The Great Soul Trial was first held in Phoenix, Arizona in 1967
and went to retrial in 1971. The purpose of the trial was to honor the will of James
Kidd that left money to fund scientific research that provided proof of a human soul
that leaves the body at the time of death. The collection contains correspondence,
claimant materials, press clippings, photographs, audio recordings, and oversize
materials.
Collection Number:
MS 542
Language:
The bulk of the materials are in English, with some materials in German,
Spanish, Portuguese, Tamil, Hindi, Japanese, French, Urdu, Dutch, Polish, Chinese,
Arabic, Swahili, Hebrew, Russian, Persian, Korean, Tagalog, and
Indonesian.
Repository:
University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections
University of Arizona
PO Box 210055
Tucson, AZ 85721-0055
Phone: 520-621-6423
Fax: 520-621-9733
URL: http://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/
E-Mail: LBRY-askspcoll@email.arizona.edu
Biographical Note
James Kidd was born on July 18, 1879 in Ogdensburgh, New York. He held residence on the
outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona and was an employee of the Miami Company of Arizona. In
November, 1949 Kidd went missing in the Superstition Mountains outside of Phoenix,
Arizona. In 1954, he was declared missing and dead by the State of Arizona. In 1964, the
State of Arizona took an inventory of a safety deposit box owned by James Kidd which
contained a holograph will dating from 1930 stating his wishes that the balance of his
estate go towards funding research that provided scientific proof of the existence of a
soul that leaves the human body at the time of death. The value of the estate after
expenses was in excess of $200,000. The estate went to trial between May – October, 1967
as James Kidd had no heirs or immediate family. The Honorable Justice Robert Myers of
the Court of Maricopa County, Arizona presided over the case and heard from one hundred
thirty three claimants over the course of the hearings. On October 20, 1967 the estate
was awarded to the Barrow Neurological Institute located in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1971,
The Arizona Supreme Court overturned the decision handed down by Justice Robert Myers,
which resulted in the case going to retrial that year. Again, Justice Robert Myers
presided over the case and awarded the estate to the American Society for Psychical
Research based in New York City, New York.
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains correspondence, claimant materials, press clippings,
photographs, publications, and oversize materials collected by Justice Robert Myers who
presided over The Great Soul Trial in 1967 and when the case went to retrial in 1971.
The correspondence series comprises the bulk of the collection and is arranged
alphabetically by country. The bulk of the correspondence is from the United States and
is arranged alphabetically. This series consists of correspondence, essays, monographs,
photographs, artwork, diagrams, etc. sent by individuals and organizations applying for
claim on the James Kidd estate.
Use of original audio visual materials is restricted due to their fragile nature. Use of
original audio visual materials is restricted due to their fragile nature.
Copyright
It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of
the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her
transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and
hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents for the University of Arizona, its officers,
employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he
or she is an owner of copyright.
This series contains correspondence and is arranged alphabetically by country. The
bulk of the materials originates from the United States which is arranged
alphabetically. The miscellaneous folders located towards the end of the series
contains materials from Bolivia, Spain, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, New
Caledonia, Pakistan, Leeward Islands, Mauritius, Panama, Uruguay, Netherlands,
Mozambique, Poland, Taiwan, Lebanon, Kenya, New Zealand, Israel, China, Puerto
Rico, CCCP, Holland, Poland, Portugal, Iran, South Korea, Japan, Manila, Ghana,
Togo, Liberia, and Indonesia. Anonymous folders located at the end of the series
contain correspondence from unidentified individuals. Box 14 contains oversize
materials and consists of correspondence from claimant applicants, a record album,
and a list of correspondence arranged by country created by office of Justice
Robert Myers.
Materials within this series consists of correspondence, essays, monographs,
photographs, artwork, diagrams, etc. sent by individuals and organizations
applying for claim on the James Kidd estate. The materials discuss a myriad of
spiritual beliefs and practices, including but not limited to Christianity,
Hinduism, Buddhist, Islam, and Shintoism. Materials are in English, German,
Spanish, Portuguese, Tamil, Hindi, Japanese, French, Urdu, Dutch, Polish,
Mandarin, Arabic, Swahili, Hebrew, Russian, Persian, Korean, Tagalog, and
Indonesian.
