The Somerset reporter., 1909-05-27
Victory for Mrs. Vanderbilt.


Maine Spiritualists and especially
those of Somerset county will be in
terested to learn that the New York
courts have decided in favor of Mrs.
May Piper Vanderbilt, the note1
medium, in the action of her step
daughter, charging fraud in obtaining
possession of a house at 5s7 st. Marks
avenue, Brooklyn.
Mrs. Vanderbilt is one of the most
widely known of the psychic workers
in this country and has many times
appeared in Maine. During the sum-
mer of 1908 she was at the Etna camp
meeting and in October she was a
prominent speaker at the convention
of the Maine Spiritualist Association
held in SkoWhegan. She has been to
Russia appearing before the Tsar, and
to other foreign countries.
Several years ago she was married
to Edward w. Vanderbilt, wealthy
lumber dealer. His daughter, Min
erva, objected to the marriage and
began action in court. She sought to
have a guardian appointed on the
of managing his own business and
claiming that his wife had exerted a
wrong influence over him. The court
decided against this and other actions
were instituted. In each case the
judgment was against the daughter.
Finally the case got to the grand jury
aud an Indictment returned against
Mrs. Vanderbilt. This Indictment has
4 -,
Evening Sun tells the story of the dis
missal in this way.
Little Bright Eyes," the spirit
Pepper Vanderbilt of Brooklyn, scor-
ed heavily today in a decision handed
down by Judge Fawcett in the county
court in that borough.
Judge Fawcett dismissed the indict-
ment found by the Kings county
grand jury for November, 1907, when
Mrs. Pepper Vanderbilt was charged
"by trick and device" with the lar
ceny of the house and lot of 5S7 St.
Marks avenue.
The decision recites that the pro-
perty was given to the "Bishop" as a
birthday present, sfor valuable con-
sideration, to wit, low and affection" "
by Edward Ward Vanderbilt, the aged
but nimble lumberman, to whom she
was subsequently married.
Judge Fawcett says that the indlct-
ment should never have been brought
againt the "Bishop" and that there
was no evidence before the grand
jury to show that the "Bisbop" had
Wheedled the house and lot from her
spouse to- be.
'Uness," added the Judge, cit be
assumed, as a matter of law, that the
doctrines and theories of spiritualism
are false, that the defendant Mrs.
Pepper Vanderbilt) perpetrated a
fraud on Edward Ward Vanderbilt III
representing herself to be a spirit
ualistic medium, and thereby obtain
ed the deed to said property.
"Even them" the judge went on,
"under that phase of the record,
wrongdoing on the part of the de-
fendant, if at all, attaches to the said
transaction only by yelled innuendos
interpreted to be false"
Judge Fawcett in decision cover
ing three typewriter pages reviews
at length the efforts made by Minerva
Vanderbilt, Edward Ward Wander
bits daughter, to have her father de-
clared judicially insane. Further
more, the court says that the circum-
stances under which the Indictment
was found againt the "Bishop" point
unerringly toward persecution.
In conclusion Judge Fawcett says:
cit appears from the record that
Edward Ward Vanderbilt purchased
the house in question for a home to
reside in with the defendant after
their marriage"
This decision is regarded as the last
echo of what appeared to be inter
minable litigation concerning "spook
messages" and controls" in which
the "Bishop" and ''Little Bright Eyes"
figured prominently.