The Tragedy of a Seattle Clairvoyant’s Victim
A woman has been committed to the asylum at Steilacoom after a self-proclaimed 'clairvoyant' convinced her he was controlling her life through electricity.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mrs. Jessie Young of Seattle was yesterday afternoon committed to the asylum at Steilacoom because of her hallucination that she is under the control of a black clairvoyant who calls himself 'King Solomon.' She claims to be in constant communication with him and that he directs her daily life. She refuses to eat except when he tells her to, and she has been slowly starving. She became infatuated with the man and neglected her home and children to such an extent that her husband was obliged to ask for a divorce, a suit for which is now pending. Mrs. Young professes to have made great progress in the art of healing under the inspiration and instruction of the man. She says he talks to her constantly by means of electricity. By his telepathic advice he regulates her life and the result is painfully apparent in her wan and haggard face, staring eyes and disheveled hair.
“She says he talks to her constantly by means of electricity. By his telepathic advice he regulates her life.”
This account reflects the era's clinical pathologization of women's mental health while exposing the predatory nature of 'spiritualist' scams that preyed on vulnerable people. Today, the case would be understood through the lens of domestic exploitation and mental health crisis support rather than the sensationalized, racialized reporting typical of the 1904 press.
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