Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-25
through the magazine to discover il
possible a sheet of impression paper.

~ certain l turned the magazine over
and wrote the four questions.
The first was, 81 recently came to Los
Angeles from Denver. Shall my health
be better here?"
Second, II have an opportunity toI
purchase large quantity of mining
stock at a small price. Shall l buy?"
Third. Shall l marry the girl in Iowa
to whom ! have written many times in
the past few months?"
Fourth, I'm what business or profess
sion shall l be most successful?'
At the bottom of the slip l signed the
fictitious name of Albert F. Moses. My
occupation gave as student.
To none of the questions could correct
tnswers be given, as the conditions men,
toned in the queries do not exist. 1
have not recently come to Los Angeles
from Denver, 1 have no opportunity to
buy mining stocks, L have not been
writing to a girl in Iowa, and what
business 1 would be most successful in
no one can tell.
Before the medium took the two wom-
en- into the inner chamber he instructed
me to fold the paper, after 1 had writ
ten the questions, and to hold the pa
per in my left hand, thinking of the
written questions the while.
Anxious to comply with every condi-
tion made by st. Elmo, held the list
W
in my left hand and awaited the pleas
ure of st. Elmo.
Soon he opened the sliding doors and
invited me to enter. He then asked me
what sort of a reading I wished, and L
told him the full, complete life reading.
That costs 81.
l was conducted into the inner sane
turay, where the person who only has a
two-bit palm reading is not taken.
AlthnuDh it mid q ft o. and
the sun was bright outside, heavy cur
tains subdued the light 50 that the red
lights about the room cleaned brightly.
Nothing in the Envelope
An electric lamp hanging over the
center of the table threw a bright,
though subdued, light on the face of the
dupe, leaving the face of the medium
indistinct in the half darkness.
Upon the center of the table, carefully
inclosed in glass, was a paper with all
manner of mystic and supposedly pow
erful signs printed upon it.
A red devil with badly bowed legs
lay on his back on the table and held a
small swinging censer containing in
cense. The fittings of the room were
luxurious and rich; and the properties
used by the extremely clever actor
medium were impressive.
L was ushered into the innermost
room and told to take a seat across the
table from the clairvoyant. L did so,
and St. Elmo held my right hand and
contemplated.
Finally he instructed me to give him
the slip of paper upon which was the
list of questions and my bogus name
I did so, and he said: For the protec-
ton of my patrons, 1 always burn these
lists"
L was perfectly willing. Here for the
first time the medium slipped up. Seem
ingly he placed the list in plain white
envelope, thrust hatpin through it
and set fire to the whole.
AS the flame died down and expired,
st. Elmo asked to be excused from the
room for a few minutes. Gladly ac-
cepted his apology, as he left the room.
The envelope burned by the medium
to show his perfect good faith retained
it's shape, although completely con-
sumed by the flame.
Carefully and hurriedly I picked the
envelope to pieces. There was abso-
lutely nc slip of paper in 1t. st. Elmo
had skillfully palmed the paper and had
gone to the other room for the evident
purpose of reading it.
The first few sentences of the reading
were innocuous and had no guile. They
were merely a character delineation,
supposedly, of me. The words, swiftly
oPOhCh Wy lIlG lilGuluii StClilCu, llOW-
ever, to be set speech committed to
memory and spoken to every seeker af-
ter truth at st. Elmo's hands.
Finally he plunged into the questions
had written. None of them was an
swered directly, but they were circum-
stantially alluded to in the course of
the reading. First he told me that the
trouble about which l was worrying
was more imaginary than real.
This hn 10
which 1 had alluded was entirely inn
aginary. He told me not to buy the
/ mining stock, as | would not get my
I money back out of 1t.
Meets Real Estate Dealer
A tree full of fruit which st. Elmo
told me he saw over my head was, ac-
cording to him, certain sign that /
should succeed in any business under
| taking in which 1 might embark
Hands clasped above my head indi-
Gated that the girl to whom 1 had
written, in Iowa, and l were to wed
soon. Our union would be blessed by
two children, one boy and one girl,
and L would live to the age of II years,
while my wife would die at an earlier
! age.
Finally the real business of the read
| ing was started. In eonfiding accents
told st. Elmo that had about $500
I which l wished to invest to the great
est possible advantage.
1t was then and not until then that
the features of the clairvoyant's busi-
! ness showed themselves. In the course
of a long rambling talk 1 conveyed to
the medium the impression that to
separate me from my money would be
easy, that l was looking for an invest
ment that would pay 100 per cent a
year, and that L was willing to take his
advice in purchasing land, stock or any
thing
4 Long before this he had called me by
the fictitious name which 1 had written
.on the slip, thus showing that his
/ Journey TO the outer room had been for
the simple purpose of reading the ques-
| tions.
ST. Elmo gave me much advice OF
really sound character, and at first ad-
vised me to buy a lot in the southwest
section Of the city. told him that
was utterly unacquainted with local
conditions and that would be guided
| by his judgment,
The medium then told me OF Corona.
] near Riverside, and how cheap lots