Martinsburg statesman. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1869-1906, 1906-03-16

and at the same time determined to
investigate the diabolical agencies at
work to destroy the happiness of my
home and family.
| told the driver to follow my wifes
cab, and at the end of its destination
to stop about a square behind. He
followed these instructions and after
a long, noisy ride over the rough
cobbles, halted abruptly and opened
the cab door for me to alight. l
paid him and dismissed the cab, and as
| saw my wife's dress disappear in
doorway down about the middle of
the next square, made for that di-
rection.
My heart gave a bound as / hur-
ried up the steps to the door l had
seen her enter. By some lucky chance
it was Unattached, and / walked into
the house. Great Heavens! The same
rich hangings, the divan with its GRIM
son drapery, the paintings-all re-
yealed themselves In the glare OF broad
daylight. ] heard the murmur of
voices somewhere in the house and
paused to catch the direction Of the
sound. l could not seem to make out.
Every minute was as an hour. | stood
in GREATNESS expectation a while long
er, then passed noiselessly over the
velvet carpet into the adjoining room.
A heavy portiere at the rear led into
still another, and from thence the
voices proceeded l recognized my
wifes in the most excited tone. |
glided closer to the curtain and dis
tinctly heard these words:
What you have already told me l
cannot help believe and while would
know more, l am afraid Oh!
can not, not now ="
Madam" some one interrupted
in the unmistakable voice of my even
ing's enchantress, Il am simply about
to present my impression of your
husband as he appears to me in that
astral personality which he is most
probably unconscious of possessing"
There was a deathlike stiffness for a
few minutes; suddenly broken by my
wife's voice in the most agitated tone
accompanied with a low sobbing:
"Oh my God. | cannot look! 1t is
my husband and yet SO strangely diff
ferent," l could hold back no longer;
drew aside the curtain and through
the folding doors which were opened
wide enough for the purpose, passed
in. l found myself in total darkness.
There were few seconds of suspense
and then-at first indistinctly, then
clearer and clearer out of the dark
ness-a face appeared; finally stand
ing in startling bas-relief against a
fiery nimbus that surrounded it. Ia
the wide open staring eyes, the com
pressed lips and sunken cheeks, rec
ognized my own phyiognomy!
"Sylyiai"
It was my wife's name / had ut
tered before I was conscious what
had done. There was distinct scream
from each woman; one of them fell!
| CROPPED my way in the darkness and
found it was my wife. picked her up.
and house / know not how. l have
vague memory of hailing a cab and
placing my wife in it and then driy-
ing home. All that night she was too
ill to move; but the next morning she
had recovered enough for me to report
at police headquarters.
The detective to whom / told my
story smiled.
You have been in the hands Of a !
couple Of notorious adventures" heA
'for whose arrest the au-
thorities of some large cities in this |
country and abroad are on the alert. /
The woman is a clairvoyant, and pro
fesses to make a specially of the sci |
ence of double personality; practicing
this humbuggery by the desperate |
means you describe by which she has
gathered a large clientele in this city |
The experiment in your case is one
of the most daring. The apparition of
your face is reproduction of a photo |
graph taken in your asenseless state
that evening in their house, for which
purpose you were decoyed there and
drugged. This by clever stereopti-
con effect was used to present the
startling revelation of your second
personality for your. wife's benefit, who
happens to be a patron of theirs, and
for whom the trick was contrived
They were arrested Last hight"