Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-08-14
English Prison Opens For Re
lease Of Famous Female
CRATER
WAS FORMERLY AN AMERICAN
Her Connection With the Immoral Cult
Known as "Theocratic Unity" Got
Her Into Observation-Disclosures OF Her
Career in America Caused Great
Sensation.
Sensation.

London. Aug 14.-Ann O'Delia Diss
Debar, who under the name of Laura
jackson, was sentenced on Lee. ~
1901. to seven years penal servitude
for connection with an immoral cult
known as the "Theocratic Unity OF
which her reputed husband, Theodore
Jackson, was the head, has been liber-
ated from Aylesbury prison under
ticket of leave, having obtained the
maximum reduction Of sentence by
good behavior.
Nine. Diss Debar has been known
under may names in the United States
and Great Britain, but her greatest
notoriety was achieved as the perpe-
traitor Of a so-called spiritualistic de-
ception, by which Luther r. Marsh,
of New York, was in his old age
stripped of his fortune which he had
accumulated in the practice of law
Tho claiming to be the daughter OF
King Louis l of Bavaria and Lola
Montez, she was in fact the daughter
of Prof John C. f. Saloman, once
of Washington and later of Kentucky.
She became the wife of Gen. Joseph
H. Diss Debar in the seventies and
later Travelled about the country rep
resenting herself as the REORGANIZATION
of occult powers and the retvealer OF
hidden truths, spiritualistic and other,
and in this way, while living in Wash
ington square, New York, she met
Marsh. and by means of alleged spirit
| materializations and spirit painted
pictures. SO infatuated him that he
gave her large sums of nancy ana
decided to her his home in Manson
avenue About this time General Dlss
Debar left the adventures, who Went
to live at the Marsh home, ana hlreo
apartments where she officiateo as
priestess of spiritualism and won
great notoriety.
suit was brought to show her up as
an imposter, and she was charged Win
conspiring to defraud Marsh. Her
trial resulted in her conviction, and she
was sentenced to a term of imprlson-
ment. On her release she went 10 Eu-
rope. then returned to this country,
and going to the west got into more
difficulties thru her representations OIL
bogus spiritualism. Under the name
of Vera p. Ava she fell into the hands
of the Chicago police, who sent her
| to the penitentiary at Joliet for two
wears Released from that institution,
she married William j. McGown, in
! 1895, at Chicago.
| MIR. McGown, like Marsh, was a man
of wealth, but this did net deter her
| from the practice of fraud. In 1899
she was run out of New Orleans with
Theodore Jackson, whose wife she then
said she was year later they turned
up at Cape Town, South Africa, where
Nine. Miss Debar called herself Helena
and jackson called himself Horos. Oc-
cultism and hypnotic performances
were the order there, and one OF her
South African dupes, wealthy con-
tractor. gave his money to the woman
| to establish q colony of brotherly love.
Soon afterwards the pair went to Lon
don. where she promoted the "Theo-
cratic Unity" organization, scandals in
connection with which led to their ar
rest in September. 1901. The trial,
which continued at intervals thru three
months developed facts of such
loathsome character that several of the
London papers excluded from their
columns all reports of the proceedings
| in court.
Mr.. Justice Bingham summed up
strongly against the prisoners, saying
it was difficult to conceive of more
revolving and aboininable conduct than
that which had been attributed to
them The jury quickly returned
verdict of guilty, whereupon the JUS
tice sentenced Jackson to fifteen years
penal servitude and his reputed wife
to seven years penal servitude.