The Search for the Soul and the Afterlife: A Scientist Proves It with His Life

A scientist and spiritualist named Thomas Lynn Bradford took his own life in hopes of proving the existence of an afterlife .

The afterlife has long been a subject of human exploration. Many believe that physical death is not the end; others believe that we only live once. Like all sciences, theories must be put into practice before conclusions can be drawn. In an extreme example, a scientist and spiritualist named Thomas Lynn Bradford took his own life in an attempt to prove the existence of the afterlife.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, spiritualism flourished in America, after the Civil War and World War I, with much death and tragedy. The theory proposed the idea of ​​an afterlife and the ability to communicate with the dead. Therefore, mediums, psychics, séances, and Ouija boards were very popular at that time. Although there were many charlatans and scammers, there were also many decent people in society who believed in life after death. One of these was Thomas Lynn Bradford. (Photo: Pixabay).

Bradford was a native of Detroit, born around 1872. He became a college professor and also had a deep interest in spiritualism. He was convinced of the existence of the afterlife and the soul.

He was so convinced of this that he even believed that the only way to provide irrefutable proof was to verify the results himself. However, Bradford's method was unique, in that he actively took his own life to prove it . In this way, his spirit could come into contact with his previously arranged means and devices, finally confirming the existence of the afterlife.

Obsessed with the afterlife, Thomas Lynn Bradford regularly attended séances and gave spiritual lectures. In January 1921, after coming up with a groundbreaking idea, Bradford placed an ad in the newspaper looking for an assistant to help him conduct experiments in 'spiritual science'. News about Bradford appeared in the newspaper. (Photo: Pixabay)

Bradford then advertised for an assistant interested in " psychic science". A woman named Ruth Doran accepted his offer. She was a writer, from a prominent local family. However, she had no experience in the field, and she later explained: "After seeing the advertisement, I came to work as Bradford's assistant because I wanted to learn about this mystery. But I am not a psychic or a believer in psychology".

Upon meeting Bradford, she was quickly drawn to the world of spiritualism and felt a strong, almost infatuated connection with him. This is perhaps why she did not run away when she learned that Bradford was heading towards this kind of terrifying experiment.

He shared this idea with Doran and she promised that, after his death, she would always be ready to receive a message from the other world. On February 5, 1921, Bradford closed his bedroom door, turned on the gas and successfully committed suicide. The police found the words still on his typewriter, stating that his death was voluntary, in order to prove the phenomena of spirits and things in the supernatural realm. An investigation was launched. Initially, the police suspected that Doran was involved in Bradford's death, but there was no concrete evidence so she was not charged. (Photo: Zhihu).

Bradford proposed to Doran his unusual idea: " In the proper harmony of two minds, one of them must shed his earthly garments." In other words, Bradford intended to leave his physical body to communicate with Doran in the form of a spirit.

On February 5, 1921, Bradford turned on the gas stove in his rented room and asphyxiated himself. Before he died, he wrote a few lines on his typewriter about what he had done and what he would do. Finally, Bradford explained his purpose, which was to prove the existence of the afterlife through scientific means.

After Bradford took his own life, Doran began a two-week vigil in the hopes of receiving some form of communication from Bradford. However, all that was met with was silence. The story then attracted public attention, and the  New York Times  even published a satirical article titled "The Silent Necromancers."

News of the psychic's death immediately appeared in major newspapers, with sensational headlines and constant updates. Public opinion was concerned about whether Bradford would fulfill his promise to send messages from the other world. Doran, however, was still in a state of waiting, but there was no response from Bradford. (Photo: Zhihu).

Over time, the public lost interest in what Bradford had to say, and Doran quickly disappeared from the public eye. Records show that she continued to pursue the spotlight, regularly doing advertising, speaking, and providing personality analysis services.

Bradford went to great lengths to prove what he believed in and it cost him his life. Although the aftermath of his self-inflicted death caused quite a stir and generated countless headlines, when the publicity died down, he proved that the afterlife and the soul may not actually exist.