Daily Republican., 1888-04-14
a Singular Case of Delu.ion.

One OF the most singular oAses Of de.
lusion In an otherwise sane man ia that
OF Mr.. Luther r Marsh OF New York,
who not only holds an official position
AS member Of the park board, but is
also q lawyer Of distinguished ability
and OF considerable practice. IL Ap
peArs shat Mr.. Marsh made, in scne
way or other, the acquaintance Of an
adventures calling hersolf Madame
Dits Debar, and claiming TO be the
daughter of Lola Moutez, the mistress
OF the old King Louis OF Bavaria Had
Nj Marsh ooatented hims.lf with ha
Ing tho recipient Of spirit pic;ures aud
OF rewsrding MrB. Di8s Dehar With the
Gift OF touso for her ability to evolve
portraits ou: OF nothing, his doluslon
might have passed without notice. Bat
when he conceived Tho idea OF inviting
, the New York editorO TO his hcuse, on
Madison avenue, for the purpose Of eK
IamininR collection OF oil pAlltlnge
which he averred had been painted rs
Gently by Raphael and others through
the medium of MIRA, or, % cha CALI
herself, Madame Elltea Lo!etba Dis.
Debsr, and the editors sent their re
Iporters TO view these pro! uctlOns, the
genera public had st oLcs tho bentf
OF their eommsLts On the woman RuC
the paintings
They found the woman and her two
children domiciied iu Mr. Marsh.
house, whioh be has dosded 10 ber, ant
on the wolls oolleotioo OF paintings
some ia gilt frsmes, others unframed
as yet, but all the product OF tbe soirit,
whom Macatne DIS Debat evokes. Somt
of the paintings were fairly doue, other,
wore dauss, and I'll have The lEgst
marks OF the b:ueh aud t5a smell o,
oil upCn them, IL the midst OF thii
CIRCLE Of epoTters-.falned sksp,ies 4,
they nearly all sre-Hr. Marsh went on
complacently TO desert 40 how ths spiti
pictures were prod uced The rrocesi
is wonderfully Himple. Madame Dls
Deoar Sraoiously inioIms Raphael, @
Rembrandt, CT so me other old painter
that portrait Of toG ebody is wanted
Mr.. March thereupon seAts himself Il
chair aud holds g blank Canvass owe
his head, the room eelag slightly dark
eued.
A fiash OF light plays about the car
vass, and, In mlnute or two the pit
/ ture appears. 1t was suggested TO hiI
. by one of the doubling Thsmases PIE
o cent that the dim light might have Fl
[. vored tho trick OF substituting q pain
I ed canvas for the blank one. He II
a dignsntly rejected the ida2 II CA
gee" he said, no artist, 10 paint, I
,, brush, bnt tbs pictures come out
i the canvas before my eyes am o
: customed TO look at thipgs logical
n and critically and to judge By the ev
4 denee, and can't bs decsived." Nor
O over, he has been able TO obtain a w
4 luminous correspondence with departe
Il spirits "ItAka blank pad OF paper,
a he said, land write on 1t letter, 4
y a instance. to Qleen Elizabeth. MADAM
: Diss Debsr passes her tRud over it al
q the two together then take q new blAn
= pad and place 1t bet Reen the cover of
o book.
8. We both hold the book In our hand
IS tho rcrAtching OF p7u IA heard, 81
10 Dook is opened, and there l Aud Eliz
II beth's anewer." His belief In /
Ia woman's powers appesrs to be nbsolu
He hired a ball soon after this mesti
at his, or rather her, house, which
+, has given her to found the,e n school
~ spiritual science, and actually lsctur
Il before an audience on tho 6uhject
le those spirit paintings and Madame D
40 Dabac'a spiritual gifls. All New Yo
ID 10 laughing over the story Of his de
he sion and OF this daring fraud OF VIII
A. he is q victim He has had placed
!. fore him, traced out by the iudefstl
a. BILE researches OF the reporter, the d ia
~ cot names under which Madame ID
ot Dsbar Is alleged to have ps gsei, with
ra account OF her adventures, End of 10
IN of the persons from whom she
re drawn contributions. Up to the pr
I'd ent time his belief in her remains
n shaken, while the woman herself
I'd .repldly treats jhs stories that nj
4. been set afloat about her with eupre
scorn.
o Gen. Diss Dibar, whose name
" bears, and who ia her second husba
ID is said to be a portrait painter by
he fession, but little or nothing is kno
'rn about him, for he keeps himself
oil cluded and takes no pRrt In the con
81. veigy. NOW that the woman with
no reputed husband and other alleged c
nts spirators have been arrested and art
40 the custody Of the police. 1t Ia thou
% that the practices on the oIe1ultt.
the victim by which be is ROBBED OF
rneana will DO stopped, but whether
will give up his delusion 10 the 81
me pictures or not 10 questionable.
me
L. 2 l.