S12E18x More Lore: Ann Dis de Bar and the Fake Golden Dawn
In this bonus segment of lore, Liz continues the story of the illustrious con woman Ann dis Bar, including her and Theo Horos' trial. This trial greatly embarrassed the Order of the Dawn when its neophyte ritual was read aloud. We'll talk about what was so bad in that neophyte oath, they had to change it after the trial, and what that ritual room looked like.
Research Links
- Ann O'Delia Diss Debar - Wikipedia
- Project MUSE - Victorian Occultism and the Making of Modern Magic: Invoking Tradition by Alison Butler (review)
- Drawing the Dead: How to Make Spirit-Paintings - Haunted Ohio Books
- Full text of "Some Human Oddities: Studies in the Queer, the Uncanny, and the Fanatical"
- Women of the Golden Dawn : rebels and priestesses : Greer, Mary K. (Mary Katherine) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
- Mathers, Moina – Occult World
- ‘Florence and the Mummy’. In Women’s Voices in Magic. Ed. Brandy Williams. 15–23. Stafford UK: Megalithica Books, 2009.
- A Magician Among the Spirits, by Houdini—A Project Gutenberg eBook
- Fraudulent fortunes | News | Law Gazette
- Fraudulent fortunes – Swami Laura Horos & Frank Jackson Dutton |
- High and low moderns : literature and culture, 1889-1939 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Transcript
Welcome to More Lore, where we talk about more lore.
Speaker A:So in this week's episode, we are going to be concluding the story of Anabistavar and the Hermetic Order of the golden dawn, how they intersected and talk about some of her crazy trials and what this con woman did.
Speaker A:Just some trigger warning.
Speaker A:When we get to the trials, there's going to be some talk of sexual assault.
Speaker A:So just know that's coming.
Speaker A:But other than that, let's.
Speaker A:Let's jump into this.
Speaker A:So after our trio was in Paris, they ran away to South.
Speaker A:Ran away to South Africa.
Speaker A:So Anne Frank, Theo and Dr. Rose went to Cape Town and set up a quote, occult science establishment.
Speaker A:It in one of the newspapers it said the Swami Viva Ananda, who also, it seems, was sometimes called Madame Helena, assisted by A qualified lady, Dr. Mary Adams, and a Mr. Theodore Horos, gave advice and treatment to those searching for the truth and seeking occult knowledge and spiritual healing.
Speaker A:From 10 in the morning till 8 in the evening, the rooms are open for scientific palmistry.
Speaker A:Advice on all private matters, spiritual spirit writings, massage and magnetic movements.
Speaker A:Okay, really curious what the magnetic movements were.
Speaker A:So obviously it did not take long for the Cape Town police to issue warrants for their arrest.
Speaker A:And so they soon returned to London.
Speaker A:There they created the Order of Theocratic Unity because his name was Theo.
Speaker A:Now, based on the stolen golden dawn materials, complete with initiations to help attract members, they place advertisements in papers not for students of occult science.
Speaker A:Instead, their ad read, foreign gentleman, 35, educated, attractive, of independent means, desires to meet a lady of means with a view to matrimony.
Speaker A:Girls don't answer that ad.
Speaker A:If someone says they're rich and they want another rich person, nobody's rich.
Speaker A:Don't answer that.
Speaker A:Did we learn nothing from Moena?
Speaker A:Okay, so one unfortunate woman who responded was Eveline Mary Maude Croysdale, who went by Vera.
Speaker A:Okay, I don't know if she got that nickname, but I'm not sure.
Speaker A:So Vera received a reply from Theo, who said he was traveling with his also rich mother, Swami Viva Ananda, and asked if Vera would like to stay with his mother for a few days.
Speaker A:Vera said yes to this for some reason.
Speaker A:Upon meeting, Anne greeted Vera with a kiss and introduced herself as Theo's mother.
Speaker A:And then showed Vera a painting of herself reclining over a live tire, which I'm sure wasn't awkward for anybody at all.
Speaker A:Theo later arrived and Vera thought everything was just fine.
Speaker A:Theo later woos Vera into bed where he said some things he told her were vows, informed her they were now golden dawn, married and then had sex with her.
