SPOOKS RAIDED.
DETECTIVES WOOLDRIDGE AND BARRY DESCEND ON A WEST SIDE MEDIUM'S PLACE.
Lively Fight Before the Officers Succeed in Making Arrests—One of the Number Set Upon and Severely Beaten Before Aided—Spectators at the Seance Take Part and the Row Becomes General—Search of the Premises Reveals a Systematic Plan to Deceive—Anger of the Dupes Turns to Chagrin at the Revelations Made by the Police.
September 2, 1906, Catherine Nichols, Sarah Nichols and Jennie Nichols, 186 Sebor street, fake exponents of materialization of spirits and general "spook" grafters, were arrested, the seances raided and the game closed, by Detectives Wooldridge and Barry.
The scene of the raid was a brick building at 184 Sebor street, which is just east of Halsted and a block south of Harrison street.
The medium arrested was Miss Jennie Nichols, who, with her mother, Mrs. Catherine Nichols, and her sister, Sarah, had been gleaning a harvest of dollars from guillible residents, mostly of the West Side of the city, during the last two years. The establishment of the Nichols family occupies parts of two buildings, the mother and her two daughters living at 186 Sebor street, next door to 184. On the second floor of the latter address was located the hall which they used for their public seances.
Plans Are Well Laid.
The raid was made on the authority of a warrant which was applied for by Miss Muriel Miller, a young woman who was induced by the blandishments of other mediums to come to Chicago from her home in Portland, Ore. Miss Miller, who is employed in a barber shop in Clark street, is slightly deaf. She became interested in Spiritualism, and thus came in touch with the Nichols' outfit.
"SPIRIT PICTURES" OF WOMEN HELD AS BOGUS MEDIUMS, AND SCENE SHOWING FIGHT BETWEEN PUGILISTIC SPOOKS AND DETECTIVES.
CATHERINE Nichols, JENNIE Nichols