The Divine Healer Who Left a Trail of Duped Women
Letters to Tacoma's prosecutor tied a self-styled 'divine sympathizer' to frauds in Eugene, Bellingham and beyond — and to a wife and children he claimed were outside his 'psychic sphere.'
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Letters received today by Prosecuting Attorney J. L. McMurray show that a self-styled 'divine sympathizer,' closely resembling Joshua Klein, has been operating for money in several parts of the country, and that women in various cities claim to have been duped by the man.
One letter, from Mrs. W. F. Osborn of Eugene, Oregon, states that a man answering Klein's description, and possessing a similar flow of 'divine' talk, operated there a few months ago and suddenly departed after obtaining a considerable sum of money from his believers. Mrs. Osborn says she gave $200 to the man, who called himself Dr. J. Radran. She says the man also operated in San Diego as a divine healer and teacher.
Another letter, from a woman now living in Seattle, tells of the operations of a man resembling Klein in Bellingham two years ago. She says she was only one of a number of women mystified by his talk, and that he succeeded in getting money from all of them. At that time, the letter states, the man had his wife and two children with him, but did not support them, claiming that his wife did not live in his 'psychic sphere.' After a time he left his wife to the mercy of friends and went to New York.
“She says she gave $200 to the man, who called himself Dr. J. Radran.”
The 'divine sympathizer' was a familiar fin de siècle type: part faith healer, part confidence man, preying on people looking for meaning or a cure. Modern frauds still work the same soft edges — alternative medicine, psychic services, and charismatic leaders who isolate followers from family. The Tacoma prosecutor's mailbag shows how far a single grift could travel by rail.
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