Thomas Lynn Bradford | |
|---|---|
 Ruth Starkweather Doran and Thomas Lynn Bradford | |
| Born | 1872 or 1873 |
| Died | February 5, 1921 (aged 48) |
| Cause of death | Suicide by household gas |
| Known for | Trying to prove the existence of an afterlife |
Thomas Lynn Bradford (1872 or 1873 – February 5, 1921) of Detroit, Michigan was a spiritualist who died by suicide in an attempt to ascertain the existence of an afterlife and communicate that information to a living accomplice, Ruth Doran.[1] On February 5, 1921, Bradford sealed his apartment in Detroit, blew out the pilot on his heater, and turned on the gas, which killed him.[2][3]
Some weeks earlier, Bradford had sought a fellow spiritualist in a newspaper advertisement and Doran responded. The two agreed "that there was but one way to solve the mystery—two minds properly attuned, one of which must shed its earthly mantle".[4] The New York Times ran a follow-up under the headline "Dead Spiritualist Silent".[5]
- ^ Roach, Mary (2005). Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife. W. W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-05962-6.
- ^ Roach, Mary (18 November 2006). "The Big Questions: What happens after you die?". New Scientist (2578). doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(06)61140-8.
- ^ Roach, Mary (10 August 2009). "Proof". Radiolab Podcast Short (Interview). Interviewed by Jad Abumrad.
- ^ Alfano, Sean (October 30, 2005). "The Afterlife: Real Or Imagined?". CBS Sunday Morning News. p. 3.
- ^ "DEAD SPIRITUALIST SILENT.; Detroit Woman Awaits Message, but Denies Any Compact". The New York Times. Detroit. February 8, 1921. p. 3.