Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1905-10-08

THE death of Herbert Slade, the
slate writer, reminds me that
that worthy spent quite a while
at the Lafayette hotel In Los Angeles
many years ago. There were at that
time, as there are now, many Ange-
lenos who took much interest in psy-
chology, mind reading, spiritualism and
all that line of reconcile subjects,
spiritualism in the lead.
I interviewed Slade myself without
much success, which he explained by
saying that the divine afflatus, or
whatever it was he called it, was not
in full flow at the time of my visit,
he having had to do too much work
lately. and his power having been eX-
hausted for the moment. l did not
care to put him to the test again, but
he drew crowds of people here, who
were doubtless more successful than
i'm the experiences with him.
About that time an extraordinary in
stitution named the Societies Fraternia
was started down near Anaheim. Its
head was man named Schlesinger.
The large building used for its pur-
poses was filled with men, women and
children, who were to be brought to
great grade of moral and physical per-
lection by living on raw vegetables.
The disciples ana the poor little chill
dren were fed on scraped raw turnlps
and other nourishing and highly Stl1nu-
lating diet of that sort. The whole fra
ternity shortly developed into the most
finely articulated skeletons aver seen
on earth-all except SChlesinger him
self who remained. as he began, a
sleek. fat. greasy looking specimen of
the genus homo.
1t was soon learned that on his IRE
ouent visits to Los Angeles. Schles1nGer
was in the habit of gorging Eimself on
oysters and beefsteaks. and so MAIN
tanned his well-nou-ished physique.
After some months a great uproar was
raised In the neighborhood of his IN
stitute Many of the inmates, partlc-
ularly the babies. We're on the point OF
death: and the vegetarian scheme, I'M
der the fine Latin name, had to be
abandoned, and Schlesinger hied him to
fresh fields and pastures green.
Outside of his dictate hobby this
man was a mind reader and conjuror
of remarkable power, and he gave fire.
uuent seances in Los Angeles which
surprised people, and whose results
could not be explained on ordinary
grounds.
Tested Him
7 tested his occult gifts myself. We
sat down at a table. He cut a sheet
of foolscap into eight strips and asked
me to write the names of eight friends
of mine one for each, STIMULATING that
they should include the name of Il dead
friend. I wrote in the list that of Il
college mate of mine. who was killed
i'm one of the battles of the wilderness.
The slips were then folded up thrown
into my hat and Schlesinger took hold
of my right hand. telling me to take
out the slips one by one, and that he
would indicate to me when / had
touched that on which was the name
of my dead friend.
A great many currents passed from
his hand into mine The veins of his
forehead swelled to whipcords and sent
force into me as strong as that from
a small electric battery would have
done. When my hand touched the
fourth slip he stopped.
THAT is the name of your dead
friend" said he, take it outside of the
room, shut the door, open it and see.
When you have looked at it, fold it up
again, put it in your pocket so that [
can't see it, come in again, and L will
tell you the name"
| did as he suggested. On resuming
my seat at the table Schlesinger re-
marked:
II will write you a message from
your old schoolmate,' which he pro-
ceeded to do, writing it backward and
holding it up to the mirror for me to
read. 1t was one of those trifling mes
sages which always characterize these