Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-18
MILBURN FALLS EASY
PREY TO A BRIGHT
YOUNG WOMAN
MRS. CLAIRE sTRAcHAN

Thursday returned from a visit
to the establishments of two so-called
spiritualists loaded to the brim with
stories, the like OF which made Jules
Verne famous in the world of fiction.
Truly some of these disciples of Mum
chausen who have their signs out in
Los Angeles as go-betweens between
the denizens OF the spirit world and
this mundane sphere, are fit to rank
with their teacher, and should be
granted q diploma without more de-
lay.
am an admirer of Ananias, of Verne
and of Munchausen. l love to hear ana
read the tales of these masters In the
art of prevarication, for none of them,
1 am sure, ever had the nerve to sit
down and graft a person at the rate
of 81 a throw, for lies which were With
out foundation and tales which were
without base. Neither did they at
tempt to advise young men and women
in their love affairs. They did not Of
fer to tell you how to make millions
and out of pure love for humanity re-
fuse to touch the gold themselves,
while two mediums 1 visited Thursday
did all these things, and what was
worse, were willing to prey on the sor-
rows of meb and women, and wiring
from poor, credulous creatures the few
ter.
Mother Is a Schoolgirl
Since The Herald began the expose
of the methods used by the mediums
in Los Angeles l had been informed
that a great deal of care was being
taken by them to keep undesirable per-
sons-such as reporters-from visiting
their haunts. / was sorry, as I wished
to attend one Of the seances and see
for myself if all that was told of them
was true. l did not know how to go
about it, however, until an assignment
to visit them was given me. Then L
had to plan a way to get in. There
was only one thing to do. That was
to dress UP in short skirt, with my
hair in braid and endeavor to pass
as q loVe-sick schoolgirl anxious as
to the outcome of a love affair.
This 1 did, and Notwithstanding the
fact that / have a 2-year-old baby at
home, fiatter myself that few persons
could tell but what was about 10
years of age and just what pretended
to be-. ~
With a bundle of schoolbooks Sc
curely tied with strap under my
arm, l left the office prepared to meet
the foe. Ny feet strayed toward Sew
enth and Hill streets, for on that cor
ner l had been told Professor Mil
burn resided a spiritualist, a palmist,
a medium and the one who, l had
been informed, was the loudest In
words of condemnation for The Herald
In its crusade of showing the work
which he and others of his class were
perpetrating.
1 was ushered into a reception room
by a woman who looked at me closely
to see If by any chance / was re-
porter, but being deceived by my ap-
pearance and books at last consented
to call the professor.
MlIburn Not Imposing
When he came in l was astonished.
1 had expected to meet peculiar per-
son, but hardly of the class Milburn
Is. A tall man with tawny, uncut
hair, shiny black cutaway coat and
little regard for general appearances
was the spectacle which greeted me.
"Who are you? What do you want2
Who sent you here? Are these your
books?" he roared at me In Calling
gun order, while l stood I'm open
mouthed astonishment, wondering
what l had done that anyone should
roar at me like that.
Finally l managed to pluck up eour-
age enough to inform him that l
wanted a reading; had been sent 70
him by my schoolgirl friends ana that
1 supposed the books We're mine, as !
had paid for them.
II don't read for schoolgirls
don't know who sent you," he again
(cOatinued On PaSe sevsn'(