#Onthisday in #Bellinghistory, November 13, 1913, the Herald reported on a scandalous affair involving the arrest of a pair of traveling “clairvoyants” on charges of “lewd living.” 

The following story ties in with one of our favorite topics – Spiritualism!  If you’ve been on one of our “Gore and Lore” tours you may have heard us talk about the Spiritualist Congregations of Bellingham.

Although the idea of communicating with the dead has likely been around since the dawn of time, “Spiritualism” is said to be a “purely American invention.”  Like Jazz!

The modern movement of “Spiritualism” was born in the 1840s in New York with the “Fox Sisters” who convinced everyone they could communicate with spirits through various knocks, taps and noises throughout their house.  Everyone wanted to “talk” to their deceased loved ones and find out how they were doing on the other side.  

Spiritualism evolved into a bona-fide religious movement.  Its rise paralleled that of the Apostolic Church, which involved speaking in tongues and being taken over by “the holy spirit.”  People were apparently super into the idea of direct communication with the divine/beyond.

Women were considered to be better at communicating with spirits, due to their “sensitive” or “receptive” nature.  At a time when women were second class citizens, this opportunity to gain professional status and a platform for public speaking was a big deal.  As a medium a woman could travel, earn money and a lot of attention. 

Bellingham had its share of “Spiritualists,” enough to support a number of “congregations” advertising in the Sunday paper along with the other churches.   The Psychic Research Society competed with the First Spiritualist Church of Bellingham.  Both groups met in various halls around town, and the Psychic Research Society built a “temple” on Kulshan Street in 1906.  Spiritualist groups were openly active in Bellingham through the 1950s. Though we no longer seem to have any locally, there are still many active spiritualist churches and practices elsewhere.

Similar to other church officiants, spiritualist leaders or mediums often traveled around from town to town, ministering to a variety of congregations over the years.  Free-lancing “clairvoyants” and mediums also came through town, often conducting séances out of hotel rooms.  Another level of “clairvoyant” experiences involved performances at local theaters as a sort of vaudeville entertainment act, often by men, such as “Murdock, the Man Who Knows,”  or “Alexander, the Super Mental Marvel.”

In our featured article published in the Bellingham Herald #OTD in 1913, a couple posing as a married duo were conducting séances as well as other creative money-making schemes.  The fact that they weren’t actually married led to the couple’s arrest for “lewd living”:

Clairvoyants Raked into Dragnet of Police

Seances with spirits in a home in a fashionable district on High street and in various other places about the city have come to a sudden end with the arrest yesterday evening of Dr. Thomas P. Lavalley and a woman who has been posing here as his wife.  The woman has been acting as the medium, and it is stated that a number of well-known men and women have been joining her circles in the evenings, paying a dollar for the privilege of communicating with the spirits of departed ones through her powers.  This afternoon Dr. LaValley pleaded guilty before Judge Hardin on a charge of lewd living and was fined $500 and costs.  He probably will work out the fine at the county farm.

The medium herself was arraigned this afternoon following the imposing of sentence on Dr. Lavalley and Judge Hardin took her case under advisement.  Arrangements will be made to have the woman leave the city, and, it is said, if she fails to go away she will be fined at some later date.

For several months Dr. Lavalley and his reputed wife have been living at 1118 High Street, where they held their séances.  Some time ago the woman, who now admits her real name is Mrs. Laura E. Hill, say the authorities, wrote to her dear old family physician in Laporte, Ind., saying that she was held in white slavery here and that she could get her freedom for $50.  The doctor wrote to her that he would send the money in two days.  At the same time he wrote to the local police.  In this way the police were put in touch with the actions of the medium and her companion.  It is the belief of the police that the letter to the Indiana doctor was merely a trick to get money.

Falls Into Trap

Yesterday, Miss Fuller, police matron, and Mrs. Stewart, connected with the Y.W.C.A., called at the home on High street and told the medium they would like to talk with certain spirits.  The medium went into her usual trance and soon the voice of “Little Juanita” lisped, “talk to Uncle Robert.”  Then the man’s voice was heard in another part of the room.  The voice did not resemble that of the departed one and attention of the medium was called to this. She explained that the spirit was talking through a trumpet which caused the apparent change in the sound of the voice.  The medium, by the way, poses as a ‘trumpet medium.’

The ‘Little Juanita’ is the 6-year old child of the medium and has been used in practically all of the séances.  ‘Uncle Robert’ is supposed to be Dr. LaValley himself.

