High Point Confidential: The Seer and the Sucker
In a High Point courtroom, the city was captivated by the antics of fortune teller Madam Stella and her client R.K. Farlow, a local businessman. Madam Stella, a palm-reader, mind-reader, and phrenologist, claimed to have the ability to see into people’s past, present, and future. Operating in the 1920s in High Point and Greensboro, she made extravagant promises in her newspaper ads, boasting about her uncanny insights and abilities. Little did anyone know how her skills would come into play during a court case in 1927.
R.K. Farlow, a real-estate agent, brought his grievances against Madam Stella and her son, Mr. Goldie, to the attention of the court. It appeared that Farlow had traded his car for a diamond ring. Both items were valued at approximately $750, or so he was told. However, when Farlow had the ring appraised later on, he discovered it was only worth around $250, a fraction of the promised value. Feeling deceived, Farlow sought justice and accused Madam Stella and her son of obtaining his property under false pretenses.
However, what transpired in the courtroom turned the case into a spectacle. Farlow’s lawyer, the widely respected Thomas J. Gold, saw an opportunity to expose his client’s gullibility. Under Gold’s strategic questioning, Farlow inadvertently revealed that he had previously sold Madam Stella an automobile tire for a discounted price. The tire originally cost $22.50, but Farlow charged her only $5 and asked to have his fortune told to make up the difference. Surprisingly, Madam Stella agreed.
Gold seized the moment, asking Farlow what his fortune had entailed. Embarrassingly, Farlow admitted that Madam Stella had warned him about his naivety and trust in others when it came to trading. This revelation brought laughter erupting through the courtroom, delaying the proceedings. The High Point Enterprise described the scene, stating that for a time it seemed that Judge Lewis Teague would have to call order in the court. The crowd that filled the little courtroom laughed for five minutes so hard that it was impossible to continue the questioning of the witness.
Eventually, the laughter subsided, and Gold made his final point. He hit the nail on the head, asking Farlow if he now agreed with Madam Stella’s assessment that he was an easy mark. Farlow didn’t answer this time; the answer was too obvious. With amusement, he was allowed to step down from the witness stand. His delight was evident.
Despite the courtroom spectacle, justice prevailed when the judge found probable cause and ordered Madam Stella and her son to stand trial. However, it’s safe to assume that even the judge couldn’t help snickering as he made his ruling.
In a curious case that blurred the lines between the supernatural and the mundane, Madam Stella, the fortune teller from another era, had certainly gotten the last laugh. She read Farlow like an open book, proving that sometimes, the truth can be stranger than fiction.
