Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-10-12
Rctrayod by an Onion.

Betrayed by an Onion.
There are more spooll dupes in this
city than you newspaper fellows have
any idea OF, said one of the sleuth
hounds of private detective the other
day.
There i not an agency OF any note
in this city that hasn't the history Of
several cases slowed away in pigeon
holes. any one Of which. if published
with names. would make a sensation.
But, of course, they never will get pnb-
lished. because strict secrecy Is the con
dition under which they are worked
up. used 10 be something OF I news
paper man myself once and | often
think it is great pity that so much
magnificent material should be allowed
so rot in oblivion but business Is busi-
ness and it can't be helped. Most Of
these cases are given to Us by friends OF,
the victims, not for The sake ofprose-
cutting anybody, but simply that me
victims may be made to see how they
have been deceived and return to the
guidance Of common sense.
Thanks, | don't care if do. Let
the cigar be mild one. Strong cigars
are bad for the nerves.
well, if spin you a yarn the dra-
matis perSoa;e must remain incog.
3Ir. B is very rich man. Some
five years ago he lost his wife, and as
ne had 10 children to comfort him and
had been a devoted husband, he felt
that the light of his life had clean gone
out.
In this mood he turned to spiritual
ism and took to attending materializ-
Ing seances. He went to several
places and saw no end of ghosts, who
appeared and disappeared while the
gas was turned down very low and
who always spoke in sepulchral whis-
pers as though they had lost the best
portions Of their lungs.
Ghosts come high, and Mr. B
spent lot of money hunting for them.
He stuck to it for year before he
struck one that looked like his wife, or
that he thought looked like his wife,
for.of course. no Identification with just
enough light to make darkness visible
would hold according to the laws of ev-
jdence.
But something about this particular.
one touched some peculiar chord Of
memory and he became convinced that
he had seen the materialized spirit of
his beloved wife. This was at q seance
given by Nine y.
'Of course Mr. B didn' want any
other person to be present when he in
teryiewed the shade of his departed
wife. Such intrusion seemed to him
like sacrilege. Besides he had money
and could afford TO be exclusive. So he
made an arrangement with Nine. y
bv which she gave him private seance
every Thursday night And for every
such seance he paid her $50. 1t was a
pretty nice figure. but what man. espe-
cially rich man, would weigh the
blessings of Immortality demonstrated
against filthy lucre? Perish the thought!
At the seances there were none pres
ent but Dir. B, Nine. Y. and the
apparition. The thing went on with the
regularity of clock work. AT O'Clock
precisely Mr.. B called. After sing
inc "Sweet Hour of Prayer, Nine.
y. at 90 turned down the lights
and waddled into the cabinet, and at
9.15 there emerged from the cabinet q
slender. willowy, white robed creature
She allowed Mr.. B to kiss her hand:
if he ever became more demonstratve
she would retreat into the cabinet and
appear no more that evening, declaring
that the spiritual elements of which she
was composed were notstrong enough to
withstand closer contact with earthly
flesh and blood. and at 9.45 anyhow she
always fluttered back into the cabinet.
''She never spoke above 4 whisper TO
Dir. B. told him that she was hap
py. progressing patiently, awaiting his
coming, was glad that he continued TO
love her. and so on. And when Mr
B went away he always left behind
him an envelope containing three ten
dollar bills
"The thing ran on for couple OF
wears. Then Mr. B-s suspicious be-
came aroused, and in 4 very peculiar
fashion. He detected an odor OF onions
about the alleged ghost Of his wife. \
ghost that smells of onions is certain TO
awaken suspicious. 1t may eXhale an
odor of violets or roses with perfect
safety. but onions arc OF the earth.
earthly Besides, the late Mrs. B
detested onions.
There was another motive at work
with Mr.. b. Time heals many a
sorrow. 1t had healed his. And he
had discovered that certain charming
widow could console him much more
etiectually than the ghost could. In
fact he found the ties that bound him
to the ghost had become rather embar-
RAISING. y; the same time his con-
science would not allow him to break
OF with genuine ghost That would
living.
The upshot Of it was that 1 was put
on the case. never had an easier one
in my life. was convinced that Nine
y. had a confederate, because she was
too bulky herself to pcrsonate the late
Mrs. B. / discovered that Nine. y.
had another visitor on Thursday nights
"A female who always arrived half an
hour before Mr. B called, ana went
away about half aa hour after he had
left the house.
4 traced this female to a respectable
house on Fifth avenue. learned from
the servants that the lady's maid was .
great favorite with everybody, especi-