The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-08
A TROUBLED sPlRITIsT.
The Blue Laws OF Connecticut VS..
Female Medium.
An Intsrssing Young Prophecies Imprisoned
for Predicting . Cartridge Factory Ex-
plosioa- Rally Of Spiritualisa in
Her Defence What May
Como Of lit

the State vs.. Miss Lotte Fowler, a clairyoyant or
trance medium wen known In the circles OF Splrtu-
aIlsm. The law under which the indictment against
Miss Fowler was found Is an old one and Is denoml-
mated as section seveny-nve ar the Acts concern
ing prisons IN the Revised Statutes OF the state
OF Connecticut. 1t provides that all Idle persons
who have nothing wherewlthio support themselves
sturdy beggars, vagabonds Migrants and fortune
tellers shall be deemed Offenders against the state
and may upon the complaint OF grand juror, be
sentenced to an imprisonment OF not exceeding
sixty days. at the discretion OF the Court before
whom they are tried. II Is claimed by the prosecu-
tion in this that the latter OF these titles Is
applicable TO Miss Fowler, and the complaint pre-
ferred against her goes to state that upon divers
occasions within the past three months "she became
and was fortune teller, pretending to tell
fortunes and the future destiny Of all who
applied TO her, against the peace or the
State and In violation OF the statute
In such cases made and provided. BY Miss Fowler
and her friends the other hand 1t is claimed that
she does not profess 10 be, ana Is not within The
meaning OF the law fortune teller, but rather a
medium or clairvoyant, simply transmitting the
messages received by her from the spiritual world
when IN franc state. IL - doubtful whether q
case OF this nature has ever come up any
court for trial before since the law enacted nor
would the complaint have been brought In the pre-
sent instance but for tho circumstances which
have placed the fair defendant prominently be-
fore the public in connection with the recent
explosion at the cartridge factory In East Bridge
port, resulting In The death OF one OF the workmen
which had been predicted by her. These circum.
stances in brief were as foows:
Miss Fowler, as charged In the Indictment took
up her residence at the Atlantic House, In Bridge
port several months since, and advertised her busl
ness In the local papers as that OF test medium,
or calrvoyant. AT first she did not excite
much notice; but alter a time her rooms began 10
BIO thronged with eager inquirers, chiefly OF the
female sex. ANXIOUS to receive messages from the
spirit world aid 10 learn respecting their future
destiny. The complaisant prophecies was found not
unwilling to enlignten them upon these points, and
besides relating to them with more or less uracy
the events OF their past lives, gave utterance 10 n
merous predictions respecting their future welfare
places OF abode, avocatons, state OF health. &c
and, In particular. OF that subject dear TO every
female heart, descriptions or their destined partners
In lie, thereby not only exciting fJr her prophetic
powers great admiration, but winning for herself
A GOLDEN HARVEST.
Among her first VISITORS CHANGED to be a girl en-
ployed In the Union Metallic Cartridge Company IN
East Bridgeport, who, very naturally, considering
the in1am .iable and dangerous nature OF the sub.
stance which she and her companions were IN the
daily habit OF using, asked, among other questions,
that establishment. Here was an opportunity
for the prophecies who Is certainly by no means
lacking in shrewdness, TO make decided impress
sion She was equal TO The occasion. and informed
her trembling auditor that there woud shortly be
from one empIoye TO another, and Mss Fowler's
rooms were crowded with girls, anxious TO learn Of
the fate that awaited them. Practice made her per
particulars were added. The version finally given
was that upon certain Menday, az eight O'Clock In
the morning there would be preliminary blow up,
and that ere Saturday night OF the same week had
come the whole establishment would
GO UP SKY HIGH
The story was widely discussed and the panic
srread from one to another until upon the APP
! pointed Monday morning, when the doors OF tie
factory were opened, about nalf OF the girls and
/ some OF the men and boys who were employed were
| found have absented themselves from the factory
In anticipation of the doom that was 10 bcall r.
This circumstance. for the first time, brought the
The detention was unbearable. recent test OF the
Bridgeport cartridge made by the English govern
ment in one or the famous mitrallleus s had been
extremely successful not single one out OF the ten
thousand rounds employed having failed 10 explode,
and had made the agents of all the European gov
ernments eager to secure supply OF them. The
war in France and the pacific u intentions or tie
Russian Emperor had also contributed 10 Increase
night ana day and employing about four
hundred hands, was unable to Keep pace
with IT'S orders. The superintendent accordingly
called upon the chief OF the Bridgeport police force
aud requested him to interview Miss Fowler and to
explain to her the amount Of mischief she was pro-
had made herself liable. On presenting himself az
the anteroom OF Miss Fowler, at The Atlantic house,
there was at first some delay on account oil the
CROWD OF EAGER INQUIRERs
who bad preceded him. but the oicer finally gained
the presence OF the sbyl, and, preventing her from
going on into "a magnetic slcep as she was upon
the point OF doing, explained to her the nature OF
health soon forsook her countenance, she grew
pale and appeared as II about 10 FAINT away.
Touched by the sight OF beauty In Distress the
gallant oicer reraned from arrestIng her, but pro-
ceeded 10 explain the serious nature OF the offence
Of which she had been guilty. She was shown
the terrors OF the law were held up before
her Imagination and lmpressyely dwet upon.
pentent list was produced OF some fourteen credu
lous young women belonging to the cartridge
factory who had paid their money TO her. With
many tears and protesiations that no harm had
been intended, she returned the money, and after
receiving her promise to never offend in like man
ner again. but to shortly leave the place, the
guardian Of the law departed. The day passed and
no explosion occurred, and on the morrow
tine tine factory few wholesee w EXAMINES s
were MADE by dismssing those who mad
been most prominent In spreading the story and all
many II not with all, secret feeling of uneasiuess,
and when upon Thursday afternoon or the same
week one Of the outballdings did blow ~ with q
loud report causing severe jar TO be felt all over
the factory, " was believed by them thai now tie
dreadful prediction was about TO be verified aud
that their
TINE HAD INDEED COME.
They rushed umultously into the street and could
not be prevailed upon 10 re-enter the building that
day. This partial funlmeDt OF Miss Fowler pre-
dicuon gave Ter vide notorcty in Bridgeport and
VIC nlty and visitors locked TO her rooms In even
greater numbers than before. Her pleasant man
ners and general correctness OF department had
made her popular AT the hotel where she was
boarding the popular landlord OF which ~ said
to have encouraged her TO remain, declaring that it
was a shame that sne should not be allowed
to peaceably practice her profession, and that
the police had no more right 10 drive her away
from the town than they had 10 Danish him any
other leading citizen Encouraged by this support,
and By the notoriety she had achieved, and unwll
ling to leave such a productive field as she here
found, the prophecies now retracted her de-
cision to leave the place. and boldly an
nounced her determination 10 iemain and let
her opponents do their worst. Not content with the
sensation sue had already produced, she again pre-
dicte1 the destruction OF the obnoxious factory at
no distant day. Finding that she resolved upon
this course captain Rylands, Of the Bridgeport
evening last and invited her to accompany him to
the station house. She remained in that uncom-
Portable locality but short time, however A
young axyer one OF the luminarles Of the Bridge
port bar. was sent Tor, VINO promptly became surety
Tor the appearance OF his fair client and escorted
her back TO her hotel. Tho case was set down for
trial upon the next merning, but was afterwards
adjourned until Tuesday Of the present week, when
Il was promptly called, Judge Bullock presiding and