Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-10-22
HARRISON SE|FERD
HAD POWER To SELL
At BARGAIN PRICES
Register Hears How 1t Melted Bulk
of $4,000 in Contested
Will Case

How Harrison Seiferd Sold to such
folks as cared to pay for the tips, GER
tain mysterious powers which were
guaranteed to induce courts to grant
liquor licenses, councils to pass sewer
| ordinances, to drive away reaches
bring on storms, debtors to square ac-
counts, assured protection from ones
enemies, cured one of illnesses, obtain
ed tenants or purchaserS-whatsoev
the anxious landlord might desire
for empty dwellings. etc. was told to-
day to Register of Wills Roy c. Dam
ner at hearing to determine whether
| or not a Will involving n $4,000 es-
tate should be admitted to probate.
The case was brought to the regis
trar's attention by the filing of ca
viat or warning to the officials not to
admit to probate the will of Mrs. Mar
tha j. Adams. of PETER near Sixth
streets.
Mr.. Seiferd Was Powerful
The action was begun by Susanna
Albright who benefited by Mrs. Adams
VIII to the extent of $500. Other bene-
hciaries include Martha and Maria AL
bright, Tessie Burlington, Rachel
Comleigh and Martha Swartz. each
having been bequeathed $500. The re-
mainder of the estate was bequeathed
to Seiferd.
The will was made October 1, 1918,
anu Ihe opJecllon was nled IN August
on the ground that Mrs. Adams was
unduly influenced to turn over her
holdings to Seiferd by the latter's curl
Gus exercise of his powers. Seiferd
himself was in court. He is about six
feet tall and weighs in the neighbor-
hood of 200 pounds. Otherwise he
doesn't appear as powerful as the wit
nesses claim him to have been.
Attorney James G.. Hatz who is rep
resenting the contestant, produced a
whole lot of curious exhibits to sup
port his contention that Mrs. Adams
had been influenced by Seiferd's prom
ises of powers" The defendant, HAITI
contends, had exerted the same in
fluence over Adams, and had convinc-
ed the widow that he was in close
touch with Adams after the latter had
passed beyond the realm of worldly
troubles.
More Power to Mr.. Seiferd
Among other things were several
curious little bags-"power bags
the defendant called them. One con-
tanned bit of hair and a toe nail;
another contained some pencil scrib-
blings which Seiferd said were Latin"
They We're all sure guarantees of some
thing or other.
One of these bags insured the wear
er against all sorts of 'harm-and the
luckless individual who found the bag
and tried to use 1t himself risked a
prompt and probably awful death.
Among other things Attorney HAITI
produced via one Mrs. J. NJ. Rummler
q widow who has been so reduced in
circumstances that she has to work
for her own living, was Rummler's
diary. AT one time the Rummlers
were worth in the neighborhood of
$4,000.
Mr.. Rummler's Diary
The diary included Mr.. Rummler's
accounts and dated back to 1896.
Here and there were curious en-
tries for which Rummler paid vary
ing sums. His effort to have an ordi-
nance passed in council via the
power" method cost him $40. That
power was intended to bind all the
councilmen to vote for the measure
rhe diary didn't mention whether the
power was satisfactory.
On another occasion an item of
500 was noted. The higher priced
power was to guarantee the issue of q
liquor license to Rummler by the
Dauphin county courts. All the
power was contained in a bag which
the holder was to work" License
court came round and Rummler
worked the bag. Something must have
slipped a cog, however-because the
power" was shut off. At any rate
Rummler didn't get the license.
Seiferd, however, according to
Rummler's diary, evidently had his
bargain days. Powers" were dispos-
ed of from as little as 38 cents to as
much as SAT- and $11.16.
Another item in Rummler's diary
was a check for $11 which included
car fare, incidental expenses to Phil
adelphia and power" to put up a
for sale sign on one of Rummler's
houses which was sure guarantee of
results.
Seiferd, it is said, was once in the
clutches of the law for practicing
clairvoyance. He owns an automobile
now.