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Grand Rapids, Mich. April 18, 1960 Dr. Immanuel Velikovsky Dear Dr. Velikovsky: Your very kind letter of April 10th has been on my heart this past week. This is about the first that I have been able to write with any semblance of intelligence since the death of my most beloved husband. There is such an aching void in my life and heart that it is hard to express myself. . . How very kind of you, a total stranger, to be concerned enough to take the time and trouble to write to my daughter and me! We do deeply appreciate your thoughtfulness. I would not burden you with a long account of our story. But my husband was a minister of the gospel for thirty-two years before this horrible tragedy came into our lives when someone with a grudge perhaps, or maybe just from jealousy, went to the extent of “suggesting” that perhaps our daughter had not died a natural death seven years before. The deliberate deception we were put through by the prosecution, the mental torment, our ignorance of our rights and of the true facts, the threats to my well-being which finally resulted in a false confession by my husband, and his subsequent sentence to life imprisonment—this is all a terrible nightmare. Had it not been for our faith in a loving God who somehow works out all things for the good of those who love Him, I am sure we would both have lost our sanity. But for 14 years I wrote to my husband and he wrote to me, I visited him as often as I was allowed to, I spent over $5,000.00 on gas, oil and car expense alone, and about $4,500.00 on lawyers who never did anything for us. Then three years ago Frank was stricken with cancer. If he hadn’t had a marvelously healthy body he would have died before, but he made a temporary come-back. I think if he had been where he could have received immediate attention he might have won the battle, but about a year ago he suffered a return of the disease and went downhill continually until by September he had to be hospitalized. I tried desperately to get him out on the basis of his illness and finally in December I went directly to the head man and pleaded with him in person. One month later I had my dear husband home, but he was a dying man and we both knew it. He lived for ninety-nine days. We tried to cram all the love and sweetness of 14 years into those 99 days. People would say, “It’s a hard pull for you” but I would answer, “No, every moment is a joy,” and it was. He suffered so much at the last that I was glad for his sake that he could fall asleep, but what an emptiness there is in my life! For all his long suffering (seven months helpless in bed) my husband never uttered one word of complaint. He had the most wonderful attitude toward life that I have ever seen. He never condemned his persecutors or made any complaint about the life he had to live in prison. While there he promoted every good cause that would be uplifting to his fellows. Dale Carnegie Clubs, Chess Clubs, Writers Forum, teaching, choir work, a radio broadcast that brought laughs to those who listened, etc. One man who now owns a print shop and a jewelry store in Michigan City, says that Frank put his feet on solid ground and got him started in the right way. So you see, Dr. Velikovsky, I am proud of my husband. Not proud of his reputation, which the newspapers have given him, but proud of his character and of the real man I know him to be and of the true record in the Book which will some day be opened. He was so happy to be home that little while. I look back and thank God that I did everything in my power to make those weeks so wonderful for him; it helps to ease the awful pain of being without him now. I have no children of my own but have two wonderful stepdaughters here who have stood by me night and day. I don’t know why Mrs. Palmer was the only one mentioned. We wondered if you are an M. D. or Ph. D. or perhaps a Doctor of Theology? Thank you for allowing me to unload my heart somewhat in this way. I hope my letter has not been burdensome to you. With deepest appreciation, Sincerely, |