Edward K. Earle

Edward K. Earle
"Rev. Edward K. Earle, THE NOTED PSYCHIC": portrait from advertising for his 1920 tour
Born	Edward E. Keeley 4 August 1861(1861-08-04) Zanesville, Muskingum Co., Ohio
Died	2 February 1935 (73)
Spouse(s)	Marguerite Estes (m. 1882, d. 1896); Alice Slyter (m. 1898, dv. 1909); Mabel E. Keeley (d. 1912)

Edward K. Earle (August 4, 1861 - February 2, 1935), also known as Edward Earle Keeley, was an American clairvoyant and test medium, self-described from early in his career as "the world's greatest independent slate writer." Earle actively toured the United States from the 1890s through the 1930s, and was associated with a variety of Spiritualist camps, chatauquas, churches, and allied organisations during that time, including the Angelus Spiritualist Temple, National Independent Spiritualist Association, and the Universal Church of the Master.

Background

Prior to his career as a slate medium, Keeley was the publisher of the Dramatic Star in Seattle, a magazine on stage actors, and also a producer of stage and show, including mediums. His daughter, Edna Keeley, was famed as a child actress.

Press Coverage

1890s

Classified advertisements for Earle's services appear in the Oakland Tribune in the summer of 1895, the San Francisco Examiner in 1896, Los Angeles Herald in early 1897, returning to San Francisco in both Chronicle and Examiner later that year. By late 1897, Earle was reported to have gone to the Klondike Territory, and returned in August of the following year to Seattle, supposed to have found his fortune in the gold fields.

• "MESSAGES FROM SPOOKDOM. Edward K. Earle Calls Off Tips From His Special Wire.", Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, CA): 3, 30 Dec. 1895, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/378367535/ 
• "EARLE GOT MONEY FOR MESSAGES - Coined Money From the Occult Warblings From the Skies. MEDIUMS DEVELOPED TO ORDER. Charles Webber Was Made to Believe That Spirits Hovered O'er Him. SLATES BRING KLONDIKE PRICES. How a Spurious Medium Cultivated a 'Harvest Roll' and Departed With Gold.", San Francisco Call (San Francisco, CA): 12, 13 Oct. 1897, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1897-10-13/ed-1/seq-12/ 
• "MINERS RUSHING TO KOYUKUK RIVER. Edward E. Keeley, of Seattle, Has Visited the New District — Found Fortune at Manook.", Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, WA): 12, 29 Aug. 1898, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/333282761/ 
• "ROW AMONG SPIRITUALISTS. Edward K. Earle of San Francisco Accused of Fraud.", San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, CA): 9, 19 Oct. 1899, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/457709636/ 

1900s

• "Fortune Telling! Natural Born Clairvoyant. EDWARD K. EARLE - FREE! FREE!", Fargo Forum and Daily Republican (Fargo, ND): 6, 5 Aug. 1904, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/851812628/  — solictation for his 1904 summer tour on the U.S. Midwest circuit
• "PLENTY OF EASY MONEY. Clairvoyant In Fargo Cleans Up Several Thousand Dollars From Too Credulous Folks.", Bismarck Daily Tribune (Bismarck, ND): 2, 11 Aug. 1904, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042242/1904-08-11/ed-1/seq-2/, "Fargo seems to have a large and gullible number of suckers. Prof. Edward Earle, clairvoyant and star-gazer, was in the city for a week and took out some $5,000 that he grafted out of innocent people. The sucker of the largest size was Joshua D. Brown, an old man who took $1,000 in bills out of the bank, allowed the professor to put them in an envelope for Brown could wear them next to his heart, in order that Earle might read the future through the bills. When Brown went up to get his last reading, the professor had flown, and upon investigation the old man found that his $1,000 was not in the envelope and nothing was there but old newspaper folded up. Many other cases are cited and there are dozens of applicants for warrants for the clairvoyant." 
• "CAUGHT AFTER A LONG CHASE", Independent-Record (Helena, MT): 3, 14 Aug. 1907, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/525051737/ 
• "SPOOKHEIMER RELEASED, BUT PUTS UP $3000", Los Angeles Herald (Los Angeles, CA): 5, 15 Aug. 1907, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/466032440/ 
• "SWINDLER EVADES NET SET BY FARGO - EARLE FORFEITS BAIL AND CROSSES MEXICAN LINE. Veteran Robbed of $1,000 Was Back of Prosecution — Clairvoyant Traced to California Is Found to Have Been Arrested on Another Charge and To Have Jumped His Bail.", Minneapolis Journal (Minneapolis, MN): 5, 29 Aug. 1907, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/810350940/ 

1910s

• "Police Stage Raid on Clairvoyant Parlor", Oakland Tribune (Oakland, CA): 1, 27 Feb. 1916, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/80749350 

1920s

• "MEDIUM JAILED ON CHARGE OF FORGING CHECK - Edward E. Keeley, Known As "Dr. Earle," Declares Arrest Is Mistake.", Oakland Tribune (Oakland, CA): 5, 4 Jul. 1923, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/96391143/ 
• "'Long Psychic' Waves Bring Jail Instead of Love to Girl", Washington Times (Washington, D.C.): 11, 8 Apr. 1924, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1924-04-08/ed-1/seq-11/, "SAN FRANCISCO, April 8. — A sensational bunco scheme was revealed here yesterday when the 'Rev.' Edward K. Earle, widely travelled mystic was arrested by the local police on a technical charge of violating the law against fortune telling. Early, who has engaged n so-called psychic activities in every city of the United States, according to the police, came to grief here through his alleged efforts to help a young Los Angeles girl win the heart and purse of William A. Clark, jr., multi-millionaire philanthropist and art patron of the southern California city. The girl, whose name is temporarily withheld by the police, hoped to bring about her conquest by means of long distance 'psychic waves' broadcast by 'Rev.' Earle." 
• "11 NABBED AS CLAIRVOYANT SUSPECTS", Santa Ana Register (Santa Ana, CA): 4, 15 Apr. 1924, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/89338715/ 
• "L.A. Expose Leads to S.F. Probe", San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, CA): 11, 27 Nov. 1924, https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/457424469/