Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-18
by BESSIE BEATTY

and In sheer desperation each Is ready
to cut the throat Of the other II in so
doing he can save the smallest shred
OF his own reputation.
No method of treachery is too large
or too small for the takers, aud the
most sacred secrets OF the craft have
become common property.
At a meeting of the Truth seekers'
Society last Sunday morning, there
was a general row. The president of
the society has demanded that the
principles of truth in spiritualism
should be upheld and that only re-
ligious and not business mediums
should be allowed on the platform.
This idea did not meet with the ap-
proval of some of the members of the
society who are charged with being
takers or upholders of takers and the
resignation Of the entire set of officers
was called for. A new board was chosen
and Allan Parkinson was elected presi-
dent.
The former president denounced the
society as an organization upholding
fraud and said that he would no longer
be connected with organized spiritual
ism.
Says Society UphoIds Fraud
"I have given time and money in
trying to place the religious truth OF
spiritualism on sound basis in Los
Angeles. 1 stand for higher education
in mediumship, spiritual development,
cleanliness, purity and honor" said he
This society Is upholding fraud and
/ will not have my name connected
with an organization that upholds
mediums who advertise to give busi-
ness advice and profess to practice
physical phenomena.
"Spiritualists want to see mediums
recognized as ministers of the gospel
and want an ordinance passed exempt
ing them from the payment of license,
but in the event that they ask the
city for such an ordinance, 1 will fight
1t as long as there is the fraud in splr-
itualism which exists today"
During the week it has developed
that there is a mediums protective as
sociation in Los Angeles. formed for the
purpose of carrying on their work
without being bothered by law or by
those who are ready to sting back
when they have been stung.
Seek to Evade Law
1t is said that the two principal OBJ
jects of this society are to protect
mediums when they are arrested, and
to help them to evade paying the
license which the city imposes.
Certain members are delegated to
keep watch on the movements of the
Anti-Faker Society and there is a
"blue book that affords much valu-
able information to the initiated
OF this society the secretary, treas
urer and prime mover is Swami DR..
Mazzininanda.
Swami DR.. Mazzininanda of Benares,
India, If you please, is spiritual teach
er and lecturer and he is the divinity
who presides over Udana Karana
temple, 737 South Spring street, ac-
cording to his business card.
He has moved three times since his
last cards were printed, as shown by
the change of address, made in ink
over the printing First he occupied
suite 1928 Grand Pacific, then 428k
South Spring street, and now he is al
1877 South Spring street. 1t is probable
the various property owners to whom
he has paid rent would be able to give
a good reason for these numerous re-
movals.
SwamPs speciality is the trance me-
dunn stunt. He throws back his head
rolls his eyes around and from his lips
come the wise sayings and philosophy
of Buddha. Buddha, 1t seems, however
talks only when, through the mundane
ears of the medium, his spiritualtstiC
auditory nerve catches the merry
clink OF shekels. Swami also makes
a speciality of spirit pictures, revealing
shadowy forms standing back of the
subject photographed. One of these
photos shows the putative astral body
of the cockney Persian crosswise of
the plate. 1t is a bungling job and
every amateur photographer will in
stantly recognize 1t as a double eX-
posure and very crudely arranged
one. Some of these photographs in the
possession of The Herald show por-
traits of women with dim outlines OF
undermined double exposures showing
sister of the victim standing back
of her. The faker has so placed the
camera that the sitter appears well on
one side of the plate, thus giving room
for the fraudulent "spook' figure above
and on the other side. The work is
far from clever. Stupid indeed must
have been the sheep fleeced by this
coarse work
Claims togknow Black Art
This faker claims to possess the art
of black magic. He even claims to be
able to exercise it whenever and how
ever he wills.
Mrs. Elizabeth Bryan, medium who
is doing business in Los Angeles, re-
Gently lost an arm and ii is said that
the Swami has boasted that he, by the
aid OF MS Dlack magic, caused the arm
to turn black, necessitating the ampu-
tation of the injured member
Mrs. Bryan says that she was hyp-
Noticed once by Mazzininanda. and she
Is afraid of him. She believes that he
has some power over her, though she
cannot understand what 1t is In
some way she injured her arm wiwth a
rusty nail and blood poisoning re-
suited
1t is a well known fact among the
mediums that Mazzininanda and Mrs
Bryan have not been good friends and
wordy battles have been fought.
DR.. J. A. Mead says that he has
heard Mazzininanda boast that hC
shriveled Mrs. Bryan's arm.
But black magic failed DR.. Mazzin-
inanda Thursday night, when he came
into The Herald ONCE to convince the
city editor that The Heralds crusade
against fake mediums was all a mis-
take and that he had best be careful
lest the spirits pour out the phlals OF
their wrath on his devoted head.
He was not the most imposing sigh