Omaha daily bee., 1888-12-19
Welded BY UNSEEN FORMS.
The Peculiar Hallucination of q
Beautiful Kansas Widow.
MIDNIGHT vlelLs AT THE ALTAR.
Arraycd in Costly Robes Mrs. Helen
Fields Participates in a Strange
Ceremony With an Imaginary
Bridegroom at Wichita.
BymeossI Spirits Mocked Her.

WICHITA, Dec. 1S.-An unparalleled trial
ended last week in the probate court. The
plaintiff was Harry Il. Windsor, a handsome,
popular young society man, who came here
| about a year ago from New York city to take
| charge of the eastern business of Smedly
Darlington, who filed an Information for an
inquest of insanity upon Mrs. Helen G..
Fields, a beautiful and wealthy widow, who
maintains that she has been married through
a spiritual medium to the young broker.
Mrs. Hoxie, Moyher of Mrs. Fields, said on
the witness stand that she first noticed the
strange behavior of her daughter last June,
She insisted that she was engaged to MIR.
Windsor, and one day entered his place of
business. talked with him and returned home
saying the ceremony would be performed
that afternoon. She accordingly dressed
herself in white and stood upon the front
porch awaiting the coming of the expected
groom. AS Mr., Windsor did not appear that
day she dressed herself in the same fashion
several days afterwards and anxiously
awaited him.
Mrs. Hoxie finally went to Mr.. Windsor
and asked him if he intende to marry her
daughter. He told her he did not, and
showed her letters and postal cards from
Mrs. Fields containing illusions to certain
matters of WHICH he knew nothing, and
couched in the most loving terms. She then
returned home and advised her daughter to
stop paying any further attention to Mr..
Winsdor. as he cared nothing for her.
Mrs. Hoxie also testified that her daughter,
about six weeks ago, began to talk of signs,
omens and spiritual manifestations, always
connecting Mr.. Windsor with them. Seeing
her supposed lover drive past her house one
day, she ran to her mother, eXclaiming:
There he goes now; the marriage will soon
be performed" She commenced to talk of
the church, and said that while he was APP
pointed of Christ to be her husband, yet he
should not come between her and her God.
One night early in October she dressed
herself in a magnificent wedding trosseau,
and at 10 o'clock, after the family had res
tired, stole thus arrayed, from her room and
walked to the First Presbyterian church,
where she remained several hours going
through an imaginary marriage ceremony.
The next morning she told her mother that
part of the ceremony had been performed.
Last Sunday night she went to the church
without cloak or gloves on and stood for
some time. The next morning she told her
mother that another part of the ceremony
had been performed, and that in a few days
it would all end. The following night she
made another trip to the church, wearing
neither bonnet nor shoes. Tuesday night at
/ o'clock, arrayed in black velvet and carry
ing in her arms bundles of roses, she entered
the vestibule, and strewing the roses about
her, knelt and tolled the church bell. Thurs
day night she appeared at the church at md
night dressed in a magnificent robe of red,
and, after remaining there until 3 O'Clock,
returned to her house, aroused the family,
sung hosannas, declared that at last the
spirits had united her to the man of her
choice, and asked to be taken Immediately to
him.
Mr.. Scott, who lived with Mrs. Fields and
her mother, said she had often told him she
was being married through a spiritual
agency to Mr.. Windsor. She said, when
questioned as to why Mr.. Windsor did not
claim her, that it was a part of the pro
gramme to be carried out. "There are GER
tain vows and penances to be fulfilled by
both of u.s. she said, land then am going
to claim him. She has bought beautiful
wedding outfits several times to perform this
every Sunday for the past six months to re-
ceive her lover, wearing the elegant cos
tunes, and with her carriage and driver
ready to drive her and her husband off to the
spirit land to spend their honeymoon.
MIR. WINDSOR when put upon the stand,
appeared very much embarrassed and said
he had known Mrs. Fields for about a year.
He had received letters ana packages of all
kinds containing illusions to things spiritual
and of transactions that he knew
a pile of boxes 8 with poetry
and flowers and disconnected letters. He
said he had never spoken to her of marriage.
A letter written last spring SAID that she
understood the manifestations and was too
i'll to come to his office, but that if he would
call on her it would be all right and she
would ''waive formalitIes with pleasure"
He had not spoken to her since last summer
and never noticed her on the street.
Mrs. Fields, who is a beautiful woman,
next took the stand. She was richly dressed,
and as she related how she had striven to be
worthy Of her spiritual bridegroom she wept.
She related the story of how she had re-
cclved the signs and omens with great ear
nestness, and told with no little feeling how
she had been married.
snow / see,n she sobbed, t'that I have mis-
understood all the signs, and it was all, all in
vain.n She appeared perfectly sane upon
every other subject and the jury returned a
verdict of mot ~iusane.'r