The Washington times., 1901-10-06
FRAUD ORDER ON THOUGHT
A Curious Problem for the Post
Office Authorities.
Mental Science the scheme Advcr-
ti~ed TO Cure Poverty and All Dis
ca~es-Vromoter hcpt busy T"isi"-
Money From Letters Sent in Reply.

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| Money From Letters Sent in Reply
! The Postmaster General. upon recon
mendation Of the Assistant Attorney Gen
/ oral for the Postofice Department. issued
/ fraud orders yesterday against Mrs, Her
/ On Wilmans and Helen Wilmans at Sea
| breeze, Fla II was alleged that -HIs
/ Wiimans operated a scheme by when Sh'
/ offered to cure diseases Of all Kinds ana
/ poverty by means Of so called mental
/ science. which was described in pam
phlet denominated instructions to Pa
| TENTS and other papers The scheme, II
| is alleged. was begun by the insertion, IN
papers sent through the mails, OF adNer-
tisements stating that cures of all kinds
can be effected by the thought OF Mrs.
Helen Wilmans.
These advertisements. it is said, were
in the form Of printed letters purportins
to be from persons who had taken the
treatment writing explaining the char
acter of work supposed to be accom-
plished. and other statements. 1t is stated
in these articles that poverty and all as
eases can be successfully treated. To per-
sons attracted by the statements and ad-
vereisements was sent circular entitled
which occurred the following statement:
In answer to your request Will say
that my terms TO-. ,bsent treatment are
50 per week, paid weekly in advance. or
SO per month, paid monthly in advance.
This, however, / do say most eInphaucaI-
ly. that Mental Science will cure any dis
ease. no matter what disease, if the pa
tient will hold to this thought long enough
to give it a chance to work, and as Il rule
this is not very long. l cannot enumeratc
the various diseases | have treated, but i
believe my experience which covers a
space of ten years will take in the entire
list, and / have not merely treated them;
/ have cured them often in u short time.
If the patron remitted the amount call
ed for, he was sent a pamphlet entitled
instructions to Patients, which, among
other matters. contained the following:
Il wish YOU to so alone for fifteen min
utes each day. and hold yourself recep-
tive to my thought, as If you were qulet-
ly expecting some thing pleasant to come
10 you. Do not make any great efforts to
fix your thoughts on, but trust me to
draw your thoughts to me; / can do 1t
better for you than you do 1t for your
self If your mind WandSrs do not try
to force IT back, but leave it free. If you
become drowsy give way to the feellng;
do not antagoniZc it. / Will take care OF
you and all my patients in thought OF alb
SOlute health always. Think OF me ana
say TO your self: She is sending me what
l need, and you viii be benefited at
once. Whenever pain takes you, think
of me, rely on me, and relief Will come.
Drop all cares. worries, anXieties fears,
and apprehensiOns, and just rest, abSO-
lutely rest, in the feeling that my strength
Will enter and sustain YOU. In this aJt-
tuGe of relaxation, in this tensionlCss
condition, my strong. purposeful, vital
will-forcg will enter and flow through you
as the brCezeS sweep through the trees,
carrying away all diseased conditions.
Say to yourself. 1 have no more to do
for myself. Helen Williams has ii all to
do for me, and | will not interfere. l
will just rest and laugh and play and be
free from responsibility Rest assure
that | shall treat you with great power
and faithfuiness."
1t was brought to light in the investi-
CATION carried on by the Assistant At
tOrney General that no such thoughts or
relations as described by Helen Wilmans
when soliciting money Were given her
patients, but that she simply collected
the So per week, or the SO per month
from each Of them as long as they saw
fit to send her the money.
The evidence before the Post Office De
partment showed that during a long
period, while a person by the name OF
Dayton was acting as Mrs. Wilmans
chief clerk, Mrs. Wilmans opened the
mail coming to her address and simply
toph pHt tllt HloiltSr anu WITHOUT tdTt-
fully reading any such mail and without
examining any part of 1t in any way, fur
ther than TO extract the money, the same
was handed to the chief clerk to answer
with certain stereotyped letters to fit the
different enquiries. These letters it was
shown. We're mailed to the patients with
out being reviewed or seen by Mrs. VII
mans, and that on some occasions. whei
Mrs. Wilmans was absent from home,
the letters were opened and answered in
the same manner as when Mrs. Wilmans
was present Evidence was offered by
the defence that the methods in vogue
at the time the Daytons were in her en-
ploy had hcen changed, and that Mrs
Wilmans not only opened the mail at the
present time, but also reviewed the let