Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-12
A SPOOK CONSPIRACY,
How a Husband Twice Married
His Wife.
He Then Proceeded to Rob His Moth
er-in-Law.
A Case Which Will Be Brought Into the
Courts-A Spook Was the Cause OF
Its Success = The Conspira-
tors at Ensenada.

A singular case of the trickiness OF
some alleged spiritual mediums was yes
terday brought to the attention OF a
HERALD reporter. As the incident will
soon serve as the basis of lawsuit and
criminal case, the facts as stated will
be OF some interest now.
The chief victim is young woman
who resides with her mother not many
miles from Washington street. This
young woman has had the peculiar ex-
perience of being twice married to the
same man, a man who has proved him
self to be a most contemplate wretch,
and his worst doings have been abetted
and carried through by the aid OF two
unscrupulous females who pose az me-
| diums.
The young woman is native of New
Orleans, where her mother owns consid-
cradle property. A young man there Of
good family, who had known her from
childhood, won her affections and they
were married. He proved to be faith
less and unworthy of her regard, and
after spending ali of her money he left
her. and she was granted divorce on
the ground of desertion. After this un-
happy experience she with her mother
came to Los Angeles. Some months
ago her ex-husband turned up here In a
miserable condition, poor, ill and friend
less, and he was go humble and peni.
tent that, as result of his entreaties
for help, he was allotted room in the
house and provided with food and cloth
ing.
The young woman was acquainted
with an old woman, spiritualist, who
lived in the vicinity, and who was al
ways trying to get her friend TO attend
a seance. The ex-husband. also, casu-
ally advised the wife to attend one, and
she was at last persuaded to visit quite
well-known medium whose place was on
Broadway. She became bit interested
and went second time; on this oc-
casion what purported to be the spirit
of her father appeared and told her that
divorces were evil affairs and that di-
vorced people would never attain hap
piness after death. He commanded her
to remarry her husband at once, and be
more patient and forgiving than before.
The poor young woman was affected by
the uncanniness of the situation, but
she still doubted, and asked the spirit
How do know you are my father?
This whole thing may be an imposition"
The spook replied affectionately, and
related number of incidents about her
childhood, about her life in New Or
leans, and other matters, which at last
convinced her that the spirit was her
father and she tainted from the excite
ment. She went home and told her
mother and her spiritualistic friend, and
the latter advised her to at once remarry
her husband, and in a few days she came
to that point of view herself and for the
second time she was his bride. She
continued her visits to the medium, but
her fathers spirit could never be in
duced to appear again, the medium stat
ing that this was evidence that he was
pleased with her action. All went we'll
for a time. The mother-in.law had
brought part of her money here from
New Orleans and invested it, and as her
son-in-law had apparently reformed,
she permitted him to interest himeelf in
her affairs to some extent.
One day the husband announced that
thousand dollars if he could get to
Chicago and he borrowed money for
the trip from his mother-in-law and de-
weeks: A few days after he left, the
old lady, on going to collect some of her
mortgages, found that three of them,
aggregating several thousand dollars,
had been collected by the rascally bus.
band, and further investigation showed
that the epiritualist friend and the al
legged medium had left town the same
time as did the husband, which makes
it look al if the whole affair was care
fully prepared plan to rob the old lady.
She looks at it that way and has con-
suited with the authorities and is MAX
ing arrangements to secure the arrest,
if possible, of all three schemers, as it is
believed they are all at Ensenada.