TOLD FORTUNES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 203, 27 August 1943, Page 4

TOLD FORTUNES

WOMAN CHARGED

ADMITTED TO PROBATION

(0.C.) HAMILTON, this day. "Although this is just an ordinary fortune-telling case representing the modern form of witchcraft, whereby charlatans ply a business, it constitutes definite harm and is a social evil," said Detective-Sergeant W. R. Murray during a prosecution before Mr. J. L. Paterson, S.M., of Emily Moxom de Ville, charged with undeitaking to tell fortunes at Hamilton on or about August IS. Mr. J. F. Strang appeared for defendant, who pleaaea guilty. Mr. Murray said considerable diffiI culty existed in obtaining prosecutions in cases of this nature, m that every precaution was taken against detection. Any person seekmg an appointment was informed by defendant that he or she must come accompanied by another person who had been to her before. In these days of war, said Mr. Murray, when anxious mothers, close relatives and friends of men overseas visited these fortune tellers, their credulity and superstition was played upon, often with harmful consequences. In the case of Mrs. de Ville, a policewoman called upon her to seek an appointment and was told she could not have a reading unless accompanied by someone who had been there before. She called again the following afternoon and, fortuitously,, was able to go in with a client, whose friend had been unable to keep her appointment. During the hour and a half the police witness was there no fewer than IS persons were on the premises, including a soldier.

When the policewoman w§nt in she was told to sit down at a table and was given a pack of cards to shuffle. Defendant took the cards and appeared go into a sort of trance Defendant told her client certain things which had been, no doubt, solicited by subtle questioning, and she did "break out into the future" when she spoke of a broken friendship with a dark j'oung man. The usual talk about travel followed. The policewoman paid defendant half-a-crown. While she was there the telephone rang incessantly.

The magistrate said the duty of the Court was to do its best to stop these practices. The most effective way was to place defendant on probation for one year. If people frequented her home she could be charged with a breach of her probation.