Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-04-13
DISS DEBAR.
THE EyENTPVL CAREER OF 4 FORMER
WEST vIRGINIAN.
Bra il France, He Comes to This Country and Leads
a Gay Life IN Many Ciies-aadame heSSants
Appearance on the Scene.

II will be remembered that j. II. Diss
Debar, the husband of the alleged spirit
ualist, who has obtained such control over
the mind of Luther r. Marsh, famous
New York lawyer, was formerly citizen
of West Virginia. His record 10 this State
was nv no means asavOry one. The Cincin-
natl ERguifcr publishes the following tele-
gram from Parkersburg where Dsbar once
lived:
The remaI kable career Of Princess Edith,
the alleged daughter of Lola Montez aud
Kiny I.ud wig, OF Bavaria, has stirred the
city OF New York from center TO circum-
ference for many days, but With all the at
tenilons OF the police and the great ability
Of It's newspapers they have failed tn give
a true history OF the real authOr OF the al
legged Spiritualistic pictures by defuuct
"old masters" as Rubens, Raphael, Rem
brandt, e.. The fact IS, Mrs Dis DebaT,
NJ she ~ styled, is not the artist who made
the picturea; neither is it her brain that
originated the plan by which 50 many peO-
pie, even such prominent men as Mr..
Luther K. Marsh, have been beguiled and
Ted easy victims to financial destruction.
Why the police detectives and news
papers have not ere this learned the fact
that Gene Dis Debar," as he calls HIM
self, is the managing spirit IN this gross
fraud, is a mystery. This man has an IN
teresting history, which has never as yet
been published, and which explains much
that is now mystery, and clearly shows
mp even the claim Of the alleged Princess
to the name Of Dis Debar to be fraudulent.
Gene" John II. Dis Debar was born in
sigh, Of Strasburg, France, in 1918, and
chriSttned john III. Dis. He came to this
country on the same ship which brought
Charles Dickens on his first visit to this
country, where for years he was supported
nv remittancea from home. In 1876 he
went 10 Cinciouaii where he remained for
several years leading gay life. Debar
was great fayorite with the ladies. lie
became acquainted with the daughter OF o
rich merchant, by the name OF Lavassar,
aud close intimacy sprang mp. In an I'M
fortunate moment, it is alleged, John IL.
Dis, being short OF funds AMI unwilling to
await the tardy remittance from home,
committed SOME indiscretiou IN which the
name Of Mr.. I.svaSsor and note on
bank run by orc DIR. Smead played prom.
inent part. A discovery was made and
Mr.. John II. Dis disappeared. About that
time one j. II. Dis Debar turned up at
Parkersburg, w. Va, where he made q
livelihood a. p civil engineer. This DIS
Debar was Il peculiar fellow: gifted, edu-
cated, talented, OF plausible makeup, and
rather social nature.
He had one talent with which be used to
astonish and often dumbiound his many
acuualntances-that Of an artist. he
would often, while sitting at table IN
company with otheis, pick mp n pen and
with few almost imperceptible move
ments transform . blank piece of paper into
a most excellent portrait. One slight
glance was sufficient for him, and with
that and few dashes OF pen or pencil q
landscape, building or scene in animal or
natural life was brought to view IN perfect
harmony of perspective. After DsbIr had
been here some time, Mr.. Lsvss-
sor's daughter Clara, to whom Dis
had been engaged, took sick, aud was
given up "a lost, when learned physician
was called in, who, after diagnosing the
case, told the old gentleman, who ldollzed
his child, that her disease was not thai OF
the body, but Of the mind; that If the
eause could not he removed she would die.
Mr.. LavaSsor, doubtless through his great
love for his child, concluded to save his
child's lie by permitting her to become
the wife OF Debar.
The Llyassor family removed to this
city and domiciled in a pretty location ut
the foot of Prospect Hill, where they lived
in comfort. Debar was permitted to re-
new his attentions and finally married
Miss Clara. His wife died on the I'D oil
April. 1919, aud was buried in the River
view Cemetery.
After his wife's death Debar dabbled IN
the land business; was made State lmml-
grafton Agent, and was appointed by the
Legislature to make the State seal when
West Virginia became a State. by this
time nobody had any confidence In him,
and no one would trust him, Later ON he
removed TO Doddridge county, where he
started vineyard. While on his Lirm he
had az housekeeper woman by whom
he had several children, and whom he al
terward married Some time after his sec
oud marriage Debar removed his family to
this place.
In June, 1874, q fine lookiDg, voluptu-
ous woman got off the Eastern train aoont
midnight, and was driven By her orders 10