Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-24

and profoundly ignorant of the most
elmental scientific truth, whose meth
DDS and practices brand him unmistak
ably and undeniably fraud; whose
professions to spiritual insight become
in his mouth the recrudescence of BIAS
phemy.
Why should such a man be singled
out for such an attack? Because he
Is one of the most dangerous and most
successful of his class; because h. has
duped thousands of people in scores of
cities and gloatS over the fact that
he has been able to accumulate a for
tune in doing so. In Evans book it is
claimed that he owns a 100000 resi-
dence in San Francisco and a beautiful
resort in the Santa Cruz mountains of
six acres planted in fruit and trees, a
neat cottage home, where he was wont
to go for rest and recreation. He claims
to have accomplished all this in peri
cd of eight years, during which he
sold his "magnetized" states for IS a
pair.
The Faker's History
Several years ago man named Mark
Stoddard brought to San Francisco
Joseph Caffray and his wife, who We're
slate writing, materializing and physi-
cal mediums for dark seance perform
ances Caffray was accused of a breach
of faith by Stoddard and was ordered
to leave San Francisco on penalty of
being exposed. In San Francisco he
held classes and circles for the teach
ing of slate writing. Among those who
took lessons from him was Fred Evans
an illiterate but shrewd English sailor
who had drifted into the city. Caffray
told Stoddard before he left for the
east that he had developed Evans into
a fine slate writer. Caffray claimed to
have spirit control called John
Gray" and he was so impressed with
the cleverness of his pupil that he be-
queathed him his control" and Evans
manifestations always have been cred
tied to John Gray.
Evans first line of work was through
the production of spirit pictures on
states. His first published picture ap-
peared in a Boston magazine called
1.-THE Soul" 1t was Of an Indian girl,
with the name "Owasela" at the top.
The picture is an exact copy of a pic
ture of an Indian girl called ''Winona,"
owned by Mrs. j. w. Thomas of San
Francisco and published in the Carrier
Dove Of May, 1885, The upper half only
of the picture is copied. as it is too
large for the small "magnetized" states
which Evans used
Charlatan Is Exposed
In the Golden Gate of February 26,
1887, spiritualist paper then published
in San Francisco by j. j. Owen, there
appeared another picture done by Fred
Evans, said to have been in the control
of private medium who did not wish
the notoriety which the publication of
her name would give. This picture was
a copy of the portrait of 'Milly," Mrs.
Albert Morton's familiar spirit, which
appeared i'm the Carrier Dove of June,
1886, In this copy every line was the
same, with the exception of the neck
lace and earrings which had been
changed.
Another of Evans fake spirit pictures
was that of a Mrs Breed After her
death Evans came into possession OF a
picture of her which was published in
the Carrier Dove. Eight months after
her death he produced spirit picture
at seance in Childs' opera house
which was almost an exact reproduc-
tion Of the printed picture.
In Mr.. Evans book the first spirit
picture, supposed to have been drawn
for him by spirit artist, Is that of
Robert Hare, ana the claim is made
that 1t was obtained at public seance
given at San Jose, Cal, April 2, 1887
The picture is a line for line repro
duction of cut which appeared in the
Carrier Dove of eleven months previous.
Traced from Magazine Cuts
The picture of ID. ID. Home, on page
53 Of this book, bears under II the
words, obtained through the .Jeychic
power of Fred Evans" The picture
is crude tracing of a cut taken from
the Carrier Dove OF April, 1886,
A picture Of John Pierpont was al
legged to have been obtained between
closed states at seance given by
Prof Alfred Russell Wallace OF Lon
don on the occasion of his visit 20
San Francisco in 1887. 1t appeared in
the Carrier Dove of June, 1886. In the
Same way pictures Of Dr.. BENJAMIN
Rush, Prof. William Denton, i. u.