The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-04-23
NE EXPLODED A FRAUD.
The Ghost of Emma Abbott Is Laid
By Brave Mr.. Troy's
Bluff.
Operations of the Prima Dona's
Troubled Spirit, Set Free
By Cremation.
The Ghost Walked, As of Old, on Thurs
days-lt Also Walked on Mr..
Troy's Face.

The ghost of Emma Abbott has been laid
by a San Francisco insurance agent, says
the Chronicle.
The troubled spirit of the departed prima
donna has been haunting the premises at
l24 Sixth street ever since Emma's ashes
were taken from the crematory at Pittsburg.
Z. p. f.. Troy is not tve-feet-six. He laid
the ghost single-handed. and incidentally
had a tussle with several ghoulish accom-
plices. 1t was Thursday night that EN-
mas ghost walked and was laid. Thurs
day used to be pay day in Emma's COM
pany, and the ghost always walked in
those days. Maybe it was force of habit
that brought the poor thing back to earth
last Thursday night. But MIR. Troy
couldn't reason out why the spirit should
confins its perambulations to a dingy little
bay-window front room on Sixth street.
MIR. Troy was a skeptic. Even when he
stood in arms reach of Emma's spirit and
heard the sepulchral tones-like q Yankee
with a cold-he still doubted and scoffed.
He put out his hands to touch, when 10,
the tall. honey figure of Mrs. Z. A. Wells
doomed up before him.. Then the tussele
came off, and Mr.. Troy found these ghosts
awfully hard people to down. With the
help of a rusty old army pistol without a
trigger Mr.. Troy finally succeeded in la, Ing
Emma's ghost.
Lie down or Til shoot" said Troy, max
ing the bluff of his life.
The ghost laid.
There were three lady friends with Mr..
Troy. They were more or less lmbued With
the spiritualistic dogma as taught by MIS-.
Wells, but had consented to accompany
him to see the fraud laid bare, if fraud it
were. Mrs. Wells has two confederates.
big. bony and vulgar as herself. and as most
mediums are, says Mr.. Troy, who Is a thor
ough inidel on the spiritualistic belief. 1t
was Mrs. Wells regular naturalization
evening. Price, 81.
'Spirits become depressed when the audi
ences are SMALL" explained Mrs. Wells,
when she saw but 81 in the house. Pm
afraid they'll be weak Tonight" she
sighed. =,
At the proper time the lights wers turned
out and the doors locked. Mrs. Wells, her
four customers and her two assistants were
alone in the dark i'll the ~second-story bay
window front room. In front of the bay
window hung a heavy black curtain. Mrs.
Wells disappeared behind this.
'Sing a little. please; it will help me to go
into a trance, that 1 may IN with
the spirit world,'' said the medium.
Hold the Fort Home, Sweet Home"
ana 'suwanee River were sung by the au-
di nee. Presently the first ghost comes out
lTOui Uuc u AL Viz ~ . VIC III ooAN
the homeliest of the assistants. she has
come to clear the way for the other Spirits"
The usual naturalization proceedins
were gone through with. One spirit after
another came back to visit & dear sister
or brother. Finally Emma Abbott ap-
peared on the scene. Not as musical as of
old was her voice, vet as Mr.. Troy had the
positive assurance of the spirit itself that
she was the great operate star in life but
was now q wanderer in the spirit world, he
code to make her acquaintance. Any
wav it was about time to bring the thing to
a climax, he thought. He stepped up to
hers that the chain of spiritualistlc sym
pathy might be complete. He stood still a
moment, listening to the spirit voice, which,
strange to relate, had the same grammatical
faults in its talk as had the medium herself.
Then he sprang forward, throwing his en-
tire weight on Emma's spirit. The next in
slant there was a ghost and a man struS-
Cling ON the floor. The two assistants
were not slow i'll jumping on the ghost
killer and he was getting rather the worst
OF it when he thought of his rusty old
weapon. As soon as he threatened to shoot
the ghost quoted down and Uhimpered
out:
'Oh, here's a man going to shoot me!
Help!"
Mr.. Troy's spectacles were smashed under
the heavy heel of Emma Abbott's spirit,
and his collar and tie were sadly d]isarranged
in the s~crinlmage. But he says he don't !
mind these ~triles. He has laid Emma's I
ghost, and he's proud of it. He has exposed
Il set of frauds, he says, and showed his
friends how much truth there is in the
average medium, and he don't mind the
trifiing cost.