The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-12-18
sUPERSTITION IN HIGH PLA.
CES.
rhe ClairVOyaniS anu Mediums
The People Who Consult Them

Scott Lord, chief counsel for the Van
derbilt will contestants, is trying to make
out that the tough old Commodore a,
hard hearted a man as ever lived, believ
ed in the moonshine OF clairyoyance, and
was consequently non compoI. It will
probably be decidedly difficult to con
vince the jury on the latter point, and a.
to the first II belief In the power ofSo
called clairvoyAnH to see and know
things that are hidden from all others /,
evidence Of insanity, then an immensl
number Of dWellers in Gotham need
sharp watching. For. the clGiryoyants
have very largo elientage as the law.
yers say, and do a thriving business.
Twenty years ago or more, @. K. PhilAn.
der Doesticks, P. B., rAked 'em up in q
way Tint gave them great deal Of nolo,
riety, but il his object was to break M
their business be certainly did not suc.
coed. They are more numerous now
than they we're in those times, and their
business is as profitable now as 1t ever
was. The whole number Of professional
clairVoyants ia probably about forty.
Some Of them keep standing advertise.
menta before the public, but the mSjOri.
~ do not need to solicit custom in this
way, their business being almost as we'll
established as that Of a first.class ply.
sician. Men and women who desire to
consult them know just where to find
them, so the cost Of advertising Ia saved
and this, at 40 cents liue in the Herald,
is no small item.
Two.thirds, or more, Of the clairvoy-
ants are women, and most OF their pat
rons are also women. The most prof.
able patrons OF the clairvoyants are Il q
wives and daughters OF rich men, who al
ways have plenty Of pocket money NJ d
very little TO do. There are many FASH
ionable matrons and bellies who visit them
almost as often as they give orders to
their dressmakers. II may seem strange,
but II ia recognized truth that scores oil
educated, intelligent, wide-awake ladies'
have as firm faith in the reality Of clair.
yoyance as they have in their religion.
There are some In Filth avenue who
would not do any important act without
first ascertaining from some clairvoyant
or iOrtune-telling source It's probable
result. 1t is not uncommon for such
persons 10 disguise themselves as serv.
ants or wOrkingmeu, and thus visit the
purVeyor Of mystic knowledge to have
solved some matter that, mayhap, has
worried them day and might. The cl Iir.
voyan patronized by this class are the
elite OF the profession, so to speak. Tuey
have a private and select line Of business,
occupy Handsomely furnished apartments,
generally in French fats, and require a
reference or introduction from all per.
sons soliciting their service. They make
a good deal OF money and cau afford to
live very comfortably, "a they usually do.
One woman, whose residence Is not very
far from The Stewart manaion on Filth
avenue, charges S. for every consulta.
tion, aud has az much business, it Ia said
as she can attend TO. A few others also
live in that neighborhood and enjoy a
liberal patronage from the fashionable
world, but this particular one has the
cream of the trade.
The business men OF New York are
noted for shrewdness and hard sense, and
would be the last persona to be suspected
OF Superstitious weakness; yet, unless
they are wrongly accused, many Of them
consult the fortune.tellers and clairvoy.
ants quite regularly. II such man a.
Commodore Vanderbilt had even The
smallest particle Of faith in the female
seer, there need be but little difficulty in
accepting the talk that puts many les.
noted men in the same category. At all
events, it is frequently said Of this man
or that one that he habitually calls IL pom
some one or other Of our modern weird
sisters for information and advice about
his business. Also, that there are trades
men and others of that class among US who
will never begin an enterprise till it has
been approved by some one who pretends
that he or she can read the future. MOI
long since, l was listener to CONVEX.
sation that bore direct on this subject,
The persons between whom 1t passed we're
wogentlemen Of considerable shrewd
ness.
~ wonder" remarked one, at Viii
ltams has been to see 4 fortune. teller
lately
"That ls singular question. Why dc
you ask ~
swell, I hear he is making prepare,
lions to enlarge his business"
"And what Of that?"
"Why, don't you know that he never
does anything Of that sort without inter
viewing aoms old woman before he be
gins 2"
"You don't mean that Williams ia 100
enough to believe the nonsense Of thI
ortune.tellersH"
Certainly he is, and | supposed tina
every one knew it."
Does he follow their advice 2"
~ guess he does, about as closely as b.
can. He has full faith in what they Tel
him"
sand how does 1t generally come our
swell, he gets along pretty much 81
others do; none the better Tor the fortune
tellets, OF course, and possibly none TIT
worse. Why, there are scores OF fellow
in New York who would not put $40 il
a new venture till they had first consulted
some clairyoyant or fortune-teller Abou
it."
The enlighteenth nineteenth century
haS some dark spots, after all. But 10
the scientists say, has the sun. The sam,
scientists, though, would probably smil,
very significantly, il one asked then
opinion OF clairvoyants.