The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-12-11
ANNA EVA FAY.
How She Hoodwinked the Good
Citizens Of Hannibal and
Scooped in the Doodle.

Some time last fall q rather attractive
looking woman, styling herself Anna Eva
Fay, and claiming to be spiritual me-
dunn, she advertised several public
seances and announced the most wonderful
phenomena in full gas light. This, to-
gether with the impression which was made
that a merely nominal price of admission
would be charged, served to fill Smiths
hall to overlooking on the Sunday even
ing on which the entertainment took
place. The very best people of
Sedalia were present. The alleged spiritual
manifestation consisted of no more than
second class feats of legerdemsin, and q
more disguised audience never lett Smiths
hall
The gentle Anna, with a party who
claimed TO be her husband, together with
her lecturer, skipped out with the profits
OF the entertainments and made no explana-
ton as TO khy the remainder Of the series
of lectures, seances, or whatever they were
styl led vas not completed.
The fair fraud and her assistants have
not been heard OF in this section of the
country since, but the same outfit has re-
Gently turned up in Hannibal, and judging
from the following from the Hannibal
JOurnsl the good people of that city were
duped in the same manner as were the
credulous Sedalians. The Journal says:
There was no disappointment Sunday
night in the appearance Of Miss Anna Eva
Fay at the opera house. She was there.
Her eminent opponents" Prof T.. G Brad
don and Mr.. d. III. Hearne were likew ise
there. A very large audience also happen
ed TO "drop in" And ere The hour for the
exercises 10 commence, standing room was
al premium. Old men and women were
there-and 1t seemed too that all the bid
boys had put in an appearance. Altogsth-
er the occasion Vas simply immense.
AS matter OF course on an Important
occasion" like this quite large sudience
assembled early and secured seats Others
who delayed did the best they could in
point of finding room, but were not obliged
TO wait go long. AT last the hour arrived"
Prof. Braddon appeared on the stage and
said his little speech" and the audience
fairly breathless, awaited the introduction
OF Miss Fay. The thought OF seeing In
iull gas light, such indescribable phe.
nomena as had been advertised must have
made every body feel somewhat nervous
How could they have felt otherwise? But
Miss FAY, after much formal talk by Prof.
Braddon, and the election of a committee
of DIR. Hays and Mr. w. l. Pitts,
was introduced TO the audience. Tie COM
miittee had already taken their respective
stations on the stage, and the religious
illustrated lecture on spiritualism" com
menced.
A cabinet had been constructed on the |
stage, and in this the "wonderiul NANTES |
taions" took place. Just what was accom-
plished by the medium" il would be use
less 10 mention in detail Suffice it to say,
so far as she went, her "iricks" were fairly |
beyond detection-so the committee re-
ported. The two gentlemen already men,
Iioned-her RICH. and left bowers-also
the audience by giving exhi5i- |
lion of the spirit power" over them.
They. too, were "mediums'
But, after all, the table did not rise from
the floor, spirit hands and faces were not
seen, the guitar was not played and passed I
around the room by any invisible power
neither did large piano rise clear from
the floor, nor did any spirit forms appear
upon the open stage all OF which was sd-
vertised. No spirits were seen, heard or
felt. and The medium did not rise from
her seat and float In midair. Now We ask
he readers to judge for themselves how
snv spirits were present.
The investigation made by the commit
ZEE seemed 20 elicit more genuine amuse-
mept than all the rest of the entertainment.
But We regret that they were not able to
expose this fraudulent exhibition.
For certainly, it was a fraud. Scarcely
anything advertised was carried out. ii
vas q snide show, as was loudly proclaimed
II the close of the exercise.
These parties left the city yesterday
evening for Moberly. No doubt they ex-
pect to make another scoop at that place.
rhev carried from here about 800
The outfit, while they were mere, stopped
It the Park hotel. They evidently were
under assumed names. They
registered twice at the hotel and il seems
bart OF the troupe" Used different names.
N fact, il can hardly be doubted that the
shole thing was humbug-nothing less.