FUTURIST FRAUDS AND FAKIRS.

NZ Truth, Issue 145, 28 March 1908, Page 5

FUTURIST FRAUDS AND FAKIRS.

A CROP OF CHRISTCHURCH CLAIRVOYANTS COURTED.

Cop Ingram's Beautiful Bad

Temper.

Matron Mcßride Promised Another

Groom.

Ohristchurch is easily the most sinful, saintly, and spiritoially-impos-ed-upon community m New Zealand. The prostitute flourishes not, because she has too many amateur competitors, but the courts reek with offences directly attributable to sexual knowledge ; hypocritical religious bounders tftrive there, / and any person with>a new religion is hailed with acclaim m the City of the Plains. It is the home of the spiritualist, the clairvoyant, the hypnotist, the fortune-teller, the palmist, and sundry unclassified imposters, and policemen develop enlargement of the feet owing to their excessive pedal exercise m rounding; up sinners. The credulity of the Obristchurch public is unfathomable. Vulgar and uneducated women, smart women of the world, and women who are not very particular m a variety of sen.ses, cast the horoscope and probe into the future . m search •of a dark man or a fair person m trousers, or for information respecting a mysterious sea voyage and other rot, and the confiding; public contributes its' half-crown or its five bob m fear and trembling, while the woman who is soon to be a widow and meet another bloke of surpassing richness, waits for the illness of hubby and assists him heavenwards with due humility. The police cast its net recently and made a huge haul of fortune-telling fakdrsi • The pious daily press had been assisting these social parasites to prey upon the pubtic by publishing particulars of their practices and the lay of their premises, and the most, sentimental members' of the force were sent along to have their fortunes told ; likewise the motherly police matron acknowledged a superstitious interest m the future a-s disclosed* by the crib pack m her presence. >

A NUMBER. pF FEMALE FRAUDS were police-cburted a.cooi^le ,of weeks back, the first 'of ; tfhe second batch being Madame St. Leon, who was deceived, by the beautiful, black moustache of Bobby laigram into the idea that he was a -mere civilian. The copper visited "Madame's place at 8.15 ' p.m., and was admitted to the mysterious dwelling by a little gifli The lady picked up his d-bok, and? dropped at once to the fact that he was a bad-tempered man. Perhaps it was the" way he contrasted with some of her' ; earnest and agreeable male visitors. She said he couldn't stand : too many masters. The usual bosh about him being left. money or property 'by the customary Aincle m Fiji wasn't, very interesbin-K,' but the intimation that Ingrain is to have two wives is liable to cause annoyance to the peeler's preserft missus. The future . Commissioner was told that he would make a good teacher and singer, and will probably be heard on his lonely night beat emulating; Clara Butt's Kennerley m his most cultivated, vocal passages. It is not astonishing that a gifted person like this will forsake his uniform for a deep water voyage. The charge of 2s 6d for the information would 'be cheap at half the price. Evidence to the above^ efiect seemed to afford much entertainment to lawyer Donnelly, who appeared for the mistress of the black art. "Did she say you were a man who didn't like hard work ?" he asked. . "No : she said I could do hard w/jrk, 'but it wouldn't agree with me," replied the bobby, amid laughter. "I do hard work at home," he added, aggrieved. ■ ; The learned Donnelly delved into the legal aspect of the question, and made remarks about the musty enactments of George II- and George IV., to which this enlightened Dominion is indebted for legislation on the subject. The charge, he reckoned, was laid undey the wrong section. . '' / After' hearing argument, Magistrate Day held that the information had been correctly laid, and imposed a m- of ;vit? anrl costs. A singular thing about the case of Mr; >> <owa rt was she was originally brought^ before Justices, who dismissthc information, 1 The police haled her before the Court again, but .as they made no addition, to the old set of facts, Magistrate Day dismissed the information. • AN INGENIOUS BOBBY named McCormdek was the mieans of putting Madam© Reilly up. (Madame is more impressive than "Mrs," and awes the victim.) Fixing a ! spiritual eye on the dupe, she asked him if he had a watoh. He produced his W.aterbury. which she wrapped m a lump of velvet m a mysterious manner. The peeler lied m the iw terests of Justice' by telling her h« was a carpenter, and, inspired by the watch, she said he would leavrc his present location for a period of five years. Before his return he, would have a lot of worry and would" be badly pressed for money. Judging by Mac's countenance, it was easy to see that there was nothing vertr original about the last remark. She warned him earnestly- not to go near any boat on fresh water, but admitted, under pressure, that the same objection didn't apply to salt -water. Her opinion of a journey on a sea of beer .wasn't asked, unfortunately. "Two-and-six, please." Oscar Alpers put forward the original defence that his client was a thought-reader, which occupation wasn't an unlawful one. It mattered not if the reading was acpomrplished by an uncultured or scientific person ■, the practice was not harmful. He instanced the case of an intensely ,respectable academic person named Grosse, who gave an exhibition of the art of telepathy jn Christohurch before bishops, professors, undertakers, members of the Costs brigade, a/nd other prominent intellectual persons. The fee m that case was fifteen guineas, and counsel submitted that it was merely a matter of degree. Day, S.M., surmised that Grosse was a competent person. Solicitor Alpers remarked that Grn.?f". admitted w«s linMp to er-

ror. What that learned individual did AS A SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENT, JUadame was fumbling at m her own way, and hep utterances were merely m the light of an , optimistic forecast of the future. It was quite as lawful as the advice to buy v or refrain from doing so, tendered b^ the wheat expert to his merchant. , Alpers classes the information given by Madame m the same category with the statement of the sporting tipster prior to the present Gaining Act, that Blue Coltl might be expected to run well m the welter. Magistrate Day took an extremely practical view of the matter, however, and imposed a fine of 20s and costs 7s. Mrs Elizabeth Wood promised police matron Mcßride another husband for 2.5. The dread secret was disclosed through a pack of cards, but the accused decjared that she never used cards, but had peeped into the matron's future, while she was m a clairvoyant state. All of which was equivalent to "Rats !" Forty bob and costs. Madame L'Esperance met with a like fate, and will have to take m Washing lor a crust.