A Female Spiritualist's Ideas of Political and Social
Economy.-- The Weaknesses of Judges.-- Legal Acumen of the
Adventuress.-- An unfriendly Move.-- Harcout attacked.--
Lilly Nettleton and the Rev. Mr. Bland again together.-- A
Whirlwind.
One evening, after Mrs. Winslow had had a very busy day with her
spiritualistic customers, which had become quite unusual, she showed
herself to be more than ordinarily communicative, undoubtedly on account
of the spirits which had kept her such close company, and at once
started in upon an edifying explanation of her political views, and
confided to Bristol and Fox, as illustrative of her high political
influence, that certain officers of the Government only held their lease
of office through her leniency.
From this she verged into political and social economy, stating her
earnest belief to be that every man should have a military education,
and that if they were found to be unfit physically to withstand the
rigors of a military life, they should be immediately condemned to
death, and thus be summarily disposed of. And so, too, with women. There
should be appointed a capable examining board, and wherever a woman was
found wanting in physical ability to meet every demand made upon her by
her affinities through life, she should also be instantly deprived of
existence. She maintained that there should be a continuous and eternal
natural selection of the best of these mental and physical conditions,
just the same as the stock-raiser bred and inbred the finest animals to
secure a still finer type, and that all persons, male or female, failing
to reach a certain fit standard of perfection in this regard, should be
condemned to death. She would have no marriage save that sanctioned by
the supreme love of one eternal moment; and shamelessly claimed that
passion was the real base of all love, and that, consequently, it was
but a farce on either justice or purity that men and women should be by
law condemned to lives of miserable companionship. In this connection
she held that not half the men and women were fit to live, and were she
the world's ruler she would preside at the axe and the block half of her
waking hours.
These sentiments were quite in keeping with her expressions concerning
the late war, her gratification at Lincoln's assassination, and her
threats that she had President Johnson in her power through her
knowledge of some transactions in Tennessee. This was, of course, all
silly talk, but it showed the woman's tendencies and disposition, and
enabled Bristol and Fox to gradually lead her into narrations of
portions of her own career during and after the war.
She boasted of her ability in fastening herself upon a command, or
military post, by getting some one of the leading officers in her power
so they dare not drive her beyond the lines, and then, when the
soldiers were paid off, getting them within her apartments, drugging
them, robbing them, and finally securing their arrest for absence
without leave. She claims that in this way she often made over five
hundred dollars daily, and would then buy drafts on northern banks, not
daring to keep the thousands of dollars about her which would frequently
accrue.
Interspersed with these narratives were numberless tales of adventure
wherein Mrs. Winslow, under her _aliases_ of the different periods
referred to, had been the heroine, and where her shrewdness and daring,
she wished my operatives to understand, had brought utter dismay to each
of her opponents, all of which had for its point and moral that she was
not a person to be trifled with, as Mr. Lyon would eventually ascertain
to his sorrow.
To more thoroughly impress this, in another instance the question of
being watched and annoyed by Lyon or his agents arose, when she insisted
to Bristol that Fox was a detective, and to Fox that Bristol was one,
and then abruptly accused them both of the same offence, expressing
great indignity at the assumed outrage; and when they had succeeded in
partially pacifying her, she turned on them savagely, saying that they
had better bear in mind that she did not care whether they were
detectives or not; that she was a pure woman--an innocent woman; but
still, she wanted not only them, if they _were_ detectives, but all the
world, to understand that she was capable of taking care of herself,
whoever might assail her. Evidently the good legal mind which the woman
certainly possessed had reverted to her criminal acts in other portions
of the country, for she asserted very violently that, should Lyon
undertake to have her conveyed to any other State upon a requisition to
answer to trumped-up charges for the purpose of weakening her case, she
would shoot the first man that attempted her arrest; and that, if
finally overpowered by brute force, she would still circumvent him by
securing a continuance of the trial at Rochester, and make that sort of
persecution itself tell against "the gray-headed old sinner," as she
most truthfully called him.
She further remarked, with a meaning leer, that she never had any
trouble with the judges. They were generally old men, she had noticed,
and her theory was that old men, even if they were judges, had a quiet
way of looking after the interests of as fine-appearing women as she
was; and even if they did not have, her powers of divination were so
wonderful that she could at any time go into the trance state and
ascertain everything necessary to direct her to success, giving as an
illustration a circumstance where a certain St. Louis daily newspaper
had grossly libelled her, whereupon she had sued its proprietors for ten
thousand dollars, retaining two lawyers to attend to her case. When it
came to trial her counsel failed to appear. With the aid of the spirits
she grasped the situation at once, and, showing Judge Moody a receipt
for attorneys' fees amounting to two hundred dollars which she had paid
them, pleaded personally for a continuance until the next day, which he
granted, showing her conclusively that he was in sympathy with her. She
then went home, and, again calling on the spirits, they revealed to her
that she should win a victory.
