TELLING OF FORTUNES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16678, 24 October 1917, Page 6

TELLING OF FORTUNES.

CRYSTAL-GAZER IMPRISONED

PSYCHIC POWERS CLAIMED.

A woman- named Mrs. Margaret Richards was charged in the Police Court yesterday before Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M., with tailing fortunes. Mr. Napier for the defendant pleaded not guilty.

Mrs. Mackle, the police matron, said shj visited defendant's premises in Pitt Street, t Defendant asked if she wanted a readinz i and told her to remove her glove. Look.' ,ing at the hand, the defendant said thematron would make a good nurse. Sha I had magnetic healing, and she felt it' about her." Defendant said Mrs. Mackfo "had suffered a lot for others, and would receive her reward later; she was vjry religious, but broad-m;ndcd ; she was kbd to animals and fond of children." Defend, ant then asked if she wouid like a crystalreading, and said she generally gave'them for 10s. Witness agreed to have one, arid defendant put a crystal between witness'* hands, and asked if she knew a " Kathleen." Witness said she knew many Rathkens. Defendant said this one v. as "about 24 years of age, fair, and very fond of witness." Defendant said a nephew would return from the war " with a V.C. pinned on," and that witness would marry & ', military-looking man, either a doctor or a cleric. She added that witness's ion was at the front, and she " could see him in ; the thick of it." He was very.brave, and would bo decorated, She said witnetj would get a letter from Belfast, and that she would receive £2500 as the pioceflds of the sale of property. ' ! Cross-examined, the witness said she had not used any inducement to defendant to tell fortunes. |

The evidence of Miss Campbell, the assist ant matron, which was admitted, ."as to the effect that defendant said she would! marry an ambassador; that her brother would be promoted to the rank of major. ? and win the V.C. "Are you married?' 1 ( asked defendant. £,•

On being answered in the negative, de- , fendant said she could Bee a wedding ring very near. Counsel said defendant was different from others, as she had not inveigled girls to ' her place to extort money by fraud. De- ' fendant was a woman of education, and' had scent a lot of time studying psychic matters. Some people were endowed with special gifts of this sort, and defendant was one of them. She generally gavo character-readings, but apparently she had gone a little further in this case, and attempted to foretell the future. He asked that imprisonment be not imposed, as tha defendant was in poor health. Dr. King said defendant was suffering from heart trouble, and hard labour would not be beneficial. If sent to gaol without hard labour she would require special treatment.

Mr. Frazer: Do you know of any treatment outside that she could not get insida the gaol? Witness: I don't know. I have never been inside, and I am not here to give any opinion on the treatment in gaol. Mr. Hall Skelton gave evidence as to the charitable work done by defendant. Mr.. Fraier said that in Mrs. Mackle's case there was more character-reading than fortune-telling, but in Miss Campbell's case there was nothing but " two pages of idiotic fortune-tilling.' Defendant charged 10s " for the same sort of rot" for which the others had charged 2s 6d. and he had to make some distinction. Defendant ■would be sentenced to 28 days' imprisonment without hard labour. Counsel asked for the warrant to be suspended, to allow of an appeal. His j Worship said he had no sympathy whatever with people like defendant, and would do nothing except what he had to do. Ho would not delay the wan-ant, and the application for an appeal could be mads in the usual way.