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Dutch Psychic May Get a Cool Reception Here

Dutch Psychic May Get a Cool Reception Here image
Parent Issue
Day
11
Month
July
Year
1969
Copyright
Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
OCR Text

Dutch Psychic
May Get A Cool
Reception Here

One way or another, Peter
Hurkos, the Dutch psychic, is
coming to town to hunt for a
killer.

Although Prosecuting Attor-
ney William F. Delhey and
Police Chief Walter E. Krasny
express frank skepticism and
promise only minimal coopera-
tion, they say they are willing
to "accept help from anyone"
in the search for the murderer
of six young women killed here
in the past two years.

"We feel we have r of
Margaret Phillips ».» .....i so
we're now concentrating on the
other six murders," Delhey
says. "If Hurkos or anyone else
can help us, we'll accept it."

(The "in jail" on the
Phillips ktiniig is Ernest R.
Bishop Jr. now awaiting Circuit
Court trial.)

Hurkos, a former Dutch
house painter, claims he gained
psychic powers after falling off
a ladder in 1941. He claims
information he provided Bos-
ton, Mass. police helped them
solve the so-called "Boston
Strangler" murders.

His name and the possibility
of bringing him into the Ann
Arbor area has been mentioned
several times in the past six
months but there has not been
up to now an active move to
bring him into the murder
cases.

Archie Alien, a local real
estate man, yesterday
announced he is heading a
"Citizens Committee" to raise
funds to pay Hurkos to come to
the area to aid with the investi-
gation. Alien says public contri-
butions may be wired by West-
ern Union money order to
(' f i +1 7 p n s r'nnimittee, Ann

amount of
;,.y^., .^.^v,. ..as not been
specified but it is believed
about $4,000 is needed.

In a telegaram to Alien and
Chief Krasny yesterday Hurkos'
manager said the psychic
would require a detective
familiar with the cases to
accompany him, "legal access"
to all murder sites and photo-
graphs of the victims. Hurkos
will also require a piece of
apparel "not cleaned" of Joan
E. Schell, the second victim,
and Miss Phillips, the last to

Uul if Hurkos does come to
Ann Arbor, his reception from

Delhey and detectives working
on the cases may be noticeably
cool.

"Anything which has already
been made public about the
murders is of course availa-
ble," Delhey said. "We'll meet
with him, we'll meet with
anyone. But we are not about to
trot out unpublished investiga-
tive information fo r anyone."

Delhey said he does not "be-
lieve in fortune 'tellers, sooth-
sayers or anyone: being clair-
voyant."

"I'm a prosecuting attorney,
not a slight-of-haaad fan," Del-
hey said.

Alien says he id'oes not know
when Hurkos wilL come to Ann
Arbor but he is ma king tentative
arrangements at; this time,
assuming the needed funds will
be raised. Hurlaas reportedly
draws ov-" "•1 TOO for night club
appear summer m Ufuwt

Apart from t h s i b Ie
appCtirnnrp of th<; psychic, the
invc ;i of the murders
has assumed a routine pace
with detectives wading through
stacks of tip sheets and inter-
viewing scores ol' persons who
claim ownership of key infor-
mation.

Delhey said this morning a
final combing of Miss Phillips'
personal papers has failed to
turn up evidence that she had
secret knowledge about the
previous six murders. (She had
told her father the' evidence she
had uncovered ^vould "shock
the nation.")

Delhey again istressed that
persons providing; information
about the killings will be given
police protection if it is
requested. '