St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-03
CAPTURED A GHOST.
Chicago Detectives Make an In
teresting Capture.


CHICAGO, April 1.-Two mediums,
known as the Bangs sisters, whose
materialistic seances have been COM
mented on good deal, were arrested
last night and locked up, charged with
conducting an entertainment without
license and obtaining money under false
pretenSes. The women, who are young
and good looking, claim to have been i'll
the medium business since they were
small children. Recently they were be-
fore the prominent notice of the people
by the acts of John Jestram, a wealthy
German. Jestram was friend of Au-
gust Spies, and is said on several occa-
siOns to have received spirit cOmmuni
cation from him through the medium of
the Bangs sisters, at whose seances he
was a regular attendant. His mind
finally became affected by constant
brooding over the spirit manifesto
tlOns,n ana a week ago it was found
necessary to place him in the hospital
for the insane. 1t appears that ID. +.
Trefney, of Englewood, who is spirit
ualiSt, made
COMPLAINT TO THE POLICE
three weeks ago that the Bangs sisters
seances were frauds, and detective
was detailed to attend them regularly,
and at the first good chance expose and
arrest them, warrants having been
sworn out on the charges named above.
The case of JeStram served to hasten
the exposure. Last night the detective,
accompanied by brother officer and
the complainant Trefney, were on hand
at the opening of the seance. After the
usual introduction and the examination
of the cabinet by two regular attend
ants the lights were turned very low,
several figures, purportlng to be spirits,
made their appearance one after an
other and communicated with the audi
ence. Finally there appeared the spirit
of a Russian princess, clad in royal
robes. The signal was given and Treff-
ney sprang forward and seized the spOOk
by the arms. The two detectives rushed
to his aid and some one else lit the gas.
The SpOOk made furious resistance,
striking out right and left, and tried to
throw off its shroud and wig. II have
a warrant for you, May Bangs" said
Detective Tyrrell, and just then
A LIGHT MASK SHE WORE
fell off, disclosing her well known feat
ures. A roll of something concealed
under her shroud fell to the floor, and
Mrs. Bangs, mother of the sisters, seized
it and ran. Tyrrel pursued her and
caught her hiding it behind window
curtain. 1t was roll of batting, used
probably to make wigs and boards in
the cabinet SO threatening did the sis
tiers and several male attendants of the
seance become that the officers were
compelled to draw their revolvers to
clear the room. Subsequently search
revealed a satchel filled with white mus
lin shrouds and the like, three sets of
whiskers of different hues, five wigs,
mustaches and great variety of make
up material, such as is used by actors.
They also found that in the cabinet was
a curtain that ran up the center of it,
making two compartments, and also
side entrance which admitted the spirit
operator behind the curtain, where, by
the way, all the changes of costume
were made. The cabinet. satchel and
the sisters were then loaded into pa
troll wagon and taken to the station and
locked up.