The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1889-02-08
OUR BOSTON LETTER.

OCCULT EsoTERlc THeosoPHIeTe
LURiN0 WOMEN TO RUIN.
Damsels and Dowassrs Going Daft Over
Mystical lderdash-supporting Gun.
ming Old Fellow In Luxury-A Curious
Commercial Agency Blqf:
From Our Special Correspondent,
BOSTON. Feb. g.
One of Boston's crankisms IL about to re-
ceivs severe shaking up In the courts, and
the city is about to be treated to one Of the
most shocking scandals Of the period.
II ID all about Hiram Erastus Butler, q
gray-haired, cunning old fellow, with an
enormous capacity for pouring out mystical
language and raking In dellars from crsdu-
lous "Theosophists and Eli Clin-
ton Ohmart, handsome, blonde
young fellow, who pretsnds to know all the
secrets of the universe, to b. able to make
millions out Of mud, and to be inspired by
mystical communication with a nevsr-dying
sage, who lives In the Himalayas, but can
travel to Boston in an hour. Clinton calls
this everlasting she" vidya Nyaika, and
himself by the same name. Clin-
ton has partner in some wild
schemes, c., H. Washburn, bald.headed
nssmerst adventurer of curious personal
magnetism, who moves In good society. at
tends afternoon teas In Beacon Hill and is
hand in glove with the men about town, the
artists and the swell Bohemian set. He
claims to have been newspaper man once
upon time as well as the chief of the United
9tates secret service In New York city.
Washburn frequented the hotel parlors a,
GOOD deal, and was in the habit Of startling
kis acquaintance with accounts of stupen-
dous enterprises in which he was engaged.
He insisted that he was in the possession OF
seoret chemical forces that would revolution
ize the world
However, Washburn is a side issue. I drag
him in merely as witness to the fact that
Ohmart admitted to him that "Vidya Ny
aka" was only Ohmart's own wiser self, and
because Washburn has been spending money
for other people pretty freely in his myster-
ious inventions,
This man Butler has had some slight notori-
ety for some years past as the chief of
lot of cranls and dupes, who had
q headquarters in Shawmut avenue,
called the Society Esoteric, where their
brains were further added every Sunday by
Butler or some accomplice, who talked
kind of occult theosophy to them,
and mixed in such mess Of half finished al
legories and incongruous rhetorical fourishes
that only madman could follow the thread
of the discourses.
Buffers shop has got good deal Of
advertising from the fact that he has
as the cardinal principle
pf the society the doctrine of
"oelbacy, mot single-cussedness but perfect
confluence in marriage.
Max O'Rell seizes on this for one Of his ex-
amples of American oddity in his book on
Jonathan and His Continent"
The chief point in Buffers creed is the
tenet that the highest development, physical
mental and moral, is attainable only by alb
Dolute confluence. 1t may be remarked in
passlRg that the professor is welded to a
buxom wife, twenty years his junior. Rumor
aas whispered that there are other and less
Innocent elements in the esoteric creed than
} soulful communion with spiritual entities,
and certain orthodox theosophists here assert
that the Shawmut avenue temple has been
ehe scene of saturnalian revels and unholy
rites
-.
1t has only recently been discovered that
Butler runs three households Besides the
eAement on Shawmut avenue, he has an old
colonial mansion in Dorchester, set back from
BOwdoin street and surrounded by pines.
The neighbors have long been mystified by
he goings on there. One Of them saws;
You can see lights flashing in them win
lows at all hours of the night, and over in
he east wing there's a room where witches
lance, l guess. There's nights when that |
DOM is all ablaze with blue and green fire
md the smoke pours out of the windows in
LIQUIDS. Fact is, no one around here knows |
What to make of them people,"
Them, people," it was found consisted IF |
Butler and his wife, corps of close mouthed |
ervants and a young man who received a |
lumber of letters addressed to DR.. d. G. |
)hmart, and who, on investigation, proved |
0 be Washburn's sx-partner, the weird,
himself.
Besides this Butler has brownstone front |
N Worcester square fitted up with sensuous
luxury.
sFA
Butler and Ohmart have for some months
'ast been drawing on the purses of credulous
'eople for the purpose OF founding an esoteric
ollege in California. or their disciples their
emand was simple-that they should give
p all they had to the cause and them
elves Submit to the guidance and
ave sworn undying faltn in the
!. N. K. R. (Genii of Nations, Knowledges
nd Religions; then would the secrets of life
% unfoldsd to them, and the power which
be ignorant call supernatural become
heirs"
Lately the seamy side of Buffers theosophy
as been coming out. First Mrs. Dawson
as been trying to rescue her sister from But
RS Dorchester stronghold, but the girl has
Then the rumors of immoral
ractices attributed to Butler have taken
efinite shape in the form of complaints made
y some of his victims and lodged with the
olice authorities
1t il alleged that the influence of Butler
nd 0hmart has, under cover of imparting
soteric instruction in soul culture, resulting
, the ruin Of a score Of young girls during
10 past year.
The precocious pair of theosophical quacks
ave carried on their nefarious practices with
cunning born of experience in such matters.
hey have had no lack of accommodations
Or the misguided girls who became Buffers
upils, and by distributing them through
aess three houses the willy professor managed
, avoid publicity