Speaker A:Some evenings Anne would join them and lie beside them as they performed their marital rites.
Speaker A:Vera then lent Theo her diamond earrings, a diamond pendant and some other jewels which he pawned.
Speaker A:He also pawned a gold brooch of Vera's for 30 shillings and gave her 12 of those which he used to take a cycle tour with some friends in the country.
Speaker A: ed by Mr. Wood of Brighton in: Speaker A:Mr. Wood believed that Mrs. Horus was the Queen of Sheba and the best diet was freshly mown grass supplemented with a mixture of chalk and water.
Speaker A:At his house the Horrors met Sister Miriam, aka Mrs. Adams.
Speaker A:They would meet Mrs. Adams again and stay at her house at Birkenhead where they traveled to lecture on vegetarian diets.
Speaker A:Oh, they were both drinking be drinking beer and eating beef because beer was not vegetarian.
Speaker A:The Horrors would suggest to Mrs. Adams that her 16 year old daughter Daisy and her 14 year old brother should go with them back to London for educational purposes, including singing lessons at St Paul's Cathedral.
Speaker A:She agreed and off they went with her children.
Speaker A:So Daisy believed that Theo was a son of God and he soon assaulted her.
Speaker A:After this, Daisy was initiated into theocratic unity via the neophyte ritual.
Speaker A:The neophyte ritual used was taken directly from the Mathers golden dawn stolen material, a fact later confirmed, confirmed in court.
Speaker A:Then another woman whom the matrimonial advertisement had brought in, Alora Faulkner, brought Daisy to Anne's bedroom in which Theo was waiting.
Speaker A:Laura testified that Daisy made loud cries of objection and told her that the Swami held her head during it and was arrested later that day on a theft charge which was dismissed for lack of evidence.
Speaker A:One of the residents of the Gowers, their Gower street house they were staying at, wrote to the Adams children's father urging them to get their kids the out of that place.
Speaker A:Still, Mrs. Adams was swayed by a letter from Daisy who said she was sorry she had wronged Theo and would vow on her knees before God to remain true to him and the Swami even if she was tortured to death.
Speaker A: ,: Speaker A:She wore cream colored gloves and carried a large scent bottle.
Speaker A:You're just carrying a Large perfume bottle with you.
Speaker A:Is that just a thing people did?
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, I guess Victorian England smelled so.
Speaker A:Theo was dressed almost entirely in fawn colored clothes, including a frock coat and a fawn bowler hat.
Speaker A:Theo looked like a putz.
Speaker A:On October 3, Anne requested a trial by jury.
Speaker A:On October 10, further charges were brought for them for the alleged procurement for immoral purposes.
Speaker A:The three young women, Vera Croisdale, Olga Royson and Daisy Adams.
Speaker A:Theo Horos was also charged with the rape of Daisy.
Speaker A:As the trial got spicy, it was decided to bar all women from the court.
Speaker A:On November 8, the court was filled to the brim with people sitting like they were so filled they were on the steps in the witness box.
Speaker A:Anna would arrive in court wearing a light blue robe with bishop sleeves of baggy white lawn, and in addition a black hooded cape with French black pants.
Speaker A:And then she would announce that she was going to conduct her own defense.
Speaker A:But she did have to be reminded that she could not defend Theo slash Frank.
Speaker A:So during the trial, the picture of Anne riding a tiger was introduced as evidence.
Speaker A:I just want to make that fact known because I think that's fantastic.
Speaker A:So the trial greatly embarrassed the golden dawn, prompting many members to leave the order, particularly after Vera recounted the neophyte neophyte oath and ritual.
Speaker A:The Daily News published her testimony about the ritual word for word, which added to the group group's humiliation.
Speaker A:Vera explained that she recalled the ritual so clearly because she had insisted in initiating other neophytes.
Speaker A:So after she did her ritual, she did this for other people.
Speaker A:And the neophyte ritual was thus described.
Speaker A:Two adjoining rooms were required for the ritual.
Speaker A:In one room there is a throne on one end with an altar backed by five lamps at the other.
Speaker A:One side held seats for the candidates.
Speaker A:In the center was another seat flanked by pillar lamps.
Speaker A:Theo sat on the throne, and watching through a set of double doors was another throne on which sat Anne.
