The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1894-05-18
How DR.. Howard Gathered In
the ShekeIS.
The Agent Of a Society to Study OctultlSm
Strikes il Snap.

III very pecullar sH luuiihS
There was an indis.inot story in the
police court reports of yesterday to
the effect that Mrs. Speeht had
been induced to give IS, 600 to q
stranger who pretenied to be col
lege chum Of her son, and that the
money was to meet an unt Explained
emergency. Farther developments
show it to be one of the most re.
markable cases of hypnotic swim.
ding on record, and one of peculiar
interest to the readers of the Re.
public.
Some three years ago Joseph
Specht, the proprietor of "Ihe
Famous" clothing store at st. Louis
and millionaire, purchased the
valuable property known as "Guns
ton Hall" on the Potomac river,
about twenty miles below Washing
ton. Shortly after he made his
home here, there came to the place
a DR.. Cranky S Ho ward, who was
introduced to the Spechts as man
of remarkable position and ability.
The accomplishments of this man
seemed unlimited, and he hls learn
ing unbounded, and was appar
eAtly possessed of strange occult
powers. He ayerred that q most
peculiar array of spirits frequented
his abode. The devil came to him
and had little chas. Men of the
past who had trod the floors of the
Gunston Hall came to his bedside
at night and MAZE his acquaintance.
lie represented himself as a profes
sor in one of the Oldest Institutions
and said he was once a gallant
colonel in the English army.
His most astonishing pretense
was that he was the representative
! of rich and powerful society with
$40, 600, 600 to spend in investigat-
lpg occalt philosophy. He desired
10 establish an institution to teach
these occult doctrines. Mrs.
Specht was the author of book on
the subject, and she became the
patron of DR.. Howard, and placed
unbounded faith i'll his plans. In
the mt antlme Dr. Howard had
brought some notable persons to the
place as students. Colonel Price
and his brother, Dr. n delet and
Mrs. Allen, al Of s.. LOUIS, ana
Others were captured 10 the scheme
The self a,serlilg AID fanatisal
snide kept his weird and fantastcal
schemes pcfore his people cont nu-
ally until he 81 ce ded IN exeitinp
hypnotic aud -in 81 supernatural
il tlDence over them, particularly
over Mrs. Speoht. Mr.. Specht war
never fully under the mau's inhu
ence, bat would Invariably submit
TO any plostes tation OF his wife.
The two sons had not the least
faith in any of Howard's Wild ideast
and tried to protect their parents,
but to no avail. Their efforts were
considered as an interference TO
their religion, and the boys were
compelled to leave home.
By this mesmeric power Howard
has been able to get almost any sum
of money from Mrs Specht. and if
objection was raised by her husband
the influence would at last prevail
After years of such acts of imbe
cility the operator at last succeeded
in obtaining 49,, 900 in cold cash,
and In an attempt to cover his crime
has probably inundated the mother
to accuse a young man purporting to
come from the class of their son.
Miss Mary Stewart of Cleveland,
o, who was at one time a euegt Of
her aunt, Mrs. Allen, at DR. How.
ards house, says that she VAS 50
much under the hypnotic influence
of Howard herself that she could
not support any statement she made
away from him when he wished her
to deny it.
Valuable confederation of the
story was given last night by Mr.
Walter Halslup of this city, who
was at one time the foreman of the
Specht estate. He says that it is
almost impossible to make an es,i
mate of the amount of money
swin0lad from, tho naopIa nc ,L