings, witness said Mr Lind would read a passage of Scripture, which was always very helpful Sometimes he would lay his hands on one of them and say “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” He told thorn to lot themselves become passive and not to bo afraid of other spirits because they were protected by tho blood of Jesus. The girl mentioned in the second and third charges was very regular at the meetings and anxious to help on the work. She was tho first to receive what witness believed to be the baptism of the Holy Ghost and th© gift of tongues. She spoke in an unknown languago which none

of them could understand. During the meetings she was more noisy than anyone, and although sho was witness’s dearest friend there were times when witness had to leave her side because she could not bear the noise. One evening witness had a peculiar experience and went over and sat beside this girl because she felt that she was in danger. She found the girl was trembling. The girl got up and walked across the room, 'out fell on the floor. Mr Lind got her on to a seat. Later be said the girl had got into the wrong spirit and that they needed to pray for her. Mr Lind afterwards walked with tho girl to the car.

Continuing her evidence after the luhcheon adjournment, witness said she remembered this girl falling down at a meeting in the Dowling Street Hall. Mr Lind bent forward and asked the girl what was the burden for. She only shook her head. Two men in the meeting then went down in the same way as this girl had done. 'The girl came gradually to herself, and the meeting became normal. Witness had continued to attend the meetings until the New Year. On one occasion in the Dowling Street Hall at a “waiting” meeting Mr Lind had put his hands on her head and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost,” and one evening at his house the same thing happened. She fell prostrate on the floor and was unable to get up. For a short period she did not know what was going on in the room. When she got up she was dazed and staggered. They had great confidence in Mr Lind, and when their friends were sick they invited him in to pray over them. She used to visit Mr Lind’s home frequently on Wednesday evenings. On October 22, a Sunday afternoon, she told Mr Lir.d about a young man who had come back to her after an absence, but she had felt it her duty to let him go. The following Tuesday Mr Lind told her he had a message from the Lord for her, and asked her to come to his house the following evening. She went, and was there with Mr and Mis Lind. After ho walked down by the Maori road and said God had shown to him that he was to be to her as 10 husbands. She did not care to contradict Mr Lind and did not say anything. Shb felt very strange about the whole business, and did not care for it. She met him again, and it was then the offence alleged took place. Mr Lind afterwards referred to the Song of Solomon to show that a sister could also be a wife “under grace.” He always rook the attitude that he knew better than she. She met him at the eame place a few days later, as she was worried and wanted a definite explanation from him. She did -not want to go, but when he spoke to her she had confidence in him again. She had a feeling of complete helplessness. A few evenings later Mr Lir.d walked up the hill after the meeting between witness and the girl mentioned in tho second and third charges, taking an arm of each. Another evening when witness was going home with this girl Mr Lind took the girl away, and though witness waited from 8 a.m. to 9.30 a.m, at the end of the Arcade she did not return. Next morning the girl came to see her, and made a grave charge against Mr Lind. The same morning Mr Lind came round and told her to leave the mission. Later they had a kind of reconciliation. She visited Mr Lind’s house and he walked home with her again. She recounted the conversation and argument that took place between them. Again intimacy took place although she tried to resist. Accused forced her to tell certain things she had never told to anyone else. Later he told her to leave the mission, but she said si*' liad a duty to perform to the other girls and would tell her experience. Mr Lind said if she threw dust in his eyes she would got mud back. Witness and the other girl referred to met Mr Lind, and he prayed and appealed to them to stand by him, Which they promised to do.

To Mr Oallan: She did not make any outcry on any of the three occasions on which accused had intercourse with her. She was too helpless to struggle, and had no will power left.