box
folder
1
1
Argentina, 1966-1968
1
2
Australia, 1967
1
3
Austria (1 of 2), 1966-1974
1
4
Austria (2 of 2), 1966-1974
1
4
Austria (2 of 2), 1966-1974
1
5
Belgium, 1966-1969
1
6
Bolivia, 1966-1969
1
7
Brazil (1 of 3), 1966-1972
1
8
Brazil (2 of 3), 1966-1972
1
9
Brazil (3 of 3), 1966-1972
1
10
Canada (1 of 3), 1966-1968
1
11
Canada (2 of 3), 1966-1968
1
12
Canada (3 of 3), 1966-1968
1
13
Canada, 1971-1974
1
14
Chile, 1966-1967
1
15
Columbia (1 of 2), 1966-1969
1
16
Columbia (2 of 2), 1966-1969
box
folder
2
1
Costa Rica, 1966-1967
2
2
Czechoslovakia, 1966-1967
2
3
Denmark, 1966-1967
2
4
Ecuador, 1966-1967
2
5
France (1 of 2), 1966-1967
2
6
France (2 of 2), 1966-1967
2
7
Germany (1 of 10), 1966-1968
2
8
Germany (2 of 10), 1966-1968
2
9
Germany (3 of 10), 1966-1968
2
10
Germany (4 of 10), 1966-1968
2
11
Germany (5 of 10), 1966-1968
2
12
Germany (6 of 10), 1966-1968
2
13
Germany (7 of 10), 1966-1968
2
14
Germany (8 of 10), 1966-1968
box
folder
3
1
Germany (9 of 10), 1966-1968
3
2
Germany (10 of 10), 1966-1968
3
3
Germany, 1970-1971
3
4
Greece, 1967-1968
3
5
Hungary, 1966-1969
3
6
India (1 of 29), 1966-1968
3
7
India (2 of 29), 1966-1968
3
8
India (3 of 29), 1966-1968
3
9
India (4 of 29), 1966-1968
3
10
India (5 of 29), 1966-1968
3
11
India (6 of 29), 1966-1968
3
12
India (7 of 29), 1966-1968
3
13
India (8 of 29), 1966-1968
3
14
India (9 of 29), 1966-1968
box
folder
4
1
India (10 of 29), 1966-1968
4
2
India (11 of 29), 1966-1968
4
3
India (12 of 29), 1966-1968
4
4
India (13 of 29), 1966-1968
4
5
India (14 of 29), 1966-1968
4
6
India (15 of 29), 1966-1968
4
7
India (16 of 29), 1966-1968
4
8
India (17 of 29), 1966-1968
4
9
India (18 of 29), 1966-1968
4
10
India (19 of 29), 1966-1968
4
11
India (20 of 29), 1966-1968
4
12
India (21 of 29), 1966-1968
4
13
India (22 of 29), 1966-1968
4
14
India (23 of 29), 1966-1968
box
folder
5
1
India (24 of 29), 1966-1968
5
2
India (25 of 29), 1966-1968
5
3
India (26 of 29), 1966-1968
5
4
India (27 of 29), 1966-1968
5
5
India (28 of 29), 1966-1968
5
6
India (29 of 29), 1966-1968
5
7
India, 1969-1971
5
8
Italy (1 of 3), 1966-1967
5
9
Italy (2 of 3), 1966-1967
5
10
Italy (3 of 3), 1966-1967
5
11
Mexico, 1966-1967
5
12
Mexico, 1968-1970
5
13
Norway, 1966-1967
5
14
Peru, 1966-1967
5
15
Philippines, 1967-1968
5
16
South Africa, 1966-1968
5
17
Sweden, 1966-1969
5
18
Switzerland, 1966-1967
5
19
Turkey, 1966-1968
5
20
United Kingdom (1 of 3), 1966-1968
5
21
United Kingdom (2 of 3), 1966-1968
5
22
United Kingdom (3 of 3), 1966-1968
5
23
United Kingdom, 1970
box
folder
6
1
United States; A (1 of 3), 1966-1967
6
2
United States; A (2 of 3), 1966-1967
6
3
United States; A (3 of 3), 1966-1967
6
4
United States; A, 1969-1971
6
5
United States; B (1 of 6), 1966-1968
6
6
United States; B (2 of 6), 1966-1968
6
7
United States; B (3 of 6), 1966-1968
6
8
United States; B (4 of 6), 1966-1968
6
9
United States; B (5 of 6), 1966-1968
6
10
United States; B (6 of 6), 1966-1968
6
11
United States; B, 1969-1975
6
12
United States; C (1 of 10), 1966-1968
6
13
United States; C (2 of 10), 1966-1968
6
14
United States; C (3 of 10), 1966-1968
6
15
United States; C (4 of 10), 1966-1968
6
16
United States; C (5 of 10), 1966-1968
box
folder
7
1
United States; C (6 of 10), 1966-1968
7
2
United States; C (7 of 10), 1966-1968
7
3
United States; C (8 of 10), 1966-1968
7
4
United States; C (9 of 10), 1966-1968
7
5
United States; C (10 of 10), 1966-1968
7
6
United States; C (1 of 2), 1969-1976
7
7
United States; C (2 of 2), 1969-1976
7
8
United States; D (1 of 3), 1966-1968
7
9
United States; D (2 of 3), 1966-1968
7
10
United States; D (3 of 3), 1966-1968
7
11
United States; D, 1969-1971
7
12
United States; E (1 of 2), 1966-1968
7
13
United States; E (2 of 2), 1966-1968
7
14
United States; E, 1970-1971
7
15
United States; F (1 of 4), 1966-1968
box
folder
8
1
United States; F (2 of 4), 1966-1968
