The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-22
WAR ON FORTUNE TELLERS.
DETTCEs III WHIoH THE POLICE GET
AUDIENCE ron CONVICTION.

Convietsd-ThsIr Conndiue Victims.
For nearly year past the police OF this city
have been conducting a crusade az st alleged
clairvoyants and astroloRers. Scarcely a week
has past during that time but that at least one
or two OF these peerers into the future whom
the police include In the same category with
green goods swlndlers and confidence men.
have been raided and their business broken
up. During the past three or four weeks the
efforts OF the police have been unusually pro-
lino in successful results however Nearly
two dozen clairvoyants. both male and female.
have been arrested, and In each and every
case a conviction has been secured. The police
are iubiant over the result OF their crusade,
and Superintendent Byrnes said TO q Sun re-
porter the other day that he expected the BUSH
ness would be thing Of the past In this city
In very short time.
Where clairvoyants spring from nobody
seems to know. The original fortune tellers
we're Rypsies. but whether the clalrvoyants Of
the present day are their descendants. or
whether they are merely shrewd men and
women who have seen good field for thu cir
talent in throwing horoscopes at so much per
throw. or consulting cards at SO much a con-
sultation, is a mystery. When one think 20
the hundreds OF men and women who have
made good livings in the business In the city
they can begin to realize the mum Der OF dupes
there must be to support them. 1t Is almost
impossible for a person OF any intelligence to
conceive how q man or a woman can be go g-
norant as to pay 81 or SO for a bottle Of some
mixture. which Is said by the clairvoyant to be
a love potion, or for a charm or amulet which
will keep away evil spirits; yet there are hun
dreds Of peoplo who have done IL 10 the past.
nre doing It now. and will 10 it just o long as
clairvoyants are allowed to continue In the
business.
In a recent raid on the apartments OF q
Spanish woman who was conducting fortune
| telling business the police captured nearly a
hundred bottles OF a reddish mixture which
was identified by q detective as the same kind
OF stun that the woman had sold to him few
| days before as love potion. In other places
| raided recently the police have CAPTURED
charms and amulets by the score. boxes OF
red fire. skulls and bones. potions OF all sorts.
| and num beriess weird-lookinR objects calcu-
lated to inspire one with ave- The property
| clerks closets are filled with enough OF this
sort of stun to At out dozen clairvoyants.
| The business OF a clairvoyant nowadays 10
more like that Of physician than any other
profession. Each one has his own clients. and
these clients seemingly have implicit faith in
| his or her own particular fortune teller. The
| latter are shrewd. far-seeing people. and will
have nothing to do with strangers until they
| have been visited by them several times. They
measure tho absnrdity OF the advice they give
nation and in this way manage to get along
very well. In addition to telling the. pest and
OF potions and charms. There are love po-
| lions which cause the object OF your affections.
| your sentiment at once; then there are others
which bring about reconclliations between
" Potions that bring iii luck " on enemies or
| good luck on yourself or friends are al SO sold.
IL aG Of 'Sh ss
| guaranteed to be Of use IN various remarkable
ways. Some bring health. others keep away
| disease. SO ne bring success In bu siness. while
others are sure preventativss against poison.
In fact. there are not many troubles possible
| In this life that clairvoyant cannot produce n
charm to prevent. All people cannst get these
things from clairvoyanis 1t is for the reason
securing evidence against them. II person
Of intelligence visits clairvoyant. as they
take any ch.nees. He will give alt the ADVICE
Keeps low. II, is for iove.sicE servant girls
and the lower class Of foreigners that he keeps
ways supported the claryoyants, although fool
ola maids 10 quest OF nt9TT.sSSn asG9t
contribute in a small degree.
The experienees Of some Of the detectives
tho different precincts to collect evidence
against fortune tellers have been highly
second street station. was sent by Capt. Gal
laeher 70 secure evidence against woman
d as, r. tssr T Sns is.snsf to f s.H
Sss$ $s%s5
trouble ofices, Wren induced her to sell him
SHE'S she 'S doing six months on the Island ana no"
Capt. Tom Reilly was troubled By the pres.
2s Bret. Te me-
der!oin. to arrest her. The woman was Emma
third street. Heteetiys Brett told Miss King
that he was In love. but didn't know with
hand gently, while she told him Of = shy
maiden OF 20 sumpers who was simply
iniormstfio nj and two dollars more iSr a bottle
Of mixture which was guaranteed to bring
tod t. k him that he d RS got ss
| II. as there was only one woman on earth that
he wanted at that moment and that was her.
20, and now both she and Mrs. Palmer. II they
still daily with horoscopes. do SO only for the
Aremarkable instance OF the influence which
some OF these elaiTvoyants have over their
c oSss soms " days aso Mary Lannon's sccSssd
her husband seraphin OF heating her unmer-
The husband pa ackpowisdgod that his uS %iies
charges were true but that he felt justified IN
to him. Mrs, lannon's teariully protested her
| innocence The Justice was fayorably i'm
knew that she had betrayed him.
S srhSsa at ne ssP os
moment me and then said Do You mean TO 81 say
you believe a. fortune teller In preference 10
| your wiiei How, would no know ANYTHING
| "Oh. they know everything" replied the
man, and. as for believing them, would
| rather believe one than my Creator" The
| Justics locked Mr.. Ramons up for two days. at
| the expiration OF which time he was permitted
| to go back TO his wife on the promise that he
| would not abuse her again This man Is a
| fair sample OF the class Of people out OF whom
| the elaiTyoyAnis make most OF their money.
| Several nights ago Detective Miller OF the
| Fast Sixty-seysnth street police station paid
visit to Mrs. Emma Hart elairyoSant who
| makes q specially Of reading fortunes from
| cards. She read Milsr's fortune. and before
| he went away told him that she had wonder.
| iul faculty Of discovering the whereabouts OF
| stolen property. A night or two later Miller
| called on Mrs. Hart again and told her he
| had been robbed OF his watch and chain.
| After asking few questions the WoDa re-
| tired to an adjoining room and when she
/ emerged again she WAS Atttred In q long red
/ robe. Her face was powdered until she looked
ike ghost aud she al I'm Ost frig htened the life
| out Of the delectlNe By turning down the llEhts