The next witness was tho one to wham the second and third charges related. She said her age was 22, and said she had attended the Smith Wigglesworth mission last June. She was completely cured there of a severe cough she had had since a child and of trouble in her knee. Sho also described accused’s meetings referred to by other witnesses. About 30 people of mixed ages attended them. The told of one meeting at which Mr Lied had come over and placed his hands on her head, saying “Receive ye tho Holy Ghost.” She had a feeling as though 3he was being lifted up into ppace and she began to speak with tongues. She did not understand what she was saying. There were several other people speaking with tongues. At a-inter meeting while she was engaged in prayer she began to tremble and to speak in tongues. She could not control her tongue, and must have become unconscious. Accused afterwards walked with her to the car and told her she had “got into the wrong spirit.” At a later meeting accused made an appointment -with her, and he walked with her to Jubilee Park. He told her that be had a message from the Lord that she was able to receive “the deeper teachings.” He kissed her and handled her. Witness described the meeting in which she had fallen to the floor, crying in pain and weakness. She gave evidence as to accused making appointments with her and to a conversation on the Belt Which ended with his improperly handling her. She told him that God would never lead Hl9 children to do immoral acts, and that when he asked her to meet him she felt powerless to keep away. She felt he had some hypnotic influence over her. He said he had made a study of both hypnotism and spiritualism, but added that he had never hypnotised anybody as he did not think it right. Another evening in Jubilee Pork accused told her that God had showed him very clearly that she was to be a second wife to him. He argued from the Old Testament to justify liis conduct. The discussion went on for some hours, and she found she was getting quite dazed. In the end she began to wonder whether she was right or not, and seemed helpless to fight against him. She could feel , him looking at her all the time. She described indecencies of speooh and act by accused. Sho made an, appointment with him the next Friday evening, but though she did not want to go she could not keep away from tho place. He talked with, her for a long time, and afterwards committed the offence charged. Accused had intercourse on ether oooasions with her. She resisted to the best of her ability, and told him he was a devil. When sire left him she could scarcely walk, and would have collapsed if he had not come after her and caught her.

To Mr Callan : She did not have a record made of a.ny of the dates referred to.

At a quarter to 6 the Crown Prosecutor intimated that he had two medical witnesses wfliose evidence would probably take an hour between them. The ease v.-as remanded till 10 a.m. to-day, and bail was allowed as before. COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. The case in which Abraham Alfred Lind, rnissiouer, is being tried oil three charges of rape and one of indecent assault., was continued before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., in the City Police Court oil Thursday morning. Mr J. B. Oallan is appearing for the accused. The order was repeated excluding the public from tho court. D'r William Newlands, called by ilio Crown Prosecutor (Mr I’. B. Adams), said he had, on the previous day, heard almost all the evidence of the girls concerned in the case. Hypnotism was a science or subject about which there was still a great deal of diversity e£ opinion, particularly about methods of inducing it and the extent to which the individual was under the influence of tho hypnotise!-. In this case, as disclosed by the evidence, he did not think that any definite attempt at hypnotism had been made out. He heard one of the girls speak of the accused stroking her forehead and gazing into her ryes. That was suggestive of the methods of one class of hypnotist to put a patient under his influence, but evidently tile girl did n,ot lose consciousness. The effect of attending such meetings as had been described vvouid certainly produce a state of mental ecstasy that was akin to a minor degree of what was known as hypnotism. ttounsel drew witness’s attention particularly to evidence about the “burden ’ at one of the meetings. Witness said he thought that was a hysterical manifestation that was very common at such meetings. It was more a kind of self-induced hysteria than hypnotism. It would certainly alter the individual’s power of control. He did not think the "speaking in tongues” incident would vary in essence from any severe hysterical attack. Consciousness would not be utterly abolished, but action would be. One could not cail this hypnotism, but it was a cognate state. He would not say there was a relation between hypnotism and hysteria. Though hysterical patients were highly _ suggestible, experienced hypnotists found it was difficult to produce a complete hypnotic trance in such patients. To a “suggestible patient” one might suggest a pain that would afterwards be felt bv the patient. Conversely, tho pain mignt be relieved by suggestion. It was an important fact that there was a cumulative effect of meetings. A person who attended week after week might have a lasting impression made—one that would last a considerable time. He thought it a fair inference that people of the type he judged the witnesses to ho, would he really incapable of ordinary resistance to an attempt at improper intercourse, even if they realised the nature of the act being attempted upon them. This would apply specially in tho case of their pastor being the aggressor. The first girl who gave evidence appeared to be somewhat facile. Every general practitioner had numerous cases of girls brougnt to him about that age with certain troubles, and it was his experience that in spite of the supposed widespread knowledge of sexual matters amongst the young people of the present day, he had frequently found cases of girls about the age 20, and even newly married women, with very hazy ideas of the processes of reproduction.

