Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-12-14
A WONDERFUL CLAIRVOYANT,
The Blind Girl of Mt. Vernon,
She Describes Murderer and His
Place of Abode.
He is Arrested and Brought tc
Justice.

From the st. Louis Democrat
That there are few persons gifted
with the power of clairvoyance, no one
who has any faith in the doctrines of
spiritualism will pretend to deny. The
exact nature of this mysterious gift
whence it comes, and why it is possessed
by so few persons, we have never heard
fully explained. Swedenborg, we know,
was clairvoyant of remarkable power,
and history tells us of seers and sages
who could unravel the mysteries of the
future and recall the forgotten scenes of
the past In former times there were
persons in the Highlands of Scotland
who were reputed to possess the gift of
the Second sight" and could foretell
important events long before they trans
pired. In all ages and all countries Of
which history gives any account, there
were prophets, witches, wizards and
fortune tellers, who doubtless were moth
ing more nor less than clairvoyants.
Nine-tenths, if not all, of the so-called
" fortune tellers," clairvoyants," etc.,
of the present day are sheer humbugs.
They are generally women Of Indifferent
reputation, who sometimes acquire ce-
lebrity and make money by taking ad-
vantage of that innate feeling of curiosity
of superstitious credulity which exists
to-day as it did in the days of Salem
witchcraft, only in milder and more
harmless form. The travelling female
fortune.tellers are nearly all impostors,
and could be easily exposed by any one
who should think it worth while to take
the trouble of meddling with them. The
fortune-tellers and uehrsagens of the city
are generally known to the police as car
rying on contraband traffic, and are
mostly on the lists of suspicious char
acters."
We have never with our own eyes seen
any one whom we felt satisfied was pos
sessed of any extraordinary degree of
power as clairvoyant, but we have heard
of several miraculous prophecies which
were vouched for by men OF undoubted
veracity.
About month ago we met with an in
telligent physician from the South, who
related some marvellous stories about
blind woman in Mt Vernon, Ill, Miss
Mary A. Lucas by name-a simple, un-
sophisticated country girl, who had not
even the shrewdness to turn her gift to a
profitable account, and would not accept
of more than fifty cents for imparting
information Of great pecuniary value.
This girl had local reputation as a
fortune-teller, and was consulted by the
farmers Of the county in regard to lost
horses, cows, etc. Our informant was a
stranger when he arrived at Mt Vernon,
and curiosity led him to call on the blind
seeress. She at once described his occu-
patton and habits, the place of his birth,
many little incidents Of his boyhood, and
also described his father and others of
his relatives. He related many remark
able things done by this girl, and was a
firm believer in her supernatural gifts.
We laughed at the enthusiastic ply
sician, and thought no more about the
blind fortune teller of Mt Vernon. On
yesterday we hoard another remarkable
of the same woman, and
from the character Of the gentleman who
related 1t, we are constrained TO believe
it as fact On the 18th Of June, 1866,
Captain Hopkins, a provost marshal in
one of the counties of Illinois, was killed
by desperate named Phillip Framel
The murderer was arrested, and on being
indicted, gave bail in the sum of $4,000
Before the day for trial he fed from tho
and ceuld not be found. Wm.
]. Hopkins, the father of tho murdered
captain, searched for the murderer
several of the southwestern
States and through the Indian country,
but could not find him, although he |
for more than year.
A short time ago Mr.. Hopkins was in
iuced TO consult Miss Lucas, who de-
scribed the appearance Of the murderer,
and said he was living in billy country
by many streams, and that to
reach the place large river must be
crossed. Her description Of the country
was so vivid that Mr. Hopkins was en-
lbled TO identify the place Of Francis
lbode as being in Reynolds county, Mis-
louri He proceeded to that county,
Ind on Friday last succeeded in arrest
ng the man for whom he had been so
ong in search. He passed through this
,ity on Sunday with his prisoner in
,harge, and will, doubtless, have the sat
sfaeiioh of seeing him expiate his crime
ipon the gallowL
We are informed that Miss Lucas is
in her predictions Of the result
4 law suits, and one Of our citizens, Mr.