Speaker A:Both were elaborate outfits.
Speaker A:And on the altar was a red cross, a vessel for mixing wine and water, occult signs and lamps.
Speaker A:The candidates were blindfolded, a rope tied around their waist, and they were made to walk around the room.
Speaker A:Three times.
Speaker A:Vera said she was led into the other room where someone said, child of earth, I consecrate thee with water.
Speaker A:Child of earth, I consecrate thee with fire.
Speaker A:She could hear madam and Theo moving around, but couldn't see what they were doing.
Speaker A:Then she knelt down in front of the altar and placed her right hand on the sign of the red cross, then grasped Theo's hand and he said something of a prayer over her.
Speaker A:Then she said the oath again.
Speaker A:They used both fire and water.
Speaker A:When I was consecrated with water, the man made a cross on my forehead with his wet finger.
Speaker A:For the fire ceremony, I had to hold my hands over a kind of lamp.
Speaker A:There was a sword used.
Speaker A:I'm not quite sure what was done with it early in the ceremony, but at the end, it was sheaved over my head.
Speaker A:After that, I had to partake of bread and salt.
Speaker A:And then a rose is passed around.
Speaker A:So they gave like the whole.
Speaker A:The whole oath.
Speaker A:And it's very long.
Speaker A:And I'm not gonna go to go.
Speaker A:We're not gonna do.
Speaker A:We're not gonna do the whole oath because it's very long.
Speaker A:But basically she starts off saying, I just want to say who.
Speaker A:Like she swears to, if that makes sense.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I, Vera Croisdale, in the presence of the Lord of the universe and in the hall of the neophytes of the Order of the GD in the outer merely assembled under warrant from the GH Chiefs of the second Order, do as my own free will and accord hereby and heron most solemnly pledge myself to keep secret this order its name, its name of its members, and the proceedings which take place at its meetings from all and every person in the whole world.
Speaker A:It goes on.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:It's quite an oath.
Speaker A:It's much, much of an oath.
Speaker A:And we'll get to.
Speaker A:We'll.
Speaker A:We'll talk about one paragraph of it later.
Speaker A:So Vera also said that Theo claimed he was Christ himself.
Speaker A:And that thing committed with him would be an act of piety.
Speaker A:And that offspring born as their intimacy would be divine cult leadership.
Speaker A:So she said she was hypnotized by both of the defendants and drugged with a mixture of milk, eggs, whiskey, and some other ingredient every morning.
Speaker A:Even though the theocratic unity would only consume diet, they were only supposed to eat fruit, nuts and distilled water.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And no alcohol was.
Speaker A:Was allowed.
Speaker A:So is that like, almost like eggnog for breakfast?
Speaker A:It sounds like an eggnog mixture, which I'm like, if you're gonna wake me up with, like, eggnog, I'm kind of okay with it.
Speaker A:I mean, maybe not every day.
Speaker A:So a bunch of people testified during this trial the boarding House lady of 99 Gower Street, Mrs. Annie Bellman Lewis, testified that the male defendant, who called himself Mr. Adams, came asking for a room for the use of his mother.
Speaker A:And then after prepaying for a week, he left.
Speaker A:And the next day, the woman Def Rose Adams, who was going by Rose Evelyn Vera Croisdale, came to the house once and was introduced as Anne's adopted daughter.
Speaker A:Then Anne tried to sway Mrs. Lewis, the landlady, into joining their cult.
Speaker A:The male defendant told her they took laws of poverty, chastity and obedience, and she said she had to think about it.
Speaker A:When Anne testified, she denied ever serving time as a convicted thief, as shown in photographs of Juliet Prison and presented by Inspector Kane.
Speaker A:So the inspector is like, here are pictures of you in prison.
Speaker A:Not me.
Speaker A:That's not me.
Speaker A:So she also brought out books on mesmerism, a letter from a famous spiritualist and some candles of odd appearance which might have been used in phallic ceremonies and would swear that Theo was incapable of having sexual intercourse due to his balls being missing.
Speaker A:He was examined and found to have only one testicle, but that was said to be perfectly normal, even though it was quite small.
Speaker A:Small.