Yeseterday afternoon detective Tom Nugent, Patrolman Nick Rust, and Constable Cowden went to the home of the medium.  They saw the woman in the window, but she evidently saw them too, for they found her in bed when they made entrance into the house.  She said she was sick and that the doctor had forbidden her to leave the house.  City Health Officer Ballaine was then called, but could find nothing wrong with the woman’s physical condition.  She was forced to get up and accompany the officers to jail.  As proof that she was faking illness it is stated that when she got up it was noticed she had gone to bed with her shoes and other clothing on.  Today she is apparently in the best of health, after spending the night in the county jail with her companion.

Jailed During Night

The two were arraigned before Judge Hardin yesterday on vagrancy charges and placed under $1500 bail, and as they were unable to raise this sum they were kept in jail over night.  This morning Attorney W.J. Griswold was called to confer with him and it was through his efforts that arrangements were made for pleas of guilty before the court this afternoon to charges of lewd living.

The couple had cards printed, on one side of which was the name of ‘Mrs. Laura E. Lavalley, trumpet medium.’  The card stated that circles would be held at 1118 High street on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights and every afternoon from 1 to 5 o’clock.  On the other side of the card was the name ‘Dr. Thomas P. Lavalley,’ who termed himself a chiropractor-neuropath and a graduate of Oregon Peerless College of Chiropractic-Neuropaths, Inc., at Portland.

Consideration was asked on behalf of the medium, because she has her young child to care for.  She has agreed to buy a ticket for her old home in Indiana and to get out of Bellingham as quickly as possible.  It is said her husband is still living and is not divorced.  She met Dr. Lavalley in Portland about six months ago and, it is said, he followed her to Spokane and then to this city.

Dr. LaValley is alleged to be a brother of the Dr. Lavalley, who was here about six years ago with “Lajoie and Lavalley,” chiropractors, who were forced to leave the city.

A follow-up article reported that Laura and her five-year old son left on the Great Northern for LaPorte, Indiana, while Dr. LaValley did his time in Whatcom County Jail. Laura’s request to go to San Francisco was denied by officials. Thomas LaValley served seventeen days before he managed to scrounge up the money to pay off the rest of his fines.

One thing we found interesting about this story which we had to look up, is the fact that Laura was a “trumpet medium,” meaning her specialty was the use of the “spirit trumpet.”  

These accessories were often made of metal or even cardboard, and looked like a long primitive horn or trumpet. Ghosts weren’t known to be great conversationalists, preferring to communicate through obscure knocks, and whispers. Thus the instruments, touted as a way to amplify the noises of spirits, became a standard part of the spiritualism craze. 

These trumpets would often “float” around the room while conveying their eerie messages.  This was a parlor trick on the part of said mediums, who were often connected to the trumpet by a tube disguised as “ectoplasm” – said to be a sort of weird smoke or goo-like spiritual manifestation – like in Ghost Busters!  In reality it was usually a bit of cheesecloth or some other fluffy looking material that could conceal a tube in the dark.

Another interesting aspect of the article was the mention of LaValley’s chiropractor brother John, who had been previously run out of town.  Thomas LaValley and his brother John LaValley were both chiropractors AND avid spiritualists.  John LaValley and his various wives were very active in the Portland Spiritualist church.  At the time chiropractors were looked upon by officials as quacks and were often arrested for practicing medicine without a license etc.  The history of chiropractic medicine is a whole other fascinating rabbit hole to journey down – for another post perhaps.

As for Thomas LaValley and Laura, they must have had a “spiritual connection” because she returned to Indiana only long enough to officially divorce her husband, Servatus Hill.  Laura and Thomas LaValley were soon married back in Phoenix, Arizona in 1915.  Laura’s son by her first husband, Thurl Hill, was subsequently raised by Laura and her new husband under the surname LaValley.  Laura and Thomas had two daughters, “Laurine Divina” and “Juanita” LaValley. Thomas was a practicing chiropractor in Detroit, Michigan for 40 years.  The couple later followed their children to California where they spent their final days.

Spiritualism really ran the gamut from faithful pious religious adherents to what was essentially a vaudeville performance.  Part therapy, part entertainment, part fraud?  

Are there people who can actually “talk” to spirits?  Are there spirits who can actually “talk” to us? There are many people who want to believe so, but for many of us it remains to be seen, or rather, heard…  

(Spirits!  Knock three times for yes!) 

For further exploration:

https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/spiritualism

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/spirit-trumpets-dead-speak

https://www.historylink.org/File/8341

Wondering if you might be Clairvoyant?

Check out this article, Are you Clairvoyant? The Complete Clairvoyance Guide and 9 unmistakable Signs: https://www.alittlesparkofjoy.com/clairvoyance/