Omaha daily bee., 1874-01-05
THE FOOLS ARE NOT ALL
DEAD YET.
The Grand Confidence Game that
was Played by the Great
European Wizard"


Some four or five weeks ago a
woman about forty or fifty years OF
age, named Mitchell, came to Omaha,
accompanied by a carpenter, who
passed himself off as her husband.
Madame Mitchell professed to be one
of the most wonderful fortune tellers
Of the age, able to lift the veil from
the misty future, and to relate in
detail the events Of the past, and also
to effect the most remarkable
cures. She advertised extensively as
the "Great European Wizard" who
could see the nature, cause and time
Of all events and mysterious circum-
stances at every age Of life; describe
all things. persons and character, and
exact location of buried treasures;
show a correct likeness Of yous future
partner in her celebrated Rock Dia-
mond; bring about wonderful recon-
citations between %estranged la
dies and gentlemen, &C., and
it was not long before her rooms on
Tenth street were crowded by the
people of both sexes, of all ages and
color, rich and poor, all of whom,
either out OF faith in the advertised
powers of the "Great European Wiz
ard" or else out of mere curiosity,
paid her fees, some of which were
quite large, in order to have their
fortunes told, or some chronic disease
cured. Madame Mitchell, who
claimed to have been born under a
lucky star, reapcd a rich harvest from
the crop of fools who visited her.
Friday she concluded that it
was about time to pack up and
travel, as many of her victims we're
beginning to smell a mouse, as her
predictions failed TO come true, and
her cures were all a sham. So in the
evening she and her husband pur-
chased tickets for Chattanooga, at the
st. Joe ticket Office, and left Satur-
day morning at five o'clock over the
Kansas City, st. Joe and Council
Bluffs railway. At the time they
bought their tickets they expressed a
desire that nothing should be said
about 1t. This reused the suspicion
of a gentleman who overheard the re-
quest, and he warned their boarding
house keeper, who, however, stated
that they had always paid their bills
in advance. This they could afford
to do, as their revenue from the army
of the fools who beseiged their rooms,
was immense.
But the sequel of their sudden de-
p%arture transpiredsSaturday morning.
1t was ludicrous in the extreme-in
fact, W feel ourselt unable to do the
matter justice. Suffice it to say, that
the victims swarmed about the house,
anxiously inquiring for the "Great
European Wizard" and each signing
over the loss of their money, taken
from them by this bold confidence
woman. Among the motley crowd
were noticed a colored and
her daughter, who had paid Madame
Mitchell $25 to have her cure some
disease which afflicted the daughter,
The disease was worse than ever, and
they both wanted buck their money.
Another vicYim, a white woman, was
lamenting the loss of $40; a young
man who had contributed fifteen dol
lars to this huge fraud, wore a woe.
BECOME expression OF his c~ountenance.
Others, among whom were some very
respectable appearing people, came to
the house, and made anxious inquir-
les for the "Great European
Wizard" and when they learned
that she had gone, they discreetly
concealed their vexation, and re-
turned home sadder, wiser and poor
err men and women.
The number of people that were
victimized by this quack and fortune.
telling fraud is very largo,--larger by
far than any one would suppose.
Should the tool,killer visit Omaha at
the present time he would have an
extensive job on his hands.