October 12. On this date in 1912, an article in the San Francisco Call newspaper reported that "Mrs. Merriman acknowledged today that she was in receipt of an offer from “his holiness,” as 'Abdu’l-Bahá is known to his 7,000,000 Persian followers, asking her to follow him to Asia ..."

 

October 12. On this date in 1912, an article in the San Francisco Call newspaper reported that "Mrs. Isabella C. Merriman, sister of Mrs. Sarah L. Winchester, widow of the son of the millionaire firearms manufacturer, is seriously considering the advisability of abandoning her home and work in this country and entering into the service of 'Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas, leader of the Bahá’í movement in Asia. Mrs. Merriman acknowledged today that she was in receipt of an offer from “his holiness,” as 'Abdu’l-Bahá is known to his 7,000,000 Persian followers, asking her to follow him to Asia and take charge of the children in the temple on Mount Carmel, on the bay of Acca."