The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-17

of the other world SO long as they pay
their score at Reedley. My own faith, or
lack of it, is matter between Little Kitty
and myself alone. But the two that rode
from Reedley had travelled over the ground
many times before in search of the same
bones-the one prompted by his kindly
regard for the poor old man so cruelty
robbed and murdered, the other bent on
solving the last mysterious feature OF the
most remarkable tragedy that has ever
occurred in California.
One day. few weeks ago, an old man
named Mitchell came into Fresno from
his home at Fowler. He brought small
package with him. He took this package
to Anna r. Peckham, one of the most sue
cessful mediums of Fresno, and asked her
to tell him what the package contained:
Miss Peckham went into trance at once,
held the package to her brow and then
answered'the question OF the man from
Fowler in a way that set all Fresno
County again talking about the mystery
CT Wootton.
"That package contains the spectacles
worn by Uncle Billy Wootton," said the
medium. And then she went on to tell
how Wootton was murdered, how he was
doubled up in his grave, and how the
grave was on the Wootton ranch, under q
clump of oak trees, where the land was
marshy and had been trampled upon by
cattle.
OF course the Fresno papers printed all
this, with possibly a reportorial embel-
lishment or two, and again there was
great interest revived and much talk of
organizing searching parties to go down to
the ranch and dig up the bones. But the
the southeast of Wootton, and the nearest
railway station is Reedley, fifteen miles
distant from the ranch.
Then DR.. Louis Schlessinger, the famous
San Francisco medium, came down to
Fresno and had trance. He, also, saw
Wootton's body in about the same condl-
ton and in the same general location as
that described by the young woman, who
could recognize Wootton's spectacles
through several thicknesses Of Opaque
wrapping paper. There was more talk of
more searching parties, but no search was
instituted.
Public interest was kept alive. however,
by these clairvoyant phenomena. There
are many spiritualists in Fresno County
and there are many others whose expert
ences in the world have been too broad to
enable them to scott at even the much
derided and often quite fraudulent spirit
uaistic manifestation"
So the time was ripe for the advent of
Mrs. Cowell, the Oakland test medium.
She is generously built lady, of pleasing
face and manner. She came to Fresno to
enjoy the mild dry climate and a needed
rest. She took quarters at the Pleasant
View House. where Anna r. Peckham re-
sided.
The local spiritualists visited her and
asked for seances. Circles were formed.
Many came. Little Kitty was the ICON
troll" Her performances created much
interest. The fame of Mrs. Cowell spread.
One evening young man joined the circle
who was unknown to the others present.
(Of course, l am giving all this second
hand, for l was not present at any of the
seances. But many reputable men oil
Fresno pledge their word that no one in
the room knew that this stranger was
Stanton Abbott, brother of the man whose
name appeared in the forged Wootton
deeds. The Abbotts and Sanders were
very friendly, had secrets in common and
were suspected alike for long time.)
Mrs. Cowell, in her trance state, began
to act peculiarly. She seemed to suffer
greatly. The stranger was asked to leave
the room. He departed, but still the
medium suffered. After while she grew
calm. Then sheer rather Little Kitty,
speaking through her-told the astonished
listeners that the man who had left the
room knew a great deal about the Wootton
murder, knew where the body was buried,
had helped to bury it. Mrs. Cowell's hand
seized pencil and paper and drew map
of the Wootton ranch. This map l have
seen. 1t is nearly accurate. In one place
the main road bends little in the wrong
direction, but the location of the cabin,
the barn, the wheatfield, the corral and all
the important features of the big ranch
are marked preci sely as they are located.
To the south and a little back of the cabin
| is a small ravine or drain for spring that
is almost extinct now. At the head of this
ravine, near the spring, is clump of trees
( and patch of moist ground.
Singularly enough this is about the only
spot on the entire ranch that was not
searched about two years ago, and what is
more singular still is the fact that this spot
could have been overlooked by the search.
ers for 1t affords exceptional facilities fol-
the crime. At this spot the pencil in the
hand of the medium stopped and began to
make small circles. "Here, here" said
Little Kitty with the voice of Mrs. Cowell
Here is the grave; it's been tramped
tramped, tramped by the cattle. The body
is doubled up"
Mr.. Kite was present at this seance. He
secured the diagram and resolved to make
search of the place indicated. A day Oh
two later Stanton Abbott again appeared
| at a seance of Mrs. Cowell's. Again the
medium suffered. II suffered ago
MES" she told me, "and / will never have
anything more TO do with the Wootton
case. 1t causes me too much pain"
But it is told now how she called Alb.
bott by his name and under terror of the
uncanny phenomena extracted from him
what is said to have been an admission
that he knew the whereabouts of Woot.
toms burial, that he helped Sanders dig
the grave, thrust the body into 1t, and re-
fill the hole. A further refuted admission
goes to the effect that Stanton Abbott
slept in the clump of trees near the grave
two nights after the murder, either fear
ing to be seen leaving the ranch or in or
der to remain and destroy all evidences o.
the ground having been freshly broken.
Some Of these things found their way
into the local papers, and there was con
cid do hlo f1r &ba e.,