Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-01
NOT WHAT SHE SEEMS
A Western Pennsylvania Girl Poses
in Gotham as Mile. Charcot.
FORCED TO MAKE A CONFESSION
She Secretly Married a Living Skeleton,
but Got Tired of Him.
SAD FAILURE AS A HYPNOTIC FREAK
ESPECIAL TELzeRAM TO THE DISPATCH,

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE pIsPArcH.i
NEW YORK, Jan. 31.-A very pretty
woman billed as Mile. Charcot, niece of the
famous DR.. Charcot, of Paris, and giving
hypnotic exhibitions in dime museum ON
Fourteenth street, turns out not to be Mile.
Charcot, but bv her own confession is Eva
Powers, formerly of Cory, Pa, where she
was secretly married to the living skeleton
of Forepaugh's Circus. Her story is a Curl
Gus one.
A few days ago the newspapers of New
York received nicely written invitations to
send representatives to a private hypnotic
exhibition to be given by Mile. Charcot,
niece of DR.. Charcot, of Paris. for the pur-
fession her wonderful power as a
hypnotist. The invitations stated
that she had come to this country for the
purpose of explaining the advantages and
use OF magnetic power in the treatment of
disease. The reporters saw nothing remark
able to describe in her hypnotic exhibition,
but Mile. Charcot was described as q woman
OF rare personal charms, clever and ex-
ceptionally well read in ner science Other
hypnotists had, however, done all and more
than she had done, SO there was nothing un-
usual in her performance.
Admits the Deception.
She gave one exhibition and finally it was
suspected that she was not Mile. Charcot,
and on being cross-e1amined by one who
thought he knew her, admits that she is, or
was, Eva Powers, OF Cory, Pa. and is now
the wife of AL Reeves. a well-kncwn banjo
player. She is billed at the Museum as
"The Phenomenal Lady Hvpnotist Mile.
Charcot, Who Conquers ALL" This is the
story of her life as she has herself given 1t
to the reporters:
In 1880 Mile. Charcot, or Mrs. AL Reeves,
or Mrs. Feralto, nee Eva Powers, was IT.
year-old girl living in Cory, Pa. That
summer Forepaugh's circus came through
the town. With it was travelling
Eugene Feralto, one of the best known
living skeletons. 1t was love at first sight
in their case. They were married that same
afternoon. At night she returned home.
She concealed her marriage from her family.
Her husband continued travelling with the
show. That fall, after the circus disbanded,
she Joined her husband in New York. They
spent the winter together, and when he
Joined the show in the spring she went with
him.
Posed a Beauty
she succeeded Louise Montague as the S1O,-
900 beauty, and was again on the road with
Forepaugb. During the circus season of
1888 and 1884 she and her husband were
with the Barret show. She had learned
magic and performed as chief at
traction in the side show and was
also on occasion a Circassian
beauty. It twas after ore of these seasons
that she filled a short engagement at q mus
cum, No. 210 Bowery, doing magic. From
there she went up to museum at Bristol,
and finally ended up at her husbands
home in Providence.
Just out of the city is Crescent Park.
There in 1885 and 1886 she and her husband
ran small circus and museum. Feralto
had all this time been growing more and
more dissipated. She finally took her COM
pany ION the road" and left the drunken
freak to take care of himself. Later she OBJ
tanned a divorce from him. F-r
Married Once More.
In 1887 she had settled down at Law
renee, Mass, running a little variety
theater, which was eminently successful. It
was there that she met her present husband,
Al Reeves, who is one of the best-known
banjo players in the country. They were
married two years ago last summer. She
sold out her theater and invested the pro-
ceeds in property at Hills Grove, r. l.,
which is now her home.
Last summer she appeared at the Sea
Beach Palace at Coney Island. During the
fall months she was at Doris Museum,
Eighth avenue, where she appeared as
Eva the Mascotte," telling fortunes. She
left this place to make her American debut
as Mile. Charcot.
This is the story as told by Mile. Charcot
herself Members of ''the profession" who
were interviewed on the subject say that on
the Bowery she was known as Eva Powers,
and had a number Of trained birds, which
she exhibited III the museum where her first
husband, Feralto, performed some very re-
markable tricks for skeleton, such as lift
ing water barrel with his teeth. She is at
present associated with E. G. johnson, "a
professor" of the art which she practices.