The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-01-14

and they did a fiourishing business unit
inuuis,tiye newspaper reporters *
posed their operations so effectually tina
| they were compelled to close up shop
| Archer left Tor indianapolis. and wallace
borrowed SIS from deluded San Francis
can and opened up business In Portland
| Here he again suffered exposure, ana or
notice 10 leave the city from the ponce
department, went back to San Francisco
and sailed from hat port for Honolulu
| Here he was again unfortunate enough
| to have his operations unmaskedr ana was
| next heard of in Denver. There he mad
a ,erltable harvest for many moons
| In spite Ok newspaper attacks and fre9ueni
/ exposures he continued 10 delude people
| until the police gave him SIX houIS "
| leave the city. =.
| one OF his invariablc rules was 10 de-
naud money I'm advance for eyefythihs
he was supposed TO do for his numerous
callers In that city a man came TO nm
whose team OF horses had been stolen.
Wallace guaranteed TO have the animais
restored to him for sz5. Two days later
the fakir told the team owner that ne
would need so more, as frances or that
sort were very trying and hard on ms
system, and that although he had the
team located it would require another
test in order TO make the matter sure
The poor man could not raise the addi-
tional SO and meanwhile wallace was
driven out OF the city In that city also
was where he secured his female con-
federate, Mrs. Bicknel. This woman, a
beautiful, heavily-built blonde. always
mingled with the callers who awaited
their turn IN the ante-room. anxious for
the ministratfons OF the medium healer.
She would ask questions OF those in wait
ing, note peculiarities In dress and ac-
lions and then slip out OF q side door into
Wallace's performing room and give him
all the points she had been able TO gather
about those who were to come into his
room later.
After he was banished from Denver and
Kansas City IN turn, he went 10 81. Louis.
There his success In swinding people was
so marked as to direct the attention of the
newspaper reporters 10 his york. Mrs,
Bicknell was still with him. THE reporters
caught the two in one trick after another
and wrote columns on columns of expose.
but still they ilourished. their receipts
from sittings alone often reaching as much
as 500 q day. IL was in st. Louis that
they got wealthy widow, a Mrs. Fog
arty, in their tolls. This woman had lost
a daughter by death After learning all
they could from outside sources about the
Fogarty family. Wallace and Mrs. Bick-
nell. through the cOnnivance OF n young
gentleman acquaintance Of Mrs. Fogarty,
got her TO attend one Of the sittings.
Wallace had learned her history thor
oughly. Of course unknown TO their in
tended victim, and when I'm his pretended
trance the medium told her with faithful
details chapter after chapter OF the his
tory of the family. Mrs. Fogarty became
convinced that there was something In
he Ind,
come to the trance parlors when told
that she would be put in communication
with her dead daughter. She was effu-
siveiy greeted by Wallace, who noticing
the valuable diamonds worn by the
woman, told her the spirits would not
materialize until she had removed all
her jewels and placed them on a table
In the room. Directly she had done this
the room was darkened and she held q
long-distance conversation with her sup
posed daughter, who urged her TO be-
Iieve implicitly in whatever the professor
old her. When the spirit of her daugh- |
er mad vanished and daylight was let |
INTO the room Mrs. Fogarty missed a
handsome necklace containing many dia-
monds and valued at several thousand J
dollars. She asked the professor what |
had become OF 1t. He bandly informed |
10 wear Tor a short time in her celestial |
nome, probably to show TO the friends |
she had made there and to show how |
prominent and wealthy her dear mortal |
mamma was He added that the daugh-
er had told him as she was disappearing |
'ot 10 let her mother worry about the |
ieckiace' as she would return 1T at some
luture sittings they were to enjoy.
strangely enough Mrs. Fogarty ac-
cepted this explanation without question.
Al the next sitting she was again asked
70 remove her jewels. and when it was
,Ver she discovered that her dead
I"usn'cI had acquired remarkable
Tor diamonds TO wear in her
home beyond the clouds for this t,n,a
"o me rings and n bracelet had die
Still other leweIry was tal,on
:. third sitting. and not until then did
MIS- fogary begin to realize that she
vas being duped, and reported her loss
o the police. '0'
In the meantime the two sharpers had
occurred third confederate In the nerson
II man who called himself .'Professors
-ouis Schloss. The professor marty
worked ia conjunction with the others
MS specially was the slate-writing test
ne three became acquainted with n
Dung IT. Louis music teacher named |
owen futnam. He was a bright young
nan, an excellent musician. and the only
Import of his widowed mother and sis
er. He attended one Of Wallaces meet
nss out of curiosity. The fakir was |
uck TO notice the impressionable charac-
er or the young man and resolved TO
make him victim. In the course of a
conversation with him he told the young
nan that 1t would be very easy for him
D become successful medium. He fiat
cred Putnam, saying he possess ed
charitable latent power. which only
eeded development Wallace, who had
repaired himself, held Putnam's hands
nd from an electric battery concealed
4 his pocket sent an electric current
Trough both their bodies. Wallace is
man of powerful physique. while the
Dung music teacher was slightly built
nd unable TO stand a shock % electricity
hitch would scarcely be felt by Wallace
Being naturally of a fanciful. magma
We turn of mind, the young victim when !
e felt the tingling sensation caused by
re electricity believed ii was due TO the
onderful power OF Wallace. Then he
scame devotee and visited Wallace
'guiariy. Later he paid Wallace So 10
svelop him into medium. Wallace be-
IN this process by giving the impression
Die young man repeated and powerful
locks or electricity. mis- ne continued
it'll Putnam's nervous system was conf
etey demoralized and his mind III a
'ndition approaching imbecility
Wallace got all the money he could from
M gave him stronger shock than ever.
I'd sent the young man out hopelessly
sane. He is now confined in st. Vim
nt's Asylum at ST. Louis without the
ightest hope that he will ever recover
> mind.
When these things became known Wal
ce and his pals were forced to leave St.