The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-12-24
1T is PLAYING AN IMPORTANT PART
IN A MURDER TRIAL
One Who Raises Spirits From the Dead De
clares That She VIII Discover the
Guilty 0nes-A Most Remark
able Letter.


important part in the affairs of men
and nations, and astrological predic'
lions were almost universally &C.
cepted, and in our day some very
learned people are its votaries.
Zadkiel's Astrological Almanac has
a worldwide circulation, and it has
contained some marvellous predictions
which came to pass. Among them in
the almanac for 1886 was the predic.
ton of the South Carolina earthquake
and the hot waves which swept over
America that year.
But what we have to do with now is
SPIRITUALISM
and some of it's manipulations as con-
nected with a mysterious and terrible
murder which occurred in this county
last fall year ago
To begin, it must be stated that
some two years ago a prominent and
well know farmer of this county went
to Southern California with the in
tention of locating there if he found
everything as it had been represented
and he liked the country.
While there he met distinguished
spiritualist and one who while not
seeking notoriety, nevertheless had
become noted because of her many
successful tracings of the histories of
those who called on her, and because
of some of her marvellous predictions
having been fulfilled.
He went to see this lady to satisfy
curiosity, being total disbeliever in
her powers ofdivination either with or
without the aid of spirits. TO his aston
ishment she greeted him familiarlyand
as if she had been his warm personal
friend for years aud intimate with his
family and affairs. With wonderful
accuracy she went and laid before
him many important events in his
past life; told much of his history and
that of his brothers, and with cheer
full frankness alluded to escapades of
his which he fondly dreamed
were forever sealed up in his own
own bosom. He went into her pres
ence an absolute unbeliever and left
skeptic, but drawn irresistably into
| the presence of this remarkable
woman again he became a staunch be-
lever in her powers and upon his re-
turn to Texas and to his old Travis
county home where he still resides,
he wrote to her abouta certain bust
ness matter and in reply received a
letter containing advice which he fol-
lowed and it is said his faith put
| fhN11aCpI IN1lorG into hic
pocket.
He spoke of this woman to his
neighbors, many of whom cor
responded with her with salts
factory results and last summer
during a campmeeting south eff town
which The STATESMAN reporter at
tended, he heard some strange tales
of this medium.
THE MURDER CASE.
Well, to shorten the story, the
prominent farmer referred to and 9th
ers who had tested the farmers of the
California medium, persuaded a GER
tain gentleman, who has been very
active in trying to ferret out the cruel,
bloody, murder of Mrs. Whitley, to
write to her. He had no faith in such
proceedings and it was some time be-
fore he could bring himself to the
point of writing, but he finally did so
and sent the medium a carefully
wOrded letter.
In due time a reply came from the
medium and it contained many things
that dumbfounded the gentleman.
The letter contained a brief but &C
curate sketch of his life, and truth
fully depicted some OF it's most promi-
nent events. 1t told of an accident in
which the gentleman came near los
ing his life, carefully describing the
locality and giving details of it that
had never escaped the memory of the
gentleman himself. 1t also contains
a description of his home, and min
utely sketched, the room in which he
had written the letter, even to telling
the location on the walls and descrip-
ton of certain pictures. The cele-
brated astrologer Cardass OF Italy, |
could not have portrayed the gentle
mans past more faithfully. "The a.
trologer, the stargazer, the monthly
of Isaiah" could not |
have been more accurate and truth |
full.
In addition to ell this, il is told, the
letter contained vivid description of
the murder of Mrs. Whitley, and to the
utter establishment of the gentleman
mentioned Sam Turner, arrested as
suspect and tried at the last term of
court. Turner's name bad not been
mentioned to the medium, and the
fact that she mentioned it and told of
his arrest and trial deepened the mys-
terry of the letter and strengthened
belief in the wonderful power of the
writer.
The letter, after describing Sam
Turner, positively and emphatically
stated that he was innocent Of the
crime, and strongly intimated that GER
tain manifestation in the spirit world
tended to show that the brutal muir
der had been committed by white
man.
The writer suggested that if small
piece of Mrs. Whitely's dress or bon
net worn at the time of the murder,
was sent her she thought she would
be able to trace up the case and fur
nish information that would lead to