8
2
United States; F (3 of 4), 1966-1968
8
3
United States; F (4 of 4), 1966-1968
8
4
United States; F, 1969-1971
8
5
United States; G (1 of 4), 1966-1968
8
6
United States; G (2 of 4), 1966-1968
8
7
United States; G (3 of 4), 1966-1968
8
8
United States; G (4 of 4), 1966-1968
8
9
United States; G, 1971-1973
8
10
United States; H (1 of 5), 1966-1968
8
11
United States; H (2 of 5), 1966-1968
8
12
United States; H (3 of 5), 1966-1968
8
13
United States; H (4 of 5), 1966-1968
8
14
United States; H (5 of 5), 1966-1968
8
15
United States; H, 1969-1973
8
16
United States; I, 1966-1967
8
17
United States; J (1 of 3), 1966-1968
box
folder
9
1
United States; J (2 of 3), 1966-1968
9
2
United States; J (3 of 3), 1966-1968
9
3
United States; J, 1971-1974
9
4
United States; K (1 of 4), 1966-1968
9
5
United States; K (2 of 4), 1966-1968
9
6
United States; K (3 of 4), 1966-1968
9
7
United States; K (4 of 4), 1966-1968
9
8
United States; K, 1969-1972
9
9
United States; L (1 of 4), 1966-1968
9
10
United States; L (2 of 4), 1966-1968
9
11
United States; L (3 of 4), 1966-1968
9
12
United States; L (4 of 4), 1966-1968
9
13
United States; L, 1971
9
14
United States; M (1 of 9), 1966-1968
9
15
United States; M (2 of 9), 1966-1968
box
folder
10
1
United States; M (3 of 9), 1966-1968
10
2
United States; M (4 of 9), 1966-1968
10
3
United States; M (5 of 9), 1966-1968
10
4
United States; M (6 of 9), 1966-1968
10
5
United States; M (7 of 9), 1966-1968
10
6
United States; M (8 of 9), 1966-1968
10
7
United States; M (9 of 9), 1966-1968
10
8
United States; M, 1969-1971
10
9
United States; N, 1968-1968
10
10
United States; N, 1971
10
11
United States; O, 1966-1967
10
12
United States; O, 1969-1971
10
13
United States; P (1 of 3), 1966-1968
10
14
United States; P (2 of 3), 1966-1968
10
15
United States; P (3 of 3), 1966-1968
10
16
United States; P, 1970-1972
10
17
United States; Q, 1966-1967
box
folder
11
1
United States; R (1 of 7), 1966-1968
11
2
United States; R (2 of 7), 1966-1968
11
3
United States; R (3 of 7), 1966-1968
11
4
United States; R (4 of 7), 1966-1968
11
5
United States; R (5 of 7), 1966-1968
11
6
United States; R (6 of 7), 1966-1968
11
7
United States; R (7 of 7), 1966-1968
11
8
United States; R (1 of 2), 1969-1972
11
9
United States; R (2 of 2), 1969-1972
11
10
United States; S (1 of 10), 1966-1968
11
11
United States; S (2 of 10), 1966-1968
11
12
United States; S (3 of 10), 1966-1968
11
13
United States; S (4 of 10), 1966-1968
11
14
United States; S (5 of 10), 1966-1968
box
folder
12
1
United States; S (6 of 10), 1966-1968
12
2
United States; S (7 of 10), 1966-1968
12
3
United States; S (8 of 10), 1966-1968
12
4
United States; S (9 of 10), 1966-1968
12
5
United States; S (10 of 10), 1966-1968
12
6
United States; S (1 of 2), 1969-1972
12
7
United States; S (2 of 2), 1969-1972
12
8
United States; T (1 of 3), 1966-1968
12
9
United States; T (2 of 3), 1966-1968
12
10
United States; T (3 of 3), 1966-1968
12
11
United States; T, 1969-1978
12
12
United States; U, 1967-1971
12
13
United States; V, 1966-1967
12
14
United States; V, 1970-1971
12
15
United States; W (1 of 7), 1966-1968
12
16
United States; W (2 of 7), 1966-1968
12
17
United States; W (3 of 7), 1966-1968
box
folder
13
1
United States; W (4 of 7), 1966-1968
13
2
United States; W (5 of 7), 1966-1968
13
3
United States; W (6 of 7), 1966-1968
13
4
United States; W (7 of 7), 1966-1968
13
5
United States; W, 1969-1975
13
6
United States; X, Y, 1966-1971
13
7
United States; Z, 1966-1971
13
8
United States; Anonymous (1 of 2), 1966-1967
13
9
United States; Anonymous (2 of 2), 1966-1967
13
10
Venezuela, 1967-1969
13
11
Vietnam, 1967
13
12
Yugoslavia, 1966-1969
13
13
Miscellaneous (1 of 2), 1966-1971
13
14
Miscellaneous (2 of 2), 1966-1971
box
item
14
1
Henry, Richard Eus Correspondence (1 of 3), 1967
14
2
Henry, Richard Eus Correspondence (2 of 3), 1967
