Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-05-01
DEs Debar' 'sOVnStory
The Daughter of King Ludwig and Lola
 Hontex
TITLES ARE HERS BY RIGHT.


 NEW YORK, May 1.-The protracted exam ination into the charges against Mime. Ann O'Delia Diss Debar, her husband, Gen" Diss Debar, B. M. Lawrence and Frantlin Lawrence, his son, of having conspired by means of alleged spiritualistic manifestations to defraud Luther R. Marsh, was concluded yesterday in the special sessions court room of the tombs before Justice Kilbreth The result is that the Lawrences, father and son, are discharged from custody, and that Mme and "Gen." Diss Debar are held to await the action of the grand jury under S, 900 bail each.
 ''Gen.n Joseph Fl. Diss Debar, wearing a neat suit of black, his curly gray hair and beard neatly combed, testified that he was born near Strasburg, that his age is 6S years, and that he is surveyor and land agent. At the request of MT. Townsend, his counsel, he told the story of his life down to recent date.
 He said he was a married man; that his wife was in Philadelphia; that he had had four children by her, and that they were all married; that he had one child by Mime Diss Debar, girl, now nearly years old; and that he had lived with Mime. Diss Debar nine years.
 Then the witness said that he had paid every obligation due to his legal wife, and that he regarded Mime. Diss Debar as his
 
 The witness declared that he knew nothing about the deed to MT. Marsh's property until after it was executed, and even then he ob- jected to its acceptance. He was not an artist, be said, but, in his profession, he had learned to draw and paint typographical ob- jects, such as mountains and mines-nothing else He had nothing to do with painting pictures for Mme Diss Debar to present to MT. Marsh spirit productions
 SITy-
 by MT. Howe was severe, and under it the nervousness of the witness perceptibly in- creased. He admitted that with a material brush and material paint he had restored the Lavenberz pictures, but maintained that he had never touched a brush to the spirit paint ings.
 "As early as 1s6s," Mir. Howe asked, "did you not paint portraitsl'
 The witness admitted writing from Onset Bay to Augusta Solomon in Louisville, Xiv. in 1886, asking for the loan of S25, and saying, among other things: Should you prefer some work of mine instead of return of the money will paint you 8 portrait in oil from any photograph you may send. have had some success in that line for two summers past"
 There WIGS a murmur from all parts of the room when Mime. Diss Debar was called She was pale, but firm She wore a black silk gown, black lace mantilla, and a bronze colored poke bonnet. In reply to Justice Kill breth she said that her name was Editha Lolita Montez, that she was born ''presum- ably in Italy," and that she is S9 years old. She gave her occupation as that of a spiritual medium, and her present residence "the Tombs." She was the daughter of King Lud- wig I. of Bavaria and Lola Montez, she said, and would adhere to that claim in spite of all that the press had said By right, she pos sessed the titles of Editha Lolita, Baroness of Rosenthal and Countess of Landsfeldt. She could remember as far back as 1855, when she was taken by Mir Lavenberz to live in the family of Prof. c. F. R. Salo- mon, whose residence was then in Wash tngton. Through Mir. Lavenberz, the Salomons were paid $55 monthly for her board. She was treated very cruelty by Mrs. Solomon and her daughter, Augusta The former shut her up in a bath tub, where she would have drowned had she not been rescued. She was also compelled to wear a dress made out of a bed spread, while the Solomon girls were always we'll dressed on the money paid for her support While the Salomons were living in Baltimore Mrs. Solomon stabbed her in the wrist and thigh with a pair of shears for some childish offense. In Brooklyn she was treated very badly by every one but Alice Solomon. Augusta at that time was a saleswoman, and brought home goods that she stole in the store where she was employed This testimony was excluded as immaterial, and Mime. Diss Debar turned to Judge Kill breth, saying scornfully: "Then I'm the only one to be blackened! Thank you, judge"
 When the family came to New York, she continued, she left them and entered the Rut- gers Female institute. Here her education improved rapidly, most of it being "inspira- tionaL" She became convinced that she should join the Catholic church, and entere h the convent of St. Francis in Jersey City. The Solomon family pursued her there, try ing to get her back, and she went to escape them to a convent in Cincinnati; but George Solomon pursued her even there, and she was sent to an institution in Aix la Chappelle. In 1867 she went to the Ursiline convent in Louis vile, Ky, and, later went again to Europe, entering another convent, where she was treated badly. From the latter place she es- capped by the aid of Paul Noel Messant with whom, in 1869, she came to America in the same steamer.
 Mime. Diss Debar related her connection with Woodruff and Claflin in 1870, and rather non-plused MT. Howe by charging that when she was arrested at that time she retained him as her lawyer, and that he de- serted her after receiving her fee. She re- lated the we'll known story of her illness aud
 
 January, 1871, she was sent to Blackwell's Island as an insane woman by a trick of George Solomon, who said to her when she was arrested: "Old lady, pve fixed you now" She remained on the island one month, and was discharged as an improper subject. She married Messant on Feb. 5, 1871, and her husband died on Jan. 26, 1873. Their child, "Dodo," was born on Feb. 5. 1878, ten days after her fathers death, and not on Feb. 5, 1874, as George Solomon had testified.
 In regard to her relations with Mr. Marsh, Mme Diss Debar testified that that gentle man gave her the deed of his house volun- tarily and made the mortgage voluntarily She had never received a dollar from him beyond the s2, 900 paid out of the mortgage on the judgments against her. She paid all of the bills for the maintenance of the house hold after she went to live at 166 Madison avenue. She denied the story of Randolph, and asserted that the story of George Salo- mon as we'll as that of Inspector Byrnes, to the effect that she had admitted Solomon to be her brother, was false She maintained that her powers as medium were spiritual, and that the Marsh pictures were produced by spirit hands
 On cross examination Mmc. Diss Debar ad.