Ann O'Delia Diss Debar (probably born Ann O'Delia Salomon,

Harry Houdini Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( ), was a Hungarian-American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts. Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in ...

. (1924)
A Magician Among the Spirits
(via archive.org) c. 1849 – 1909 or later) was a notorious

criminal In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

and supposed medium. She was convicted of

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

several times in the US, and was tried for

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

and fraud in London in 1901. She was described by

as "one of the most extraordinary fake mediums and mystery swindlers the world has ever known".

Biography

Although many sources claim that Ann O'Delia Diss Debar was born as Editha Salomen in Kentucky in 1849, no documentary proof exists. Another commonly reported birth name is Ann O'Delia Salomon which is corroborated by census data and a family bible given as evidence in an 1888 court case. Her alleged father, Prof. John C. F. Salomon, was a Professor of Music at Greenville Female Institute, also known as Daughters' College and now exists as the Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. When George C.T. Salomon came forward as her brother Diss Debar denied any relationship. He said of Diss Debar, "Whenever she enters a house peace departs and with it everything portable. Nothing is safe in her hands. I would not believe her under oath in any circumstances." The Salomen family claimed that after age 2 she conducted herself as a "child of Lucifer" with uncontrollable rages, and she ran away to France at a young age. She herself claimed to have been born in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in 1854, the daughter of King

Ludwig I of Bavaria Ludwig I or Louis I (; 25 August 1786 – 29 February 1868) was King of Bavaria from 1825 until the German revolutions of 1848–49, 1848 revolutions in the German states. When he was crown prince, he was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. As ki ...

and his notorious mistress, the dancer Lola Montez, and that she was raised by

foster parents Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family member ...

from a young age. She reportedly badgered the Montez estate into paying her a $300 settlement though the lawyer thought her claims unfounded. Ann O'Delia Diss Debar (also spelled Ann O'Delia Dis Debar) is the most frequently referenced of the many names used by her in her lifetime, including Editha Lola Montez, Della Ann O'Sullivan, Vera Ava, Madame Messant (or McGoon), Swami Viva Ananda, Laura Horos (or Swami Laura Horos) and Laura Jackson. British

occultist The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mystic ...

Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (1854–1918) briefly believed that she was Anna Sprengel. She apparently became involved with Victoria Claflin and Tennessee Claflin, popular exponents of

spiritualism Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...

, in the 1860s and 70s, and was a disciple of Madame Blavatsky. She claimed to be the wife of

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

statesman Joseph H. Diss Debar, and produced "spirit paintings" by

Old Master In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

s. She was prosecuted several times for fraud. One example was the case of Luther R. Marsh, a wealthy and distinguished lawyer who had studied in the law office of

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the 14th and 19th United States Secretary of State, U.S. secretary o ...

. Diss Debar persuaded the elderly Marsh to give her his townhouse on New York's

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stree ...

, for which she was imprisoned on Blackwell's Island for 6 months in 1888. The magician Carl Hertz appeared for the prosecution at the New York trial, helping to send Horos to jail by duplicating in court the tricks she had used in her

séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French language, French word for "session", from the Old French , "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general and mundane: one ma ...

s. Under the name Vera P. Ava, she was convicted of larceny in Illinois and sentenced March 24, 1893 to the

Joliet Correctional Center Joliet Correctional Center (originally known as Illinois State Penitentiary, colloquially as Joliet Prison, Joliet Penitentiary, the Old Joliet Prison, and the Collins Street Prison) was a prison in Joliet, Illinois, United States, from 1858 to ...

(then Joliet Penitentiary) for two years. According to the New York Times, during the trial she claimed not to be the "famous spook priestess" though the article continues to say, "that she is Dis Debar (sic) no one doubts." Soon after she emerged from prison, she married William J. McGowan, who "had considerable money. He died soon afterward." She married Frank Dutton Jackson in Louisiana in 1899, calling herself Princess Editha Lolita. As Editha Loleta Jackson, she was expelled from

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

in May 1899 as a swindler. She was imprisoned for 30 days later that month. John Mulholland (1938). ''Beware Familiar Spirits''. Scribner. pp. 251–260. After 1899, she spent some time in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, calling herself Helena Horos of the College of Occult Sciences. Diss Debar and Jackson went to England, calling themselves "Swami Laura Horos" and "Theodore Horos". They set up a "Purity League" at the Theocratic Unity Temple, near

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden (and historical ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and worked as fortune tellers and diviners, advertising their services in newspapers, such as ''

The People The People may refer to: Legal jargon * The People, term used to refer to the people in general, in legal documents * "We the People of the United States", from the Preamble to the U. S. Constitution * In philosophy, economics, and political scienc ...

'' and the now defunct ''Western Morning Advertiser''. They were arrested in

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

in September 1901, and charged with obtaining property by false pretenses,

and buggery. The charges seem to have arisen from decadent sexual practices at their temple in London. The couple defended themselves, but Diss Debar was sentenced to 7-years imprisonment, and her husband to 15 years. She was held in the prison in

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...

, released on parole in July 1906 and immediately went missing, apparently leaving England for the United States. Thereafter, she was wanted by Scotland Yard. She was interviewed in January 1907 by the Detroit Free Press, this time as Mother Elinor, High Priestess of the Flying Rollers of the New Eve—a religious cult. She swindled members out of expensive jewels and promised deeds to land that did not exist. When the article was published and her identity was under threat, she escaped. She was next found in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

in 1909, under the name Vera Ava. In August 1909, Diss Debar attempted to start a new religious cult called the New Revelation in New York City, but abandoned the plan at the School of Mahatmas on 32nd Street one week before it was to open after journalists revealed her true identity. She is reported to have had children with some of her husbands including Diss Debar. A biography is included in the 1938 book ''Beware Familiar Spirits'' by the American magician John Mulholland (reprinted in 1979).

References

Sources

* Harry Price. (1939). ''Rape and Rhabdomancy, The Law and the Medium''. In ''Fifty Years of Psychical Research''. Longmans, Green and Company.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Debar, Ann ODelia Diss 1849 births 20th-century deaths 19th-century American criminals 20th-century American criminals 19th-century American women 20th-century American women American spiritual mediums Criminals from Kentucky Year of death unknown Children of Ludwig I of Bavaria American people convicted of fraud American people convicted of rape Female rapists

Biography

See also

References

Sources

External links