Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1845-02-27
From the London Afhenenm of Nor. 80.
Miss Isarfincau on Mesnerism.

MISS NsiftEDcsau On NteSmefESm.
Vixen entered upon my lodgings here nearly five
years ago, Twas waited upon by my andladys niece,
a girl OF H. From that time to this she has been
under my eye; and now the age of 49, she has all
the nervousness and conScientiOusness that won my
respect at first, with increased intelligence and ac-
hylty of affections. aware that personal conf
tence such feel for this grl cannot be transfer
red TO any other mind by testimony Still the testi-
m2nY OF an inmate of the same house for so many
years, a. 10 essential points of character must have
some weight and therefore | preface my story with
II. would aGI that no wonders of mesmerism could
be greater than that person Of such character age
and position shOlld be able, for long succession of
weeks, to do and say things every evening, unlike
her ordinary sayings and dOngs; to tell things out
"f the scope of her ordinary knowledge and to
mand her countenance ard demeaaor so that no fear
no mirth no anger, ne doubt, should ever once make
her move muscle or change color, swerye for
instant from the consistency of her assertions and de-
tails matters of fact or opinion. am certain that
IL is not IN human nature keep up FOR seven weeks
a series of receptions multlfariouss and should
say so of perfect stranger confidently as say it
OF this girl, whom know to be incapable Of decep-
ton, much from the character of her intellect of
her morale. When 1t is seen, it Will be- that she
has also told incidents which it is impossible she could
have known by ordinary means, every person who re
ally wishes TO study such case VIII think the present
as worthy of attention any that can be met with
though 1t offers no array of strange tricks, and few
extreme m1rvels.
My mesmerist and were taken by surprise by the
occurrence of this case My friends maid told her,
on the 1st of October that j. (our subect) had been
suffering much the day before from pain in the head
and lntamed eye, that she (he ml;d) had mcscrised
her; that j. had gone off into the deep sleep in five
minutes, and slept for twenty minutes when her aunt
In alarm, had desired that she should be awakened
j. fund herself not only relieved from PAIN but able
to eat and Sleep and to about her business the
next day with relish and vigor quite unusual. My
friend saw at once what an opportunity might here
offer for improving the poor girls nrm health, and
for obtaining light to the state and management
of my case then advancing well, but still subject
of anxiety
had for six years been subject to frequent severe
pain IN the left temple, and perpetuay recurring in
Illumination of the eyes, with much disorder besides
She Is active and stirring in her habits patient and
cheerful IN Illness ana disposed to make the least,
rather than the most of her complaints She had,
during these years, been under the of several
doctors, and at time patient of the Eye In
Urinary at Newcastle; and the severe treatment she
has undergone Is melancholy to think of, when most
of 1t appears to have been almost entirely valn
She herself assigns, In the trance structural defect
the Of her ailments, which viii prevent them
ever being entirely removed but, from the beginning
of the mesnerc treatment, her health and looks have
so greatly improved, that her acquaintance in the
neghborhood stop her to ask how it is that her ap-
pearance is so amended There was in her case GER
tainly imag,ination" TO begin with; for she was
wholly Ignorant OF mesmersm, and had no moro con-
ception of the phenomena she was about to manifest
than she has consciousness of them at this moment.
This Inconsistencies we have guarded with the ut
most We Immediately resolved that, if posi-
BILE, there should be case of which no one could
honestly say that the sleeping and waking states of
mind were mixed. Our object has been, thus far,
completely attained one harmless exception only
having occurred This was when, speaking of the
nature and destiny of man, idea which she had
'heard In church" ntruded itself among some ether
wise derived and troubled her by the admxture. On
that OCCASION she remarked afterwards, that she had
been dreaming and, she thought talking of the soul
and the day of judgment. This is the only instance
of her retaining any trace of any thing being said
done In the trance Her surprise on two or three oc-
casions at finding herself, ON awaking in different
chair rom the she went to sleep in, must show
her that she has walked but have every evidence
from her reception of what we say to her. and from
her ignorance of things of which she had previously
Informed US that the time Of her mesmeric sleep
afterwards absolute blank to her. asked her one
evening lately, when she in the deep sleep, what
she would think OF my Publishing an account of her
experience with my own-whether she would be vex-
ed by IL She replied that she would like it very
much she hoped somebody would let Ter know of it,
and show it to her for though she remembered when
asleep every thing she had thought when asleep be-
FORE she could not keep any of it till she awoke. II
was all regularly "blown away" But if it was print
ed, she should know and she should like that.
To preserve this Inconsistencies as long posi-
bic, have admitted person at our SedRceS, from
the first day till now, who could speak to her the
subject. We shut out maids at once: and we
two had been the constant witnesses, with visitel
and then, to the number of about twelve in tie
whole
1t is a memorable moment when one first hears the
monosyllable, which tells that the true mesmeri,
trance has begun. Are you asleep 2 Yes 1t il
crossing the threshold of region Of observation
Of human nature. Then it goes sHow long shall
you sleepe Half hour Shall YOU wake o
yourself, or shall wake you q Il shall wake of my
self And so she did to second-no clock or watcl
being near but the watch in my hand. For SOM
weeks she could always tell the time, and forete he
waking but of late, in manfesting some new
capabilities, she has lost much of this
Nothing can induce her to say a word on matte
she Is not perfectly Of She solemnly shakes he
head, saying, Il wont guess 1T wont do to guess.
And sometimes appealingly, Il would tell you if
could IN try to see. III do all cam &c. Whe
sure of her point, nothing her from her de
carahons. Night after night, week after week, sh
sticks to her decisions, strangely enough sometimes
as II appears TO us but we of her eve
yet having been mistaken on any point on which sh
has declared herself. w ascribe this to our havin
carefully kept apart the waking and sleeping ideas
for il is rare to find somnambues whose declaration
can be at all confidently relied on. If any yxakin
consciousness is mixed up with their sleeping facu
ties, they are apt to gucss-to amnse then fancy,
to say any thing that they think Will best please the
mesmerist. Us strict and uncomproinising truthful
ness forms striking contrast with the vagaries
hackneyed and otherwise mismanaged s0mnambulc
K soon became evident that Of her stronge.
powers the discernment of disease, its condito
nd n u C--4