So she read all the papers in the case, in order to acquaint herself
with the leading points, and then subpoenaed her witnesses. Having
everything well prepared, she proceeded to the court-room the next day,
and on the case being called, the spirit of George Washington instantly
appeared. It had a beautiful bright flame about its head, and floated
about promiscuously through the upper part of the room. She was certain
that it was a good omen, but it was a long time before she could get any
definite materialization from the blessed ministering angel from the
other side of the river. After a time, however, George's kind eyes
beamed upon her with unmistakable friendliness, and the nimbus, or
flame, that shone from his venerable head in all directions, finally
shot in a single incandescent jet towards the head of the judge; and
immediately after, the gauzy Father of his Country placed his hands upon
the former's head, as if in benediction. This was a heavenly revelation
to her that the judge was with her, as afterwards proved true.
George stayed there until the trial was ended, which she conducted in
her own behalf, constantly feeling that she herself was being upheld by
strong, though invisible hands. When the jury was being impanelled, the
flame, with an angry, red appearance, pointed to those men who were
prejudiced against her, to whom she objected, and they were invariably
thrown out of the panel; while all through the trial the judge insisted
that there should be no advantage taken of her, if she had been forsaken
by her counsel; and with the aid of Washington she won a splendid
victory, securing a judgment of one thousand dollars, which was paid;
and there are scores of lawyers and newspaper men in St. Louis who will
remember this case, that know of the woman and her almost ceaseless
litigation in that action, and who will also recollect that she did get
a thousand dollars from one of the leading newspapers there.
Her cunning and shamelessness were largely commented upon at the time;
but it was reserved for Mrs. Winslow to inform the world, through my
operatives, that George Washington ever descended to this grade of
pettifogging. It can only be accounted for through a knowledge of that
peculiar system of religion which gives to the very dregs of society a
mysterious, and therefore terrible power, whether assumed or otherwise,
over its better elements for their annoyance, persecution, and downfall.
There was also a poetical and religious element in the woman's
composition which very well accorded with her superstitiousness. This
was quite strongly developed by a liberal supply of liquor, which she
never failed to use whenever she became worried and excited over the
coming trial, both of which begat in her impulses for certain lines of
conduct exactly the reverse of those counselled by her more quiet,
calculating reflections.
One pleasant October day, when suffering from a peculiarly severe attack
of romantic fancies, she conceived the idea of breaking through all her
stern resolves relative to not seeing Lyon, and making one more effort
to win him back to her altogether, or so affect him by her fascinating
appearance that he would be glad to settle with her at any reasonable
figure he might name--say twenty-five or fifty thousand dollars.
It was a pleasant fancy, and Bristol and Fox were exceedingly interested
as they noticed her excited preparations for her expedition of conquest.
She sang like a bird, and the bright color came into her face as she
tripped about, busied in the unusual employment. All the forenoon she
dressed and undressed, posing and balancing before the pier-glass like a
_danseuse_ at practice, studying the effect of different colors, shades,
and shapes, until at last, having decided in what dress she should
appear the most bewitching, she retired for a long sleep, so as to rest
her features and give her eyes their old-time lustre.
At about two o'clock she awakened, and, after dressing in a most
elaborate and elegant manner, at once started out upon her novel
expedition to the Arcade.
The Arcade in Rochester is a distinct and somewhat noted place in that
city. It has nearly the width of the average street, and extends the
distance of a short block--from Main Street to Exchange Place--being
nearly in the geographical, as well as in the actual business center of
the city. It is covered with a heavy glass roofing, filled on either
side by numerous book and notion stalls, brokers' offices, and the
offices of wealthy manufacturers whose business requires a down-town
office, and is also, as it has been from almost time immemorial, the
location of the post-office; so that, as the thoroughfare leads directly
from the Union Depot to the uptown hotels, it is constantly thronged
with people, and is the spot in that city where the largest crowd may be
collected at the slightest possible notice.
