Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-30
.SPOOk ARTISTS
NlPPED IN MIDST
OF BIG SEANCE
CHILD MEDIUM CAUGHT IN ACT
BY THE POLICE
TWO WOMEN AND TWO MEN ARE
ARRESTED
Audience of 200 shrieks About "out-
rage" as Child's so-Called Spirit
Hand Is Caught in That of
Plain Clothes Man
n ERHAPs Hamlet did not see his

DERHAPS Hamlet did not see his
fathers ghost, but was the victim
of fake Spiritualistic manifesto
tion. Such is the opinion of two of
Chief Dishman's men, who, after wit
Messing a thrilling half hour of weird
spirit performances, calmly grabbed a
ghost and now the city jail is filled
with real spooks.
About 200 gullible specimens of hui
manity who were passing a thrilling
and hair-raising half hour last night
at Burbank hall had their illusions
sadly shattered when at the most spec
tacular part of the performance an ap-
parent convert grabbed the spirit hand
of curtain-enshrouded spook and il
a courtly manner announced that The
house is pinched; please remain quiet
and orderly
companion and supposed pal of
the spirit world enthusiasts immedi-
ately appeared at the side of the court
ly captor of the ghostly performer, and
two shields flashed together in the
electric lights of the stage, while tive
plain clothes men proceeded to garner
in few prisoners under the charge of
conducting a Spiritualistic seance with
out a license, and engaging and hiring,
a minor child contrary to the statutes.
Ghost Present at Start
The meeting which ended so disas-
trousy to its promoters and landed
them in the police station had all the
| appearance of being the real hot
dope" So we'll prepared for the occa-
sion was the child medium and marvel
that the lights were not turned down,
but she was placed, bound in a chair,
before a black curtain background,
behind which the spirits cut up in a
most scandalous manner.
The ghost of a person referred to as
Carter-presumably the celebrated de-
tective, Nick Carter-was cutting high
jinks behind the curtain, playing on
harps, writing notes and passing water
through the curtain, when the unpre-
tentious living sleuths employed by
Mr.. Dishman put an end to his pranks.
After several people, who were palp
ably fixed" or members of the crowd
of Spiritualistic promoters, had gained
the stage and taken harps, notes, AMI
other things from the ghostly hands
of Carter, DetectiV Bert R. Parker
finally succeeded in getting up. on the
stage, although many attempts were
made to keep only the known loyal
pals in the foreground.
Parker assumed the air of a simple
convert and trudged bashfully up to
the curtain, while Detective Frank
Mack slipped behind in such man
ner as to lead all to believe that he was
enthralled by the strange spectacle.
Harp Received BashfuIIy
Bashfully Parker received the harp
and passed it back slowly enough to
give his companion time to be near the
scene of action, AS Mack got within
a few feet, Parker extended the harp
to return it to Carter. The mystic hand
rose above the curtain. In a flash
Parker grabbed it, Mack pushed back
the curtain which enshrouded the
child medium, and the girl spook as
sistant was lifted clear out of her
chair by the detective
The shade of the marvellous NICK
Carter vanished and left. strange to
say, only the hand of little girl with
in the officers grasp. Parker released
the childs hand in order not to break
the frail little arm, and while the
business-lilze. detective announced his
mission, a noisy and threatening crowd
surrounded him.
The "real bugs of the gathering
were loud in their denunciation of
what they termed "an impious and
wicked outrage" and they argued to
show that the reason why the officer
did not lift the hand and arm clear
out beyond the curtain was because
"the spirit hand had dematerialized
itself and slipped away"
Spook Artists Arrested
However, the spook-chasing sleuths
could not see the matter in that light,
and, after letting the victims Of their
own hallucinations depart, they re-
moved and booked those whom they are
convinced are the promoters of the
affair.
At the central police station r. A.
Dean, Mrs. R. A. Dean, r. r. Nor
cross and Mrs. E. r. Norcross were
all booked under the charge of operat-
ing Spiritualistic seance without
license. and Mrs Dean was booked
LO oaI oh nf
gaging and permitting a minor child
to take part in a stage performance of
a nature calculated to he injurious to
the best interests, health and general
well being Of the child.
All of those booked are well known
in this world as being right-hand
chums of those in the spOok world, and
Mr.. and Mrs. Norcross are the par
ents of Helena Norcross, the child
medium.
Helena is apparently not more than
Ii or 70 years of age, and is a sweet
faced little girl whose youth and in
nocent demeanor are calculated to have
strong effect upon the skeptical.
! However. it appears that Helena is
not as innocent as she looks, and, from
the discovery made by the police de-
tectives, she has been we'll drilled and
trained by her parents, and may pos
sibly be double-jointed.
The meeting opened with some musi-
cal selections, which. If they had been
chosen to frighten away mortals, could
never have been more effective. Tt is
evident that spirits do not have their
musical ears very we'll cultivated. for
if they had they would not have
been found within ten miles of Bur-
bank hall.
Real Atrocity Perpetrated
One horrible atrocity was perpetrated
nv fat man who sang. rather
sputtered family. through some
verses of what was possibly senti-
mental song. 1t might have been a
funeral dirge, or even a comic song
for anything that the audience could
learn If there is any spirit in the
world of darkness who has a worse
voice than the stout performer. It "a
certain that he is not in the angel
Continued Page Fivel