The times., 1899-03-31
THE SCRAPBOOK OF A
MAD SPIRIT MEDIUM
..Ottie Fowler an Inmate of
Bellevue Hospital.
Once Arrested as Witch and Or.
dered Out of Bridgeport.
Strange Prophecies That Come True
Her visit to Europe and the
Tiuttcr She Made There.

New York March 26.-There was trouble
last Tuesday in the house at 800 West
Forty second Street. A woman who oecu-
pied an upper, scantily furnished rear
room was acting strangely, and the chill
dren and other women in the house had
become afraid. A policeman was called in.
he looked at the woman, asked a few
questions. and then sententiousIy re-
marked:
She's got wheels or the D. T's. III
call an ambulance
An ambulance took the woman to Roose-
Welt Hospital. As it was driven away from
the house the woman sat up. and, looking
at the crowd on the curb, laughed and
cried out:
All. ye devils, You say I'm crazy.
Maybe am. but can tell We true, and the
truth ye fear. Ye skulk away from the
truth as rats do from sunshine"
At Roosevelt the doctors concluded that
the woman should be sent 10 the insane
pavilion al Bellevue for observation as TO
her sanity. Thither she was transferred
on the same day and this record was
made Of the case:
''Lottie Fowler, single, forty years old.
houseworker 309 West Forty second
Street Born in the United States and
lived in the city for two years Fathers
name. John Connolly; mothers name,
Hannah Connolly; friend, Mrs. Brayton.
is West Fifteenth Street"
She has been adjudged insane By Or.
Allan Fitch and DIR. Wildes, and on Mon
day she will be sent TO the state asylum.
There is reason TO believe that she is the
Lottie Fowler. soothsayer. cleirvoysnt and
Spirit medium. who, something more than
= quarter Of a century ago, was the most
talked about woman in New England for
a time.
In the early forties there lived in the city
OF Boston John Connolly and his wife.
They were humble folk, with no preten-
sions. In 1916 a daughter was born 10
Them. who. when she grew up, blossomed
out into spirit medium. At least, that
was what she called herself but among the
people who knew her she was just a plain
fortune teller. She foretold certain things
that came true, and succeeded in getting
advertisement and reputation as an un-
csnny person. AS she was making a fair
living. the young woman objected neither
TO the advertisement nor TO the uncompli-
mentary things said about her
Changed Her Name
The name her parents had given to her
a. baptism, Charlotte Connolly. was hard
ly professional enough. however. and she
changed IT to Lottie Fowler. a rsme
which looked better in her advertising.
Under this name she made tour Of New
England, giving seances and going into
frances for anyone who could pay for
them About 1870 she went to Bridgeport.
one day number Of girls who worked in
the factory of the Union Metallic Car
fridge Company went 10 her TO have their
fortunes told. The woman went into a
trance. had a talk with the Spirits" and
then predicted that in less than a week
an explosion would occur in the factory,
that good deal OF property would be de-
stroyed, and that one person would be
killed and several injured.
The girls went away in futter and told
her prophecy TO all who would listen. The
story spread like wildfire IL was taken
up and published in the Bridgeport papers
and little else was talked Of The officers
of the company and many others in the
town laughed at the story and suggested
that the prophecies of evil should be taken
into custody or driven from the town
Some Of the operatives in the factory quit
work and waited for the week to pass
These were the fortunate ones. for Just
six days after the prophecy was uttered
the explosion occurred In the chemical de-
partment Of the factory. That part OF the
supervising chemist. man named Zaotii
was killed. and several employees were in
jured. There was CONSERVATION in the
Town for a time. but this finally gave way
10 Indignation and among some Of the
citizens the life of the woman was demand
ed Some suggested that she be lynched
Others demanded that she be burned at the
stake, as the Salem witches were burned
The woman was arrested on some charge
or another All the money found upon her
and at her lodgings was confscated and
then she was put on trial before a Judge
named Bullock The Judge could not find
that the woman had committed any crime.
so instead of ordering her hanged or burn
ed ne discharged her with the recommen-
dation that she leave Bridgeport immed-
lately. In order thar she might be able to
follow the recommendation. he directed
thar her money be returned TO her
Hooted Oat Of Town.
The woman did as the Judge suggested.
and the boots and ieers OF the mob that
gathered at the station could be heard
above the rumble of the train that bore
her away. Her experience in Bridgeport
was worth fortune to Lottie Fowler and
sue needed no press agent TO herald her
arrival at a new town. She had only TO
register al hotel. and the newspapers did