To Mrs. Winslow's credit it should be said that up to this time she had
kept so remarkably quiet that public scandal had nearly died away, and
as she had gone into the different newspaper offices with some of the
wicked old light burning in her eyes, and "warned" them concerning
libelling her, both she and her suit were no longer causing much remark;
but now, when she was seen majestically bearing down Main street, with
considerable fire in her fine eyes, determination in her compressed
lips, and the inspiration of resolve in every feature of her handsome
though masculine face, there were many who, knowing the woman, felt sure
there was to be a scene, and by the time she had turned from Main street
into the Arcade quite a number were unconsciously following her. After
she had got into the Arcade she attracted a great deal of attention in
sweeping back and forth through that thoroughfare, as in passing Lyon's
offices she gave her head that peculiarly ludicrous inclination that all
women affect when they are particularly anxious to be noticed, but also
particularly anxious to not have it noticed that they wish to be
noticed; and continued her promenade, each time brushing the windows of
Lyon's offices with her ample skirts, and growing more and more
indignant that nobody appeared to be interested in her exhibition, save
the lookers-on within the Arcade, who were increasing rapidly in
numbers.
This seemed to exasperate the woman beyond measure, and finally, after
casting a hurried glance or two through the half-open door, she
apparently nerved herself for the worst and made a plunge into the
office, while the crowd closed about the door.
Bristol had of course felt it his duty to inform Mr. Lyon of the fair
lady's intended demonstration, and the latter had judiciously found it
convenient to transact some important business in another part of the
city on that afternoon; but the elegant Harcout had bravely volunteered
to throw himself into the breach and bear the brunt of the battle--in
other words, sacrifice himself for his friend, and was consequently
sitting at Lyon's desk behind the railing, which formed a sort of a
private office at one side of the general office, as Mrs. Winslow, pale
with rage and humiliated to exasperation, came sweeping into the room.
"Ah, how d'ye do, ma'am?" said Harcout blandly, but never looking up
from his desk, at which he pretended to be very busily engaged. "Bless
my soul, you seem to be very much excited!"
"Sir!" said Mrs. Winslow, interrupting him violently, "I want none of
your 'madams' or 'bless my souls.' I want Lyon, you puppy!"
"Ah, exactly, exactly," replied Mr. Lyon's protector with the greatest
apparent placidity, though with a shade of nervousness in his voice;
"but you see, my dear, you can't have him!"
It was not the first time this man had called this woman "my dear," nor
was it the first time he had attempted to beat back her overpowering
passion. Had he known it as Mr. Harcout, or had she recognized him as
Mrs. Winslow, it would have made the interview more dramatic than it
was--perhaps a thread of tragedy might have crept in; as it was,
however, she only savagely retorted that she wouldn't have him, but she
would see him if he was in, whether or no.
"Well, my dear good woman," continued Harcout soothingly, but edging as
far from the railing and his caller as possible, "he isn't in, and that
settles that. Further, you can't have, or see, him _or_ his money, and
that settles that. So you had best quietly go home like a good woman and
settle all this," concluded Harcout winningly and yet impressively, and
with the tone of a Christian counsellor.
The crowd laughed and jeered at this grave and sarcastic advice, and it
seemed to madden her. Raising her closed sunshade and hissing, "_I'll_
settle this!" she rushed towards Harcout, struck at him fiercely,
following up the attack with quick and terrific blows, which completely
demolished the parasol and drove him nimbly from place to place in his
efforts to avoid the effects of her wrath.
For the next few moments there was a small whirlwind in Lyon's offices.
The railing was too high for Mrs. Winslow to leap, or she certainly
would have scaled it. Harcout could not retreat but a certain distance,
or he certainly would have sought safety in flight. So the whirlwind was
created by rapid and savage leaps of Mrs. Winslow, as if to jump the
railing and fall bodily upon her victim, and at every bound the woman
made, the shattered parasol waved aloft and came down with keen
certainty and stinging swiftness, upon such portions of the gilt-edged
gentleman as could be most conveniently reached.
It is difficult to realize what the woman would have done in her mad
passion, had not a lucky circumstance occurred. She and Harcout had
never met since the time when, in the face of her robbery of him, she
had unblushingly compelled him to wed her to the credulous Dick Hosford
at the Michigan Exchange Hotel in Detroit; and had she now recognized
him as the villain who had made her what she was, it is a question
whether she would not have made a finish of him there and then. But some
one in the crowd raised the cry of "Police!" which sobered her at once,
and, giving the tattered remnant of her sunshade a wicked pitch into
Harcout's face, she turned quickly, shot into the Arcade as the crowd
made way for her and quickened her speed by wild jibes and taunts, until
she had reached the street, where, in a dazed, hunted sort of way, she
hailed a passing cab, sprang into it, and was driven rapidly away.