Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-04-28
Fortune Tellers Exposed by the Tribune
i'm New York.

Fortune Tellers Exposed by the Tribune
in New York.
Condemnation of Tribune's Expose by the New York
Express.l
The Tribune devotes three columns to
most revolving details of the operations,
and exposing the true character, of the so
called fortune tellers of this city. They
are doubtless true and the publication
may, and it is hoped will, be the means of
breaking up these establishments. A re-
porter has been engaged, it appears, in
making investigations as to the real bust
ness of these astrologers and medical clair
voyants, as they sometimes style them
selves, and discovered that, in q majority
of cases, the business pursued by them il
nothing more nor less than the trade of
the prOcuress. The reporter, of course,
found it necessary to pretend that he was
DESTROYS of ayailing himself of their infa-
nous services, and pretended to be
stranger in the city. In each case, he says,
he stated the cause of his visit. After GO
ing through the mummery of having his
fortune told, one of them MADAME Ross)
replied: .-aii
II have large number of lady visitors
come to see me every day, and many of
them are DESTROYS of forming connections
of this sort; but suppose these are hardly
the kind you want. Oh, yes! There are
quantities of school girls, and young ladies
that work in shops that visit me but many
of them are quite young and are under the
charge of their parents, and though it is
not very difficult to bring about an ar
rangement of this kind, if they are still al
lowed to live at home, when you take them
away entirely their parents raise fearful
row and if they can find them, send them
to the penitentiary."
Sha DrOn1icod fo Fl nd tho roporfor a uirl
of sixteen or seventeen in a day or two.
Clara A. Alama, of Paris, London and
San Francisco, was next visited. She re-
marked:
= have young girls come to me, many
of them belonging to the best families in
the city but yau can't get them to leave
their homes. There is where the trouble
comes. There is another class of whom /
know hundreds, which consists of young
married ladies whose husbands are clerks
in stores down town, on small salaries.
These are continually coming to me to be
introduced to gentleman who will give
them money to buy silk dresses and the
like. You have no idea how much these
ladies will do for the sake of a dress. 4 \
1 have great many different gen.
tlemen friends; some that belong to the
city government. / would rather not car
ry out your idea; but if you would be con-
tented with anything like what have
mentioned, why I think some arrange
IN ent might be made.n err
Mrs. l.. Gypsy was formerly of Barnum's
Museum; she said in reply to the report
er's inquiries: Ah
r. There are great many ladies come to
see me who ask if can't aesist them, and
in this way think very likely / may do
something for you; but beyond that I do
not wish to go. 1 don't know how it is in
other cities, but / know in New York
there are plenty ia my business who would
send you any innocent girl if only paid
enough for it. You might better come and
several ladies who have spoken to me, and
I would like to see them and talk to them
about it,"
Madam Widgers was, certain she could
obtain what was required. She hasa kind
of matrimonial office, and had then about
twenty names registered.
&c You needn't let the name matrimon-
iar frighten you, she said /; of course it has
to come under that head, and once in
while two persons will marry.ns,t.s .ss
1t was sometimes little difficult, she
said, to induce young girls to enter into
her arrangements, and required several
visits but the photograph of the gentle
man had a great effect; when she sees
that, she said: $1,000 - E.. .,sF
"She begins to get a little interested, and
perhaps asks questions about him, and
then find out about him, and then find
out where she lives, and try to make some
sort of an appointment. When the gentle
man comes again / tell him to go around
and see her, and if he likes her, why after
while they generally 60 off together. I
don't know where they go to; it isn't any
of my business"
The reporter visited other places, with
much the same results /; for all of these
women entertained the lowest estimate of
human character. An instance, to show
that the evil is not negative, is afforded
by the fact that letter was received at
the Tribune office, few days since, from
one of the most prominent physicians in
this city, stating that an attempt had been
made by one of these creatures to mislead
his adopted daughter, a girl of about four
teenyears of age The little girl, while on
her way to school, was met several times
by another girl who asked her to come
and have her fortune told, and who at last
placed in the child's hands a paper con-
tanning list Of questions so arranged as
to excite her youthful imagination. These
she had been requested to write answers
to, and it was thus that the matter was dis
covered, and the develish plot frustrated.
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