By Mr Callan: lhe opinion he formed of trie first girl was entirely founded on what he had seen of her in the witness box. He had not seen her on any other occasion. Obviously, when the girl rose from the floor her self-control was to some extent restored. The state of individuals at those excited meetings would vary from jr P e |,° time. Each time an individual submitted to such an experience, the hysteria would be more easily or readily induced. Da- \\. Marshall Macdonald said he had made a special study of nerves. He had examined the three principal girl witnesses on May 19 last. Their condition was consistent with their having had sexual intercourse. Mentally he examined them at considerable length. lhe first girl he thought was nit of normal mentality. He did not mean she was mentally deficient, but she was not up to tho normal standard. She struck him as being facile and easily open to suggestion The third girl also impressed him as somewhat nervous or neurotic. The second was obviously a deeply religious woman, but he would not say sho was neurotic. He hoard all the evidence w r ith the exception of a small portion before lunch. These “waiting” meetings would undoubtedly tend to produce a state of abnormal excitement. Witness was first consulted about the case in April, and ho formed the opinion that definite hypnotism was not employed. He was still'of that opinion. It was recognised by most authorities that it was not possible by hypnotism to persundo anyone to commit a crime or do anything that was absolutely repugnant to a person. That applied to the hypnotic trance, but hypnotism was simply a branch of “suggestion,” using the word in a technical sense. It was possible to do everything by ordinary suggestion without the use of hypnotism. They used hypnotism in tho army in the early stages of tho war, but about 1917 abandoned it because they found that they could achieve the same results without the actual use of hypnotism. But what they did employ, and what he suggested was done in this case, was massive suggestion. That was to say, one attacked the patient from all points suggesting a cure. In this case there was something of that sort. They had the religious excitement of the meeting; secondly, they had the effect of a religious instructor, who was alleged to have stated that he brought a personal message from God. ’Hiat was a. suggestion that would have a very important effect on the female witnesses. Thirdly, in the case of the first and second witnesses there was a suggestion from a man who claimed special healing qualifications. In his opinion the combined result of all these things would tend to destroy the woman’s natural power of resistance. That was supported by the statement they all rnado to him that they never at any time felt anv sexual attraction towards Lind, and that they never derived any gratification from what occurred. It was possible to get physical results from suggestion. You could put a postage stamp on a girl’s arm suggesting it was a blister, bandage if and it would rise up like an ordinary blister. Suggestion was a very useful means of healing. He did not attach any importance to tho incident of the “burdens.” It was common, at revival meetings as a moans of acquiring ascendancy. It was done in, the

churches as well as in revival meetings. Hudson’s “Psychic Phenomena” was a recognised , work, and it dealt with the lav of suggestion.

By Mr Callan: The witnesses came to his house together. During part of ttie time, while he examined one witness, another was present. The three cf them wero_ there the best, part of an hour. This closed the case for the Crown.

Tho magistrate stated that a sufficient prima facie case had been made out to put the accused on his trial. Accused, who had nothing to say, reserved his defence, and was committed to tiie Supremo Court for trial on each charge. Bail was allowed as before — accused in £4OO and two sureties of £2OO on the first charge, and his own recognisances on the other charges.