The sun., 1908-05-13
SUES MEDIUM FOR A HOUSE
AGED LAFYER SAYS SHE cor
1T FROM HIN BY FRAUD.

David s. White, who used to practise
Law In Manhattan before he retired has
lost all faith In spookery and has applied
TO the Supreme Court in Suffolk county
for assistance In getting back house and
lot he says he gave 10 Mrs Henrietta l..
Woodhouse, an elderly medium.
Mr.. White, now getting well along In
years, Lost his wife In May, 1901. His grief
made him III and weakened him 90 much
mentally he states In bis complaint against
Mrs. Woodhouse, that he was ready to
believe In the existence Of spirits and that
II was possible for him to communicate
with his dead wife. He made certain In
uulries about that time and made eventually
the acquaintance Of Mrs. Woodhouse,
whose home 10 at 702 West i25th street.
A number OF persons interested 10 wire
less communication between bere and
the beyond tipped Mrs. Woodhouse as the
best conductor Of soul waves going MIR.
White was further interested and talked
Over the possibilities Of his own case, 30
he states, with her. She took the case
eagerly and let Mr.. White understand, 80
he sets out for the information OF the Court,
that she was on especially friendly terms
with the population Of spookland and that
in fact some Of our most prominent spirits
we're in the habit Of giving her inside in
formation on matters Of importance, Mr..
White got the notion that a spOok couldn't
be happy "over there until its a spirit
he, she or it'-had got a little sounder all
for itself in the spirits wireless station
and begun to fash messages TO Mrs
Henrietta.
Mr. White told Mrs Henrietta how az
fectionate had been the relations Of his
wife and himself, and that he was certain
that II such thing as spiritualism could be,
Mrs. White would not let him remain lonely
in his grief, but would surely send him reas-
surng messages He was told that much
all in trith-depended upon the medium.
No matter how eager spirit was TO get in
touch with a mortal, no matter how II
writhed and tap-tapped its sounder and
sent out beseechlng messag ges there would
be no results Of benefit to the living unless
the medium was a good conductor and .
chum Of the ghosts.
Mrs. Henrietta said confidently. so MIR.
White relates. that she was an Al, tip top,
high class medium, not an overnight entry
for the medium selling stakes She wanted
10 know all the details Of the married life
Of the White, and Mr.. White. willing 10 help
all he could. ralated TO her everything Of
interest. There we're names and dates and
details. so much information that any
medium with a retentive memory or we'll
sharpened pencil and notebook could have
acquired enough data for decades expert
menting
Mr.. White began to have a number Of
private s6ances with Ms. Henrietta, and the
results we're pleasing TO him. Many mes
sages Of such private and intimate nature
that he couldn't allow himself 10 doubt
their authenticity. or suppose for one in
atant that there was any deception, came
to him from 'over there Mrs. Henrietta
was delighted Finally she produced the
very spirit OF Mrs. White, and the spirit,
the husband says, oonversed with him in
the dark He had faith then, and he con-
tinued 10 believe even when Mrs, Henrietta
told him one day that his wife 8 spirit wanted
him 10 do something for her. Mrs. Henrietta.
That sounded ell right TO the elderly
lawyer, who had come to believe by that
time that MB. Henrietta had really re-
united his wife and himself, and Il made
him, he says, very happy. II his wife
wanted him TO do something for Mrs. Hen
rIetta il was all right with him. The me-
dium told him. he alleges, that the spirit OF
Mrs, White wanted him 70 purchase home
for her (the medium), that she insisted on
II and wouldn't be comfortable or happy
unless 'medy' was nicely provided for and
wouldn't have 10 worry about ugly, vulgar
material things.
Mr.. White looked about and near Milers
Place, in Suffolk county, not far from River
head, found q house with little ground
about IL. Mrs Ph0be J. Overton's home
a cosey little place with fruit trees. He paid
$3.50 cash down and gave a mortgage for
the remainder OF the purchase price, $3.50.
Then he turned 1t over 10 Mrs. Henrietta, he
informs the Court, and she accepted II
happily, thanking him on behalf Of herself
and her good friends 'oYer there That
was in September, 1902.
Time went by and Mr.. White began to get
better In physical and mental health. He
started 20 Inquire into the matter OF spiritual
ism with oalmer state Of mind. The more
he inquired and investigated the more the
whole business looked Ike trick work and
fraud, he says. He became convinced that
Mrs Woodhouse had got the house and lot
from him by taking advantage OF his credu-
ity. He asked her 70 return the property.
She was residing comfortably upon the
Widow 0verton's place then and couldn't
see Mr. Whites proposition with field
glasses. She had performed her part Of the
bargain and II Mr.. White was dissatisfied.
well, il wasn't up TO her. Very likely the
spirits would be rieved at such an eIhibi-
ton Of rank ingratItlde on Mr., Whites
part. Anyway, she wouldn t, and that was
the end OF II.
Mr.. White decided to sue her in the Suf-
folk Supreme Court for the recovery OF the
properly. Among other things hls COM
plalpt Atates
Plaintiff says that he now believes the
representations made by Henrietta l.. Wood
house . that she ever held commun J.
cations with his wife. and that the latter's
spirit or soul ever desired plaintiff TO pur-
chase for the defendant the premises. were
false and untrue and constituted a sOehme
Of fraud invented by the defendant with the
intent TO defraud the, plaintiff Of his prop
erty; TO impose upon and delude him while
he was In a weak mental aud physical con-
idtion 30 he demands judgment In con-
veyanoe OF the property to him a. well as
Judgment for rents and profits together with
such other relief as may be Just and necessary.
Mr.. White is living now at 1904 Bedford
avenue, Brooklyn, and is something over
90 years old Mrs. Woodhouse was not at
her Harlem address yesterday.