The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-08-03
Imprisoned in England.

The London Telegraph thus describes
the trial and conviction of several for
tune-tellers in London on the 22d nit:
First was arraigned professor Zen-
davesta," otherwise John Dean Bryant,
aged 90, and described as "botanist."
He was charged with having told wo-
mans fortune for tho not very extrava-
CANT sum of 13d. Two married women,
It seems, instructed by the police, went
to No. 3 Homer street, Mary lebone, and
paid Cd. to woman, who gave them q
bone ticket in return. One might have
imagined that it was spiritualist's
seance, but for the fact that the fee for
admittance was sixpence, and not one
guinea. Professor Zendavesta shook
hands with one of the women, and
warmly inquired after her health. She
told him she was in trouble about her
husband-which was false--and he bade
her be of good cheer, and made an ap-
pointment to meet her on another day.
Subsequently two constables went to
Bryant's house, and on going into a
room on the ground floor, found 80 or
40 young women there. The ladies be-
gan to scream, and there was o rush for
the door; while the police--who seemed
to labor under the impression that to
attend an astrological lecture was as il
legal an act as that of being present at
a cockfght or common gambling
house-stopped several women and
made them give their names and ad-
dresses. The walls of the apartments
were covered with pictures of Life and
Death, with the "nativities of several
royal and illustrious personages, and of
Constance Kent" 1t is a wonder that
the horoscopes of Heliogabalus and Jack
the Painter should have been lacking.
Then there was medicine-chest, con-
tanning bottles and memoranda of na-
tivities, also "magic mirror with re-
volving cylinder" showing the figures
of men and women, old and young. OF
course the collection included a Book
of Fate" This was the case against
Bryant.
One Shepherd alias "Prof Cicero"
was next charged, and it was shown that
the same "instructed women went to
his house, paying sixpence for the usual
bone ticket. They saw Shepherd sepa-
rately. When one of them said that she
wanted her fortune told, professor Cic-
ero took yard tape and measured her
hand. He gabbled the usual nonsense
to her about love, marriage, and good
luck, limiting that the price of COM
plete nativity would be half a crown,
and before they left the place he gave
them circular with their chronological
organs marked. Indeed, the mans de-
fense was that he was a professor OF
phrenology, and not of the Black Art
A "magio mirror" and "lawyer's
gown" We're, however, found at his
house; and the last named item has
certainly very black look. The evil
dence against the next defendant, Will
liam Henry, alias "Prof. Thalaby," and
against the fourth and last, Frederick
Shipton, alias "Prof. Baretta," did not
differ to any great extent from the testi-
mony given against Zendavesta. The
solicitor retained for this sage contend
ed that if he had infringed the law it
was likewise violated at the Crystal Pal
ace, where the "magic mirror" was to
be seen every day. Mr.. Mansfield, how
ever, had only to deal with the case and
the culprits before him, and, convicting
all the four fortune-tellers, he sent them
to the House Of Correction, there to be
kept, each and every one Of them, to
hard labor for three months.