14
3
Henry, Richard Eus Correspondence (3 of 3), 1967
14
4
Anonymous Correspondence on Wood Piece, undated
14
5
Kittinger, Kenneth C., Ph.D., News: A Discovery
of the Mind Record Album, undated
14
6
McCullough, Forrest, Final Flight: A Dramatic
Comparison to Death Record Album, 1965
This series contains correspondence from applicants that were selected to testify
for claim on the James Kidd estate by the Court of Maricopa County, Arizona. This
series also contains final accounting and petition for final distribution
materials and a List of claimants and petitioners that were created by the staff
of Justice Robert Myers.
box
folder
15
1
Correspondence (1 of 5), 1966-1979
15
2
Correspondence (2 of 5), 1966-1979
15
3
Correspondence (3 of 5), 1966-1979
15
4
Correspondence (4 of 5), 1966-1979
15
5
Correspondence (5 of 5), 1966-1979
15
6
Final Accounting and Petition for Final Distribution, 1967-1981
This series contains audio recording on 1/4 inch audio tape and accompanying
documents sent by individuals applying for claim on the James Kidd estate.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original audio visual materials is restricted due to their fragile
nature.
Existence and Location of Copies
The audio recordings in this collection have been digitized for research access.
Please contact Special Collections for more information.
Chief Padd applying for claim on the James Kidd estate. Padd describes his
experiences working with San Francisco youth and his views on the existence of
the human soul.
Correspondence stored in box has been removed and is held in box 16, folder
1.
Scope and Contents
Rev. Walter Lynn applying for claim on the James Kidd estate. Side 1
duplication of an original wire recording Lynn made of the spirit of Thomas
Edison discussing the afterlife and nature of human spirit. Also on the
original wire recording is a spirit playing a harmonica and another spirit
discussing its nature and the spiritual world.
Correspondence stored in box has been removed and is held in box 16, folder
2.
Scope and Contents
G.E. Thompson applying for claim on the James Kidd estate. Side 1 Thompson
channels the spirit of James Kidd who is questioned by G.E. Thompson's wife.
The spirit discusses searching for gold in the Superstition Mountains in
Arizona. The spirit also discusses conversations with Nancy Scofield in Johnson
City, Ok about the existence of his soul. The spirit also discusses the death
of James Kidd on October 21, 1964 and its after death experience.
Photographs stored in box have been removed and are held in box 16, folder
3.
Scope and Contents
Edith G. Walters applying for claim on the James Kidd estate. Side 1 Walters
provides her definition of the human soul and provides explanation of human
nature. She discusses the scientific versus the theological approach in
defining the human soul. She also discusses human consciousness and the
relationship between the mind and soul. Side 2 interview with Edith G. Walters
conducted by Chuck Stevens for radio program on WHEC Radio, Rochester, NY.
Walters discusses her book as well as her philosophies, and reincarnation. She
discusses her experiences in past lives as Joan of Arc and abolitionist John
Brown. She also discusses how she has manifested ESP capabilities and how she
has used theses abilities to help people. She also discusses her experience as
a teacher of concept therapy.
W.W. Collier applying for claim on the James Kidd estate. Side 1 Collier,
Pastor of Delores Baptist Church, gives a sermon titled And Man Became a Living
Soul which discusses the materialists' view of the human soul and consciousness
and how this contrasts with the viewpoints of the spiritualists'. He also
discusses the properties of the human soul and its effect on consciousness and
its relationship with the human body.
