The herald., 1894-10-10
A Pomona Spirit Seance Which
Saw a Sensation.
The Result Was Trial in q Police
Court.
DIR. wilcox Claims His Wife Was In
Trance, But Whau Mrs.
Bowles Found in the
Cabinet.

seance at the home Of one OF the best
known men in this city.
The court room of Justice Barnes,
where trial has occurred aB the result
OF the exposure, has been crowded with
men and women today and on the streets
nothing but the expose of the methods
of the medium has been talked of.
For some time man and woman
known as DR.. e. Wilcox and wife, who
have had for years reputation up and
down the Pacific coast for euccessful
spiritualistic aesnces, have been holding
forth in Pomona. and the revelations
they have made of the spirits of the de-
parted have been general topics of con-
versation. Their circles at the homes of
citizens of this place have been eagerly
attended at 81 per head, and they have
made from $120 to $175 week. Mrs.
Wilcox has been the medium, and her
husband, large man with prominent
bald head, master OF ceremonies outside
the cabinet. At the seance on Sunday
evening there was hitch in the appear
ance of the numerous spirits that, one
by one, appeared from the cabinet, and
critical persons in the cizcle suspected
the affair was not genuine. Yesterday
City Attorney Bell and Mrs. Ada G.
Bowles, pastor OF the Uni, ersalist
church, decided to join the seancs and
accept the oit.repested and solcitous
request of DR.. Wilcox for any skeptio to
make IAN honest investigation OF the
truth"
The circle was formed last night ct the
residence of Orlando Sprague, on the
corner of Third and Elmira streets. DR..
Wilcox arranged the ladies and gentle
men about the room. The faithful fol-
lowers of the faith were seated next ad.
joining the cabinet, and the doctor made
a short speech upon the power of his
wife as medium and her recent sue
cesses in Los Angeles and San Diego.
He enjoined every one to be lady or
gentleman, but to make "an honest in
vestigation." He placed the only lamp
in the house near his chair, and started
the singing, which he said produced cer-
tain conditions that were conducive to
inviting o trance for the medium and
the appearance OF spirits. As he sang
he slowly turned the lamp lower, until
the room WAS go dark that only the
barest outlines of persons present could
be seen in the shadow.
The spirits appeared ten minutes later.
They came from within the cabinet, and
raised the soft wool curtains as they
cams out or went in. DR.. Wilcox helped
the spirita OF the men and women to
find the person in the circle they were
after, and kept up the music at inter-
walls. About twenty spirits appeared
singly, and they had become so bold as
to walk across the room and take per-
son in the circle by the hand. Several
gentlemen who have long been believers
in the spiritualstic faith, were visited
by dead wives, or sisters, or mothers,
whose conversations were whispered
monosyllables and vague nothings, go far
as sentiment ia concerned. The spirit
of young woman came from behind
the curtains OF the cabinet, and went to
old Mr.. Sprague and his sister, who
have long been spiritualists. Kisses
and whispers were exchanged between
the spirit and the brother aud slater.
At the same moment Mrs. Bowles ei-
lently left her seat and went into the
cabinet, unobserved by the spirit or by
DR.. Wilcox.
Suddenly Mrs. Bowles called from the
cabinet:
''There ia no medium here. It's O
fraud; it's fraud"
There was q startled scream, and the
spirit bounded from the side of Mr..
Sprsgue to the cabinet.
"Plesse leave this place. Let me
alone let me alone," "hysterically called
the white-robed spirit 40 she came into
the embrace of Mrs. Bowles, who was at
that moment emerging from the cabinet
with an armful of female attire. In q
trice the lamp was blown out and DR..
Wilcox had lesped from his chair and
seized Mrs. Bovles.
You dog You - vixen; how dare
you 20 there? You will kill my wiie
she's in trance"
There were sounds of scuffle on the
floor. Mrs. Bowles screamed for help,
and there were sounds of blows, during
which w. A. Bell hastened es beat be
could in the dark to the assistance of
Mrs. Bowles, and hauled DIR. Wilcox
about the room. G. II Marshall, To-
cal merchant, also came TO the aid OF
Mrs. Bowlea, while the medium groaned
from within the cabinet that she was in
tortures from affrighted spirits. Several
men and women tried to get TO the lamp
and to have a light.
mo lights here; don't dare, on the
pain OF your life, to make light"
called DR.. Wilcox. "a light when my
wife is in trance will kill her with con-
vulaions."
A few minutes later when the medium
was back OF the drapery of the csbinet
light was struck. Mrs. Bowles, in
dishsveled hair and flushed face, held
on to a black silesia waist that the me-
dunn had Worn. DR.. Wilcox was in q
towering rage. and declared that Mrs.
Bowlea wac emeniable to the law in that
che had disturbed religious meeting.
He ordered Mr.. Bell and Mrs. Bow les
from ths house, and their hats end outer
garments having been hastily brought
them, they were told to leave. Mr..
Newhall joined the couple and they left.
This evening Mrs. Bowles swore out
warrant for DR.. Wilcox on the charge OF
assault and battery, she alleging that
he had thrown her to the floor and
offered to strike her with his fist. The
news Of the exposure travelled far and
wide in Pomona in a few houre, and
when the case came up for trial there
was @ crowd OF people in the Railways
leading to tho court room, and the side
walks were thronged to the guttere.
Three hours were spent in getting jury,
because nearly everyone had positive
ideas in regard to spiritualism and me-
diumo. Late in the afternoon Mre,
Bowles was put on tho etsnd, and her
examination continued two hours. She
recited the facts substantially as above
stated, and declared in the cross-exam-
ination that she had no desire to frus-