Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-12-28
BELGIAN PROPHET
| HELDAS IMPOSTER
Woman Claims Miraculous
Healing Powers, Charged
With Frauds.
Correspondence Of The Star ana New York
World

hoios oTosoe1S In excitement. Re-
Gently the police arrested in the
sleepy suburb Of Forest a woman OF
singular character and antecedents.
She was In the habit OF describing
herself as pilgrim and apostle of
Christ. and a performer of miracu-
lous cures. She invariably appeared
In tho streets dressed as a Boy Scout,
shod in riding boots and golden spurs.
Sheer he-was known by her
friends as George Maresco, but her
real name is Bertha Mrazek, and the
story OF her life, as far as II is known
At present, makes strange reading.
Born In Brussels "a years ago OF
Czech father and Belgian mother,
she began at an early age to dance in
circus. became a great horsewoman
and finally a tanner Of tigers. She
was further known as lyrical artist.
. painter. During the war she acted
as nurse in a Belgian prisoners hos
pital under the German military
authority, but she apparently sue
ceeded in satisfying the Belgian
authorities as to the purity of her in
tentions, for after the war she be-
came attached to the Belgian mill
tary headquarters. and was sent to
Germany as a secret agent to report
on military formations In that coun-
try.
Cured Before Shrine.
While on that mission in Germany.
she fell I'll. so much so that she ac-
tually obtained an invalidity pension
from the military authorities. And
this is where the strangest part of
her story begins. She was struck
down by paralysis. Doctors declared
her case as hopeless. For a year she
lay in the hospital Then, being a
devout Catholic, she expressed a de-
sire to try a pilgrimage to Lourdes.
That being too expensive, she chose
the next best course, had herself car
ried on a stretcher to the church In
Hal, q small town near Brussels, &C
companied by the priest of Forest
There In that church in front OF the
image of the Holy Virgin she began
to raise heartrending cries. then got
up and calmly walked up the steps OF
the altar. She was completely cured.
The miracle was performed!
Her fame spread like wildf1re
among her friends and neighbors,
until the ecclesiastical authorities felt
the matter had gone too far, and ex-
communicated her. Nothing daunted,
she proceeded to found new relig-
ion, proclaimed herself the priest and
apostle of Christ, set up a church in
administered service in suitable garb,
and promised miraculous cures to the
sick in body or soul.
The number of her faithful grew.
and included men and women OF all
classes including the nobility and tie
church. To some she exhibited scars
on her own body. for others she con-
tented herself with putting on man
tie she pretended to have received
from Miss Edith Cavell. Gifts poured
in, and the saint" prospered exceed
ingiy-until the family of one of her
faithful. young woman, who, IT is
alleged, had spent a fortune on the
apostle, her chapel and her holy
works. Informed the police. This
awaiting trial. Meanwhile people
stand amazed before this example of
human credullty and are wondering
whether they have to deal with very
remarkable case of insanity or with
common, though uncommonly clever,
adventures.
Her usual method was as follows:
A sick person, attracted by her grow
ing reputation, would call on her,
asking her help. After being skillfuliy
questioned about his or her family
connections and financial circum-
stances. the patient would be asked to
make act of Catholic faith before the
altar of the private chapel, crowded
with statues of Joan of Arc, St.
Michael, the Virgin Mary and 40 on.
candles, flowers and a hundred imple-
ments of religious ceremonial. The
subdued light, the sacerdotal garb
and an odor of incense and ether
would de the rest to impress the
would-be adept.
Suddenly Bertha Mrazek would fsll
in a cataleptic fit, to the utter disriay
g. SsAr. Il
come to be cured. But presently the
apostle would come to, and having re-
ceived the cares of her nurse-for she
had a nurse who had blind faith in
her always ready at hand-would de-
clare, Illuminated with joy and hap
piness. she had had "a vision" and
received "a revelation" The revela-
ton naturally concerned the treat
ment which the patient would have to
follow.
On other occasions the apostle would
assemble her patients, and having
exercised upon them her hypnotic
powers would fall into ectasy and
trance, from which she would emerge
with her hands and chest covered
with sores These were her proofs of
the TRANSMISSION of the diseases of her
patients. proof which these latter ac-
cepted and still accept as absolutely
true ana dutneDL one Oh ner 1dltn-
full is ready TO swear in having seen
her float up the stairs without ever
touching one, of them. Others affirm
to have witnessed the cure of num-
Der of sick women and, in particular
of complete paraiytic. who was seen
to walk nimbly out of the house.
The final stage of her career be-
gan after her miraculous cure from
palsy IN the church OF Hal in July,
1920. What went before is less mag
nificent. Early in 1919 she was re-
celved by a charitable person, with
her child alleged to have been born
to her Just before the war of a Ger
man father named Becker. At ..his
period she found herself in state
of blacklist misery and pretended to
have suffered. Imprisonment by the
Germans A few months later she APP
peared at the "Chat Noir," a cabaret
of low type In a poor Brussels dis
trict. where she sang patriotic songs,
recited her own poetry and drew ex-
pressionist pictures. And before the
year 1919 was out she managed to
be sent to Germany on secret service
by the Belgian military authorities,
who, In 1920 granted her a military
pension for having been permanent
ly incapacitated In service.
Watched by Specialist. too
Since her arrest she has been pre-
tending to have had relapse. OF
paralysis, though she has offered the
prison authorities to heat to a red
glow a bar of iron by the mere act
Of sitting upon IT. The authorities de-
clined the offer. But. SHEETS being kept
in the closest observation by the
most famous Belgian specialist of
criminal pathology. DR.. Vervaeck,
whose report Is expected in a week
or so.