The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-02-02
A FEMALE FRAUD.
A Western PsnnsyiVAuiA Girl Posing In
New York as Mile. Charcot.


NEw YoRK, Feb. la very pretty
woman billed "a Mile. Charcot, niece Of
the famous DR.. Charcot, Of Paris, and
giving hypnotic exhibitions in a dime
museum on Fourteenth street, turns out
not to be Mile. Charcot, but by her own
confession is Eva Po Eers, formerly Of
CORY, Pa, where she was secretly mar.
ried to the living skeleton Of Fore
paugh's circus. Her story ia a curious
one.
A few days ago the newspapers Of
New York received nicely written invt.
tations 10 send representatives TO q pri.
vate hypnotic exhibition to be given by
Mile. Charcot, niece Of Dr.. Charcot, Of
Paris, for the purpose Of demonstrating
to the medical profession her wonderful
power as hypnotist. The invitations
stated that she had come to this coun-
try for the purpose Of explaining the
advantages and uses OF magnetic power
In the treatment Of disease. The re-
porters saw nothing remarkable to de-
scribe in her hypnotic exhibition, but
Mile. Charcot was described as woman
OF rare personal charms, clever and ex.
ceptionally we'll read in her science
Other hypnotista had, however, done all
aud more than abe had done, 80 there
was nothing uRusual in her perform
anCe.
ADMITs THE DECEPTION.
She gave one exhibition and finally it
was suspected that she was not Mile.
Charcot, and on being cross.examined
by ono who thought he knew her, ad.
mits that she is, or gas, Eva Powers, Of s
Cory, Pa aud is now the wife Of AL
Reeves, q well known banjo PLAYER. She {
Is billed at the Museum as "The Poe. i
nomeual Lady Hypnotist, Mile. Char
cot, Who Conquers ALL" This Is the
story OF her life as she has herself given
It to the reporters: C
In 1880 Mile Chsrco!, or Mrs. AL :
Reeves, or Mrs. Feralto, nee Eva Pow.
ere, was seventeen.year-old girl living Q
in Cory, Pa. That summer Fore
pangh's circus came through the town. :
With 1t was travelling Eugene Feralto, q
one OF the best known living skeletons. q
1t was love at first sight Ia their case. +
They we're married that same afternoon.
at night she returned home. She con- y
cealed her marriage from her family. \
Her husband continued travelling with Il
The show. That fall, alter the circus 3
she joined her husband in Z
New York. They spent the winter to a
sether, and when he joined the show in
The spring she went with him. o
POSED AS A BEAUTY. q
She did not exhibit that year, but in c
1882 she succeeded Louise Montague as o
he $1,000 beauty, and was again on the u
'oad with Forspaugh. During the cir. .,
:us season OF 1883 and 1884 she and her y
husband were with the Barrett show - :,
She had learned magic and performed as u
,hief attraction in the side show, and =,
gas also on occasion Circassian beauty. r
Il was after one OF these seasons that she Il
illed short engagement OF museum, u
No. 2l0 Bowery, doing magic. From N
here she went up to museum at Bris' r
oI, and finally ended up az her nus. 7,
1and's home in Providence.
Just out Of the city is Crescent Park
There, 10 1885 and 1880. she and her
lusband ran small circus and museum, r
Feralto had all this time been growing
more aud more dissipated. She finally
ook her company "on the road" and
eft the drunken freak to take care OF N
himself. Later che obtained a divorce b
rom him. Il
MARRIED ONCE MORE.
In 1887 she had settled down at Law +
.ence, Mass, running a little variety :, T.
.heatre, which was eminently successful. T. :.
It was there ehe met her present hus. n
oand, al Reeves. who is one Of the best. e
Snown banjo players in the country. A
summer. She sold out her theatre and d
invested the proceeds In property at S
Hills Grove, +. /, which Is now her Il
home. d
Last summer she appeared at the Sea /
Beach Palace at Coney Island. During a
the fall months she was at Doris Muse
um, Eighth avenue, where she appeared Il
as EVA the Mascotte," telling fortunes. q
She left this place TO make her Amert. d
can debut as Mile. .Charcot.
This 10 tho story as told by Mile. Char. b
cot herself. Members OF "the proies- a
sion" who were interviewed on the sub q
iect say that on the Bowery she was /
known as Eva Powers, aud had NUN. "
Der OF trained birds, which she exhlb |
tied in the museum where her first hus g
band, Feralto, performed some very re. I
markable feats for q skeleton, such as
lifting water barrel with his teeth. She
10 at present associated with E. G. John
son, professor" Of the art which she q
practices. Il