The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-10
THE CRANKs OF NEW YORK.
ONE Curious Facts Connected Will
Their EVERYDAY Life.

Their Everyday Life.
81 NEW YORK, April THE fact that the
millionaire lawyer of this city, Luther P.
= Marsh, once a partner of Daniel Webster,
las in his 10th year, and with mani
testify failing mental powers, be-
eome the dupe of a female swim
Bier, named Diss Debar, otherwise
Big Kentucky Ann" who calls herself
8piritualistic medium, and that he has been
II Exchanging his real estate for her wretched
daubs which she calls spirit pictures, recalls
he equally curious fact that considerable
humber of so-called talented lawyers of
e New York are also dupes of spiritualistic
frauds.
These men are shrewd enough as O rule to
conceal their humiliating intellectual degra
latlon well knowing that the hard common
tense of the people would otherwise deprive
hem of their practice. They attend the
keances secretly, and listen delightedly to
he humbug of coarse-minded and ignorant
women engaged in the business of thus OBJ
Raining money under false pretenses. Some
hines Judge takes private ''sittings."
j Hundreds of wealthy persons in New
York are the dupes of fortune tellers, and
zepritualistic manifestations, They be-
eve in astrology and the marvellous pow
#ers of the seventh son of a seventh daughter
81 The female swildler, Diss Debar, orsBig
*Kentucky Ann, has defrauded, if we may
take her own word, good many of these
*credulous people of wealth who decidedly
#have more money than intelligence or edu-
zcltion. There are thousands of pervenus
#in New York who are the natural prey of
Il 1.-The adroit swindler dealing in the miracu-
{ lous. These nouveaux riches are ignorant
{ and superstitious: they have suddenly risen
from circumstances i'll every way inferior
or commonplace, and it will take several
q generations to transform such families into
anything like useful or creditable members
Of society.
One Of the curious facts of New York
business life is toat many persons are gov
erned i'll their commercial ventures by the
advice of the Spirits One of the most
talented men of the Cotton Exchange used
to say, Pm going to buy cotton. The
spirits tell me it is going up;' or I'm going
short; | had a communication from the
spirits last night to the effect that the mar
ket is going down. He failed once or
twice, but finally the spirits seemed to give
the right tip" and now he is rich. In the
summer | see him at Saratoga; he stops at
one of the best hotels, drives a fine
equipage out to the lake every
pleasant afternoon, and his winter life in
New York is in the midst of luxurious and
cultured surroundings. He has fine head,
a broad brow, is the author of a valuable
book, the materials for which cost him
81 900 to collect, and he is well versed in
literature and science. No one is more
deeply read in the works of Herbert Spencer
and others of the modern school of philoso-
piers, no one is more acute as reasoner on
most subjects that engage the reflective
mind. And yet he has been known to make
remarks about the spirits and their knowl-
edge of the future course of the cotton
market that have made his friends stare
with mingled amazement and regret. Such
men Of standing and undoubted intelligence
on most subjects are invaluable to the
splritualistic sharpers.
There was a crank broker on the old
Naval Stores Exchange who when the
transactions in rosin and spirits of turpen-
tine Jagged on a dull day, would mesmerize
the brokers. They would stretch out stiff
as boards in mock obedience to his wonder
ful powers and others would supplicate the
mesmerlzer in tones of mock agony not TO
harm the subject" In gracious acqui-
eScence to their pleadings he would give a
lordiy snap of his fingers, and the subject
would come out of his so-called trance and
weakly express a desire TO have the mes
merizer "standn bottle Of wine at Del
monlco's as slight return for having sub
mitted himself to his dreaded powers.
There are operators in grain and stool s
who are influenced by the spirits, as is well
known. The question therefore arises, are
such men sanei Is Marsh, the lawyer,
really sane, or are any of the spectators
who take tips" from spiritsf On this ques.
tlon Of decisions, as celebrated a medical
authority as Dr. William Hammond says:
Decisions are not test for insanity, as
most lawyers and many physicians believe.
If they were, one-half of the world would b
trying to put the other half in lunatic
sSylums. They may be present without co.
exiSent insanity. To be Indicative of in
sanity a delusion must be in regard to
matter of fact and contrary to
the customary mode of thought of the
Individual. Thus believer in spiritualism
is not necessarily insane because he sees and
converses with the spirit of Benjamin
franklin, for his delusion is not capable OF
proof or disproof, and il is part of his
mentality to believe in the existence OF
spirits, and in the possibility of evo1ing
them so as 60 see them and talk with them.
But if a non-belieyer in spiritualism should
Imagine that he was in the habit of seeing
Franklins spirit and Of conversing with it,
u would be good evidence Of insanity"