The Saint Paul globe., 1896-11-02
Farmer Aker,s Pet Cow.

Some years ago there walked into the
editorial rooms of a Philadelphia newspaper
q ruddy-faced, Misunderstanding farmer, whO
gave his name as Lyman Aker' and his home
as Wrightsviifey N.Y.! MrSAker, conveyed the
intelligence that he had lost cow-a twenty
quart cow. She hadn't strayed away under
stand, she had simply lain down and died.
not because she wanted to, but because she
mad taken an excessive dose of Paris green.
This was not the first cow that Aker had lost,
nor the second, nor the third. In seven
years. he had twelve cows, four horses,
twenty sheep and more than 100 chickens
destroyed by the same agency. Detectives
had been employed to no purpose. Aker had
watched night after night, hidden in his hay
NOW, with, O. big blunderbuss as a companion.
His vigil was continued for thirty-ive days
consecutiveiy, and during that time three
cows and one ahorse were poisoned. Aker
came to the conclusion that there was no
human agency at the bottom of this remark
able persecution, and, because he could find
no explanation contented himself with the
belief that some supernatural agency was at
work. He pondered over the thing for a week
and the more he reasoned with himself the
more firmly he became convinced that he
was under the bane of some evil influence.
man Of positive ideas was Aker. and when
this conviction became firmly rooted in his
brain there was no dislodging It,. sy5
Now mark the sequel. Aker a man
of fair education, a believer in God and
state Of future reward and punishment. His
worldly possessions amounted to $4,000. His
little farm was clear of incumbrance and he
had fairly comfortable balance in the bank.
Aker came to Philadelphia and visited Circle
hall, then at Fourth and Vine streets. where
James A. Bliss and his cunning wife had
for some months defrauded the credulous
by the spirit of naturalization farce. He
was introduced to Medium Allen Jordan, and
Medium Jordan went into a +'trance"-$2 in
advance-and described a wondrous' scene to
the farmer. The poisoning of cattle the
medium said was due to wicked spirits. HUI
man brain had never conceived 1t, nor hu-
man hand had never accomplished it. The
spirit of a depraved missionary, who had
shufled off in the Sandwich islands. was
the cause of all the trouble, and 1t was ne
cessary that he should be laid" To properly
exercise mischievous Esprit" costs all the
way from $5 to $50 Medium Jordan struck
a happy medium at "a 500 bill"
How the dupe was pIucked is a long tale.
Inside of two months he paid to the medium
nearly $780, Meanwhile the poisoning con-
tinued. Aker consulted almost every for
tune teller in Philadelphia, paying them
fabulous prices for their advice. He was ac-
tualiy persuaded into desecrating a grave
a small alley running off South Washing
ton square, above Sixth, told him If he would
dig into the grave Of a man who had never
welded and cut eff a finger the persecution
would cease. Aker did so and obtained the
CHASTITY bit of humanity and carried it with
him for months. Another charlatan advised
him tc get a splinter from scaffold on
which murderer had been executed. The
farmer did so at an expense of $40, for the
custodians of the gallows chance to
make some money out Of a. fool. Not to
spin IHe Idl0 u CT6uully out 100 long, SUI
flee it to say that within seventeen months
Aker had spent 81, 900 in cash and had mort
gagged his little farm. r
In less than an hour newspaper reporter
who was assigned to the story discovered
on one Of the. rafters Of the barn, directly
over the feeding stalls, a big package Of
Paris green that had evidently laid there for
years. The coming in and the going out OF
the cows and horses-all stabbed together
head to head-had gradually sifted this down
into the feed boxes. Poor Aker had failed to
common
out of pocket, but had the satisfaction OF
knowing that he was very much of an ass.