The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-08-17
NINE. DISS DEBAR
OUT OF PRISON
The Notorious SwindIer Under Tickle
of Leave.
THE QUEEN OF OCCULT FRAUD.
Woman Who, With Reputed Husband, Headed
an Immoral Cult Called the "TheOcratlc
Unlty"-Through So.cailed Splrlt.painted
Pictures and Other Deceptious She Secured
the Fortune Of Luther Marsh.

London, (By Cable). = Ann O'Delia
Diss DeBar, who, under the name OF
Laura Jackson, was sentenced on De-
cember 20, 1901, to seven years penal
servitude for connection with an I'M
moral cult known as the "Theocratlc
Unity" of which her reputed husband,
Theodore Jackson, was the head, has
been liberated from Aylesbury prison
under ticket of leave, having obtained
the maximum reduction of sentence by
good behavior.
Mime. Diss DeBar has been known I'M
der many names in the United States
and Great Britain, but her greatest no
toriety was achieved as the perpetrator
of a so-called spiritualistic deception by
which Luther R. Marsh, of New York.
was in his old age stripped of his fortune
he had accumulated in the practice of
law. Though claiming to be the daugh-
of King Louis I. 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 repre-
senting herself as the personihcatlon OF
ocult powers and the revealer of hidden
truths, spiritualistic and other, and in
This way, while living in Washington
Square, New York, she met Marsh, and,
by means OF alleged spirit materializa-
lions and spirit painted pictures so in
Eatuated him that he gave her large sums
pf money and decided to her his home
IN Madison Avenue.
About this time General Diss Debar
left 1.-THE adventures, who went to live
Z at the Marsh home, and also hired apart
ments, where she oficiated as a priest
ess of spiritualism and won greater no
toriety.
Suit was brought to show her up as
an impostor, and she was charged with
sonspiring to defraud Marsh. Her trial
resulted in her conviction and she was
sentenced to term of Imprisonment.
On her release she went to Europe, then
returned to this country, and going to
the West got into more difficulties
through her representations of bogus
spiritualism. Under the name of Vera
P. Ava she fell into the hands of the
Chicago police, who sent her to the pen
tentiary at Joliet for two years. Re-
leased from that institution, she married
William ]. MCGOWAN in 1895 at Chicago.
Mr.. McGown like Marsh, was man of
wealth, but this did not deter her from
the practice of fraud. In 1890 she was
run out of New Orleans with Theodore
Jackson, whose wife she chen said she
was.
A year later they turned up in Cape
Town, South Africa, while Nine Diss
Debar called herself Helena and Jackson
called himself Horos. Occultism and
hypnotic performances were the order
there, and one of her South African
dupes, a wealthy contractor, gave his
money to the woman to establish a col
ony of brotherly love. Soon afterwards
the pair went to London, where they
promoted the Theocratic Unity organiza-
ton, scandals in connection with which
led to their arrest in September, 1901.
The trial, which continued at intervals
through three months, developed facts
of such loathsome character that sew
eral of the London papers excluded from
their columns all reports of the proceed
ings in court
Mr.. Justice Bigham summed up strong
ly against the prisoners, saying it was
difficult to conceive of more revolving
and abominable conduct than that which
had been attributed to them. The jury
quickly returned verdict of guilty,
whereupon the Justice sentenced Jack
son to IS years penal servitude and his
reputed wife to years penal servitude,