The new North-west., 1888-04-13
LAWYER MARsH-MME. D1ss DEBAH

LAWYER MARsH-MME D1ss DEBAR.
"That woman came to my house in great
poverty, and fed and dressed her. Why,
she has on pair Of my stockings right now.
Her first husband, she said, was nobleman,
and her 9-year-old girl has string Of titles
yard long. Her second husband was an art
ist In q little while she had such power over
everything about the house that we all got
afraid Of her. Chairs and tables tipped over
and moved about at her will. There were
rappings all over the house; lights appeared
suddenly in the dark rooms and went out
when any one moved toward them. One
time she ordered china dish, and it flew
across the room, struck the wall with such
force as to dent it and fell to the floor with.
out breaking"
These marvels scared the boarders away.
and Mrs. Mayo proposed that Mrs. Diss Debar
advertise as clairvoyant, and notice was
put in the papers inviting people to coll and
consult the noted "Mme. Cagliostro from
Persia" The business paid fairly well, but
the 'sgifted seeress" refused to divide. By
this time, says Mrs. Mayo, she was SO COM
pletely under the control Of the strange
woman that she could do nothing against
"Cagliostro's' will. Then this mild, pleas
ant spoken and apparently sensible lady
went on to testify to most astonishing things
she had witnessed and begged to be released:
70 the court dissolved the connection and the
gifted woman went her way. Her next ap-
pearance was to secure the arrest Of a SER
want girl for mutilating very valuable old
painting. The picture proved to be actually
worth $50. She had given Mrs. Mayo as Sc
curity for board an oil painting which she
said she selected from the gallery Of her
father, King Ludwig, and that it was worth
$1,000. Mrs Mayo succeeded in selling it
for $50.
Upon his death she married her present
husband, Diss Debar. She had two children
by each of her two husbands.
The madame is very fat and claims to be
the daughter of Lola Montez and King Lud-
wig. She also claims to be possessed Of var
ious supernatural gifts, and says she lived
under mountain in Thibet with the adepts
for long time.
Lawyer Luther G. Marsh, a member of
the New York park board, believes her
claims implicitly, and has given her his
handsome house in Madison avenue, where
she is now staying, with Diss Debar and Mr..
Marsh. She has produced, "by the aid of
spirits, large number Of paintings of peo-
pie, both famous and common, and Mr..
Marsh has them displayed all over his house.
He is SO completely convinced that her al
legged powers are genuine that he recently
asked the New York editors to go to his
house and investigate. They sent report.
ers, to his grief and Nine. Diss
Debar's disgust, who actually treated
the whole matter in skeptical spirit. Be-
sides the paintings the madame has furnished
Mr.. Marsh she has procured letters to him
from divers great persons of other ages, all
of whom tell him that the Diss Debar is no
fraud and advise him to put implicit con-
fdence in her.
Among the portraits shown the reporters
at Lawyer Marsh's house is one of Demos
themes, looking as if he had been out all night
with the boys; Socrates, with the hemlock
agony on his face, and Aspasia, with an eye
and mouth drawn as if Pericles had just got
in late from the Areopagus and gone to bed
with muddy boots on. Pythagorus looks
sick. The large painting Of Appius Claudius
convinces the spectator that Virginia had
narrow escape indeed, but fortunate one,
when she was killed; and the portrait of
Plato, done by Apellos at the special request
of Nine. Diss Debar, is enough to make q
reader of the Phaedo feel sick And the in
fatuated lawyer, who is just as cute in q case
as he ever was, swea1s that they were painted
before his eyes by the spirits of great artists!
It now appears that Mime. Diss Debar was
really born in Kentucky, and her maiden
name was Ann ODelia Salomon.
There will doubtless be more developments |
in the case. |