Speaker A:When Theo testified, he admitted his real name was Frank Dutton Jackson and that it had been his privilege since he was 10 years of age to be the adopted son of this most noble lady.
Speaker A:But also, they were married three years ago, but with full knowledge.
Speaker A:He couldn't perform any marital duties and was committed to a life of celibacy and chastity.
Speaker A:And he never claimed to have any divine powers or to be a God.
Speaker A:And he did say that he owned some 7,280 acres in the US where he hoped to found a colony called Theocratic Unity which was to be based upon the principles of Christ life.
Speaker A:He denied the accusations and evaded the issues about placing matrimonial advertisements in the paper and would arrive for proceedings on December 18 in a mauve gown wrapped around her like a toga.
Speaker A:It was such an in demand event that tickets were issued for admission, but the crowd still couldn't be controlled.
Speaker A:Daisy was giving a samora testimony and cross examined her.
Speaker A:And Daisy said that she didn't leave the cult because she didn't have the money to get home.
Speaker A:On December 20, Anne arrived to hear her fate, wearing a voluminous robe of pure white satin cut low around the neck and with flowing sleeves lined in heliotrope.
Speaker A:Over her shoulders was a bright white scarf and her closing statement for the trial.
Speaker A:Ann affirmed her clairvoyant healing abilities, but denied ever claiming to be in medium.
Speaker A:Dude, I'm psychic and I can heal things, but I don't talk to the dead.
Speaker A:That is too far over the line.
Speaker A:Over the line, sir.
Speaker A:She issued an appeal to the jury.
Speaker A:I ask you now, as we Approach the anniversary of the day on which we celebrate the birth of our Savior.
Speaker A:I ask you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, not to ask.
Speaker A:Not ask for mercy or the benefit, to use his greatest gift to man, the human reason, and to remember we do not just ask for mercy or the benefit of your doubt, but for justice.
Speaker A:It took the jury less than 10 minutes to decide they were both guilty.
Speaker A:Theo was sentenced to 15 years penal servitude and Mrs. Horos to seven years and was sentenced to seven years, of which she served five at Islesbury Prison.
Speaker A:The golden dawn changed on neophyte oath after the trial, where before it ended with all these points.
Speaker A:I generally and severally upon the sacred and sublime symbol to swear to observe without evasion, equivocation or mental reservation of any kind whatsoever, under the no less penalty on the violation of any of them than that of being expelled from this order as a willfully purge wretch void of all moral worth and unfit for the society of all upright and true persons, and addition, under the awful penalty of voluntarily submitting myself to a deadly and hostile current of will set in motion by the chiefs of the Order by which I should fall slain or paralyzed without visible weapon, as if I.
Speaker A:As if blasted by the lightning flash.
Speaker A:They changed that to say, I swear upon this holy symbol to observe all things without evasion, equivocation or mental reservation under the penalty of being expelled from this Order for my perjury and offense and submitting myself to divine guardians of this Order, living in the light of their perfect justice, their journey as upon the winds they strike or no man strikes.
Speaker A:They slay where no man slays.
Speaker A:Slay.
Speaker A:Slay.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:They had to.
Speaker A:They had to tone it down a bit after people.
Speaker A:Because people like.
Speaker A:Even though they're like, there is this order and the Order is real.
Speaker A:And the inspector testified like, the Order is real.
Speaker A:They're like, they're true, like, they're good.
Speaker A:Everyone was still making fun of them because they were just like, you dress up as wet and you do what now?
Speaker A:So, you know, everyone was just so.
Speaker A:They're like, let's change some stuff.
Speaker A: ft Islesbury Prison in August: Speaker A:She appeared in some vaudeville and burlesque shows, but that failed to impress.
Speaker A:She married again, but ended back in Juliet penitentiary for another two years.
Speaker A: She vanished after: Speaker A: By: Speaker A:And that is the story of the fake golden dawn and andistavar.
Speaker A:Wild.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Wild.
Speaker A:Thank you guys for joining.
Speaker A:More lore.
Speaker A:We never know how to end this.
Speaker A:Besides, Wild.
Speaker A:It was a good one.
Speaker A:I enjoyed that.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Yay.
Speaker A:See y' all next week.
Speaker A:Sam.
