Fortune telling has always been big business – and though I can’t pretend to know if some folks have the ability to sense what is beyond the physical world or predict the future, I do know people have been duping fine and desperate people for centuries by pretending to have that skill.

In the early 1900s, Eureka (where I live) was considered “full of suckers”, though local reporters tried to convince readers that people in San Francisco were just as gullible (see story below). Eureka’s reputation prompted many palm readers and fortune tellers to pass through here regularly despite requiring a steamer ride from San Francisco. While some may have thought themselves legit, most traveled the country, set up temporary shop and scammed the locals before moving on.

Rev. Dr. Waldron, alias Dr. Paul Count Pulaski, Mystic No. 12, etc. (pictured on the right) made a fortune convincing patrons hoping for answers from beyond to put their valuables (money, jewelry) in envelopes to be opened later (I’d have loved to hear his script/explanation – an offering/sacrifice to the spirits, maybe?). Of course when that later day came, they found their valuables replaced with junk and Waldron long gone.  When periodically arrested, he pretended to have a paralytic stroke – which likely landed him in the hospital where he could escape.   

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Mrs. FW Williams  traveled the country renting rooms as temporary parlors , ran catchy ads in local papers, convinced her victims to give her jewelry worn by the person of interest and encouraged them to leave as many gold coins as possible “as then the spirits will be more apt to reveal.” [The Detective, Sept 1901]

Like Josie Stocking, featured in a previous post, and scammers today (Good Housekeeping did a story on fraud shaming- posted HERE), many criminals used their victim’s shame as protection. Folks wouldn’t want to admit they’d given money or other valuables to a charlatan, leaving the nefarious to commit their crimes again and again.