The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-08-07
ARGENTINE INFESTED WITH A
BUNCH OF FORTUNE TELLEKS
BY John w. White, Jr.)
News SerYicel

NEWS OeIHlCcJ
BUENOS AIRES, Aug. MANY
centuries ago Saul paid a visit to the
witch of Endor and got small COM
fort thereby. But that witch's de-
cendants still flourish and the city
of Buenos Aires has been overrun
with their printed offers to call up
the prophet Samuel, or any other po-
tent spirit for the miserable fee of
one paper peso; gratis for the poor
on Sundays and holidays.
The Lord Mayor OF Buenos Aires
has finally decided to rid the city of
these soothsayers, for however little
they may appeal to educated people
and especially members of the north
ern races. their absurd claims are
taken very seriously by the illiterate
Door of the city, most of whom come
from Southern Europe. And the SUI
perstition of the better class Argen-
tine women makes her an easy prey
for these harpies.
Love may make the world go round,
but in a Latin-American country 1t
appears to create a tremendous
amount of what engineers term slip"
in the process. Which is just where
the fortune teller comes onto the
scene. The Latin maiden begins TO
discuss love and jealousy in their
particularly violent forms long ere
she is out of short skirts. Among
the lower orders, nine-tenths of her
time is devoted either to catching a
fiance, proving him unfaithful When
she has caught him, or endeavoring
to change him for something better.
So that the consultation rooms of the
fortune tellers are seldom empty.
There is a side of the fortune tell
ing business in Argentina which can
not be discussed in the public prints.
although the police records relative
thereto are sufficiently full and con-
vincing to remove all fear of an ac-
ton for libel.
Very seldom do the victims care
to appear in court, though there was
a case the other day wherein a lady,
consulted n of these moral counsel
lors and was told that her wish would
be granted if she would but bring
5000 pesos and seal it I'D in an
envelope in the presence of the di-
vlner, to the accompaniment of mys-
tic inc%antations. This was done and
the envelope returned to the dupe
with instructions to open it five DAYS
later, when the charm would work.
Needless to say, it did work most
effectually from the fortune teller's
viewpoint, the envelope being filled
with bits of paper when it was
opened. 1t is an old trick, but the
fact that it still can be worked so
successfully for so large a sum would
indicate that the Lord Mayor is JUS
titled in his attempt to clear away
these daring practitioners.
One of their best paying draws
is their advertised ability of bringing
people together from afar. It ap-
pears perfectly ridiculous to anyone
OF average intelligence, but it is a
real scourge and social pest upon the
lower orders, especially women and
girls, often without any real protec-
ton from relatives n friends, and
therefore easy prey to such manoeu-
vres. 1t is this feature of the bust
ness which has caused the Lord Mayor
to decree that Buenos Aires shall no
longer be the base of such operations
and the mystic messengers of the
spirits are folding up their tents and
sneaking away in the night to escape
the mailed fist of the law.