The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-14
Grabbed by a Skeptic at
Onset Bay SeanCe.
Mediums Son Interfered lin
Behalf of His Mother.
Drove Out DOubter at the Point of a
Pistol and Was Fined.

WAREHAM, Aug. H.-A conviction In
court yesterday was the sequel of the
sensati ional exposure of q materializing
medium at Onset Bay camp ground, Mt
her seance last Saturday night. Sheriff
James W. Hurley had arrested Ray 5.
Sawyer, the son of Mrs. Jennie Hatcn, the
medium, and George w. Is. Leonard, for
assault upon Miss Ida Hagelstrom, a
message medium, the woman who made
the exposure.
Miss Hagelstrom testified that she
seized "spirit" at the seance, having
first asked the spirit to sit in her lap.
The spirit had done as requested. and
when she put her arms around 1t the
form asked tc be released, but Miss Hag-
elstrom refused, and held on tight, tear
ing the e'gauze netting which enveloped
the form from her. The form was Mrs.
Hatch.
Mrs. Hatch's son. Ray, a son by
former marriage, and Leonard, both
grabbed ber, Miss Haglestrom testified,
and Ray pounded ner arm and made 1t
black and blue. she could not raise 1t
the next day. Leonard choked her and
Miss Hsgelstrom kicked him in he stom-
ach. The two succeeded in getting the
mother away from her and into the csbi-
net.
Then Ray hourished pistol ana
pointed il at her. Then he drove her out
doors at the point OF the pistol an swore
at her, callinpS her vile names, and said:
" I'll fix you for this before you leave
these grounds"
Mrs. Judkins testified that she accom-
panied Miss Hagelstrom to the Hatch
seance. and that she saw the form come
and sit down in her companions lap,
and then there was tronble. The people
left and she was SO frightened she could
not move at first. The boy and Leonard
were near Miss Hagelstrom. She saw the
boy take the revolver and flourish 1t,
and heard him swear at Miss Hagelstrom.
She aid not SEQ Leonard choke her.
Could not see distinctly.
Ray Sawyer testified that he was there
"to defend his mother,' but corrected
this later, that his mother had gone into
the abinet and that he was there to de-
fend the spirit form instead. At this
point there was long discussion between
the court, the government and the de-
tense as to the competency of admitting
testimony that dealt with the unseen
world. p. NJ. Hatch, for his stepson,
said he knew that spiritualism had no
standing IN court, and stated that the
testimony of Spiritualist under oath
would not be accepted by the Massachu-
setts courts.
This declaration. produced a sensation
in court. Judge Alden denied it,
George w. Il. Leonard testified that the
spirit was his daughter who had died six
years ago, and.that he had been a spirit
ualist 40 years. He escorted the spirit
about the room and when 1t called for
help he tried TO tear ii away from Miss
Hagelstrom, but he pulled his way and
Miss Hsgelstrom pulled her way on the
spirit. The spirit was entirely resistless,
be declared, and according TO the yhil-
osophy of II the spirit could not offer
any resistance. 1t was out there, draw
ing on the mediums power for material
izing. Not to get it back to the cabinet
when thore was a rumpus meant sure
death TO the medium. These were the
facts of the case.
Leonard said tnat when he finally got
the spirit OF his dea daughter away
from Miss Hagelstrom 1t was by forcing
loose her grasp on this spirits wrist, and
that this was all the force he used upon
Miss Uagelstrom. The government asked
for Mrs. Hatch, the medium, who had
been summoned ny the defense, but who
had not been put on tho witness stand.
Then occurred one OF the most dramatic
scenes in this out-of-the-or binary case.
Mrs. Hatch tainted. An officer was des-
patched for water and she was removed
to the private office OF the clerk of the
court by her son and young woman of
the family. AS there was no hope OF
securing her presence for some time the
government finally concluded not to put
her on and the case was closed.
The government asked the court to
give the defendant all the punishment
that was needed to correct the tendency
of some persons at the Onset camp
ground to humbug people. 1t was
claimed that the better class OF Spiritu-