French Frauds.

Manawatu Herald, 24 November 1904, Page 3

French Frauds.

SPIRIT MEDIUMS CLIPPING THE MUGS. It might have been thought that recent disclosures of frauds perpetrated upon unsuspecting persona by so-called spirit mediums would have brought occultism as a profession into disreputte and spoiled the trade for its professors. But this is by no means the case. There is, of course, in the Latin race a strong strain of superstition, which makes its members more susceptible to the influence of anything purporting to savor of the supernatural than either brunch of the Anglo-Saxon race, for instance. And certainly, in the teeth of the most adverse circumstances, Mme. Christmann, “the sorceress of Versailles,” must be congratulated on the strength of the faith she has managed to inspire inher votaries. Standing on independent ground, entirely apart from that occupied by Christian Science, it is as a faith healer that Mme. Christmann has com? before the public. Her iSethods are extremely simple; magnetized water appears to be the pripcipal, if not the only medium employed. The inquest upon the body of the victim of this treatment for Mme. Christmann numbers one martyr in the r|nks of her followers—goes to prove that, without the disease from which Mme. Barbaut was suffering, death must have ensued from insufficient nourishment. The deceased woman, Mme. Barbaut, was the wife of a cook in one of the large establishments in Paris. Early in the spring, Mme. Barbaut, who was 32 years old, fell ill with a form of dropsy, and her mother, Mme. Pleury, then living in Versailles, fetched her from her husband’s house and* placed her with Mme. ; Christmann, in whose medical skill she had—and indeed still has entire faith. In the first, week of August, Barbaut, a reservist, was caQed up to do his month’s military service, and he repaired to Ver-

saillea to take leave of his wife. He was at once introduced into a room where his wife was lying, cold and inanimate, bet hands crossed djjOh her breast. Mmc. Obrlstmann explained the condition of the patient to be one of “ renewal," and assured the alarmed husband that in ft vtefy short time his wife VVblild be restored to perfect health. To the ordinary beholder there is nothing particularly convincing about the exterior of the “ sorceress,” ’ her commonplace featured and receding chin being hy no means calculated to inspire Confidence in her divine inspiration. She, however, quite convinced Erabaut of her occult powers, who departed to Falaise, to join his regiment without any misgivings. But Mme. Brabaut had a sister whose faith in oceUltisni was less robust than that of her mother and brother-in-law, and she, in her turn, came to Versailles to inquire after the sick woman. On being refused admittance by Mme. Christmann she applied to the police, with the result that the dead woman’s body was removed to the morgue and a post mortem examination made. The medical evidence proved that death had already occurred when the husband visited his wife and during the three weeks that had elapsed since that event Mme. Christmann, ex-masseuse and sorceress had bathed the body in powerful antiseptics several times a day, placing fresh linen and burning the old. In this way she had to some extent arrested decomposition, though the other tenant of the house in which these lugubrious doings were taking place had several times complained to the concierge of the unpleasant smells which pervaded the staircase. Both husband and mother objected strongly to the post-mortem examination, as being likely to retard the process of “ renewal ” promised by the “ sorceress ” and confidently expected by both relatives. The odd thing about it is that Mme. Christmann does not appear to have made any money out of her cures. Her papers show that she has attempted to work by correspondence also, but not for lucre. On the contrary, she has in many instances shown herself to be generous to the poor and suffering. If proceedings are taken against her it will be on the charge of practising medicine without a license, but at present her mental condition is being inquired into. She calls herself the “ daughter of Christ,” and appears to be much in earnest. Another spirit, recently raised in Paris, that of a dead husband, has shown a good deal of wit. His widow, wishing to marry again, applied to a medium and asked her to communicate with her late husband, to find out whether or not he objected to the woman’s remarriage. The initial expenses of the affair cost the woman 150 francs, and brought the information that the dead man was, for his sins, then actually in hell. By the orders of the medium a note for 1000 francs, together with some jewellery formerly worn by the dead man, was placed in the vase and covered with a veil. Then, enjoining upon the widow to spend the night in prayer, and to burn lavender and sugar in the morning, the medium took leave of the client, informing her that the answer to her inquiry would be found in the place in which the money had been deposited. The following day the widow, accordingly, tremblingly opened the goblet and looked for the promised message. She found a slip of paper containing these words: “ I wish my successor joy, if he is still willing to have you after this exhibition of your folly ! ’’