Perusing the local newspapers in the late 1800’s one might encounter an ad for a prolific spiritual reader from St. Louis Missouri known as Mrs. Ros Sabine. Sabine promoted herself as a spiritual healer and reader. She was known to read palms, cards and the stars to divine the paths of her clients. Her work was promoted by word of mouth and not just testimonies of clients but testimonies that had been recorded by court clerks and notary publics. Sabine’s spiritual abilities came honest as she claimed to be heir to the spiritual throne left by her great grandmother Madame Lenormand. Lenormand was a highly celebrated card reader from France that had provided spiritual guidance to Napoleon I. She is remembered for her work with card reading and is a historically significant persona for many contemporary spiritual readers.
Ros Sabine was described by the press as a ‘seventh daughter of a seventh daughter’. Sabine offered ‘wonderful cures’ that included treatments for alcoholism. She would frequently share with the public about the power of specific charms that she would create for clients. The most powerful charm being ‘The Magic Belt’. The belt was believed to be patterned after a magical belt that her great grandmother had created for Napoleon. The belt was alleged to have made him successful and had only failed him when he lost the belt which eventually led to his downfall. The few materials that we do know that composed the belt were leather and steel.
Sabine claimed that the belt had the power to locate buried treasures, find lost items and could even help it’s owner win the lottery. Sabine’s ads for the belt ran frequently in newspapers from St. Louis to Mississippi. Soon after Sabine found that other spiritual readers would lay claim to having the ‘original’ magic belt like that of Mrs. C. Wilcus who promoted her ‘New Orleans Magic belt’. Wilcus went so far as to condemn what she called ‘frauds’ that offered the same type of belt in St. Louis. She would frequently include images of ‘medals’ she had received from clients as a gift for selling them her magical belt.
Sabine was then forced to advise her potential clients that her belt would be personalized with Sabine’s signature and if the belt did not contain her signature then it was not an original belt.
The authenticity of the belt became such an issue that an 1888 business guide for St. Louis included an image of Sabine’s signature to insure the public would know her writing on her belts.
In September of 1890 an arrest warrant had been served on Madame Sabine for obtaining money under false pretenses. A woman and her son who were believed to be under the attack of a supernatural sickness were sold one of Sabine’s magic belts and had undergone rituals for $700. The mother and son realized that the belt was not working and demanded their money back from Sabine. A report was filed with police and subsequently a warrant was issued. In the midst of this investigation some interesting facts about Sabine came out to the press.
It seems that Sabine employed a young man known to clients as Professor Laredo. Laredo’s real name was Frank Cremer, a 26 year old German man who had secretly fathered a child with Sabine’s 16 yr. old daughter. Tragically the child passed away. Soon after the daughter went to work in a private residence as a servant in South St. Louis. Cremer soon turned his affections to the girl’s mother and eventually married Ros Sabine. The local press soon ran a scathing article on Ros with the headline ‘Seductive Mrs. Sabine’.
Ros Sabine ran many memorable ads throughout the years advertising her spiritual abilities complete with testimonies about her work. There is little information available on her death but her memory as ‘America’s greatest fortune teller’ will live on in her memorable ads and claims.
