The evening world., 1893-07-29
MACH, THE FORTUME-TELLER
Once a Brooklyn Society Belle,
Now a Coney Island Fakir.
Her Husband, = Physician, Now In
Dakota After . Divorce.

| The average Coney Island fakir who
ekes out an existence at the expense OF
the unsophisticated urban visitor. or. In
his own nacular. by the elastic like
occupation OF pulling the legs OF Jays
has n history: a life made UP OF inter-
csting events with an intermingling of
queer experiences. some OF which, per
haps, In the ouixotic relation. would
make Byron's Don Juan n subordinate
rival.
Many OF the fHkirs are there by pref
erence while others are there not 80
much by choice as by necessity.
Machi--that Is her stage name
is of the latter class.
A woman who not long since en-
joyed all the advantages Of wealthy
sphere. Machi now philosophically ac-
cepts her life in a gypsy camp at the
West End as one OF the vicissitudes OF
mother struggling to obtain SUFFICIENT
means OF support for herself and two
small babes.
The camp Is located on Surf avenue,
near the Intersections Of the Bowery.
and is made UP OF a few straw tents
pitched with attempted artistic careless
| ness
Several pine knots blazing In the CEN
tire Of the inclosure at night give the
tents the appearance OF n genuine
gypsy camp. outside the camp stands
the almost immortal fakir crying out:
Step inside. gents, and have a genu-
Inc gypsy tel! your fortune. Only a
quarter to have your palms read and
know who you're to marry. She picks a
Here you are, only a quarter"
| The reporter, in the manner character
nsnsss lstic OF the unsophistcated. paid the
first, tent to his left. On a small camp
stool sat a woman about thirty years
old. rather petite. with olive skin. dark
brown. sparkling eyes and a sweet, ex-
comic opera gypsy. but her refined man.
ners and distingue appearance made her
disguise imperfect.
In soft, mellow voice she bade the
visitor be seated. and after lighting a
tallow candle. turned his palm to the
nickering flame. and began to read the
same same old story Of luck. prosperity and
During the recital. which was carried
on In low contralto voice. Machi
laughed and chatted about topics which
fortune viewed In the visitors palm.
| The conversation showed that the
to a woman Of culture and refinement
| who had seen better days.
| As the fortune-telling proceeded
Machis patron became more convinced
that she had history. and fancifully
formed theory Of a society woman
| abandoning her high-b-ed associates to
take up a life among the Coney Island
fakirs.
A former Brooklyn society woman,
and the wife of a prominent physician,
| nan oulo
Coney lsland-that was Machis history
In brief at least she says SO. 1t is best
| told In her own words.
| NO" she said, II am not a gypsy. al
though l have always said I was a
natural born clarivoyant.
"A few years ago l married Dr..
Long Island College Hospital s I.eS' We l,ved s
next to the Polytechnic, In Brooklyn.
| We entertained great deal. and l
anc.s always w o,r sss OF AL the
| the girls by reading their fortunes from
the lines in the palms of their hands.
80 that by and by It became a stand:
Ing Joke, and my friends used to call
my husband didn't like 1t. Why ?
Because l used to have visions by going
all about his little fiirtations. dinners
Nh "How W. did do it ? Well. I'll tell you.
My husband had two desks In his office,
1
always had free access to that one and
| all Its contents. But the other one was
always carefully locked.
| "Of course, with woman's curiosity
wanted to know just what that desk con-
tained. SO l had a set OF duplicate keys
made from a wax impression. Then.
after carefully ,perusing recent bill
let doux. or noting II photograph with
the autograph OF the fair original on
the back. would 90 into an Imaginary
trance, and describe TO my husband
what l saw In his desk, read the let
ters and tell him their exact location.
My reputation as an amateur for
tune-teller stood me well in these little
perfectly. that my husband never sus.
pected the truth He became afraid
OF my power after awhile. and did not
dare have any secrets from me. He
used to tell me almost everything, and
what he concealed from me / would tell
to him while In a trance. 1t was aw-
fully funny.
Where is my husband now? In
South Dakota. the last ! heard. trying
to. get divorce from that clairvoyant
bies to support. one six months old
had to do something for the little ones
so l decided to put my knowledge OF
Introduced a duplicate set of keys az
My husband hasn't found out to this
day, how l learned 80 much about his
business"
AS Machi completed the last sentence
OF her story she laughed softly, and
seemed TO- appreciate the serial Joke or
That is the gypsy's tale.
Perhaps among the hundreds Of fakirs
with history equally as romantic
and Interesting as Machi'S.