New Orleans Republican., 1868-08-02
MY ACQUAINTANCE WITH PLAN.
CHETTE.
From Lippinoott,s Maga zine. ]

From Lippineotts Magazine
There is an innocent little mystery
which goes upon three legs and is called
"Planchette. Who invented it nobody
can tell, and opinion is divided as to
whether it is or is not humbug. One is
very sure that it moves with alarming
readiness. The heartshaped bit of wood
sways to every motion the castors turn
with the slightest breath of influence the
pencil point marks lines and words on the
smallest provocation.
1t is natural for us to think that motion
has always an intelligent cause, and that
so light an object as this will be dependent
upon something more real than magnetism.
| Now, have had my own experience
with Planchette, and have reached my own
conclusions, agreeing doubtless with those
OF other observers and eXperimenters. To
me. just at present, there is a little mystery
in the matter, but in its place has arisen a
strong interest. For ] verify believe that
this curious toy, if rightly handled, will in
form us of certain laws which the turning
tables'' were too clumsy to tell. And as
all truth is best in the concrete, | have de-
cided to write down exactly what l think,
and how | came to my conclusions asking
no pardon of anybody but myself for the
frequent use of the personal pronoun.
So far as | am aware the earliest mention
of Planchette is in an anonymous novel,
"Who Breaks Pays republished among
the Tauchnitz volumes in 1861 as stand
ard book. The description is accurate
though short. The little heart shaped ta-
bic, with its its pentagraph wheels and
its pencil leg is just like cur own familiar
friend. 1t writes now and Lillian" and
adds cross at the end of the name-a
thing, let me say, which shakes my faith
in the authors knowledge, since l never
knew Planchette to make cross, for the
simple reason that it can not take up its
pencil point, and must always write a run
ming hand.
The later literature of the subject con.
sists or two articles, one entitled "Plan.
chette,' and the other q "Three-Legged
lmpostor," and both republished in EUerl
Saturday during the past winter. The
first Of these two accounts piqued my curl
| osity, and as it contained an engraving OF
the proper character to work from I very
soon had possession of ample means for
experiment. This original Planchette lies
before me as ! write, lust as it often lies to
me and others. 1t is precisely eight inches
long by seven wide, and not quite a third
of an inch thick. II has two brass penta.
| graph wheels, which are an inch and three.
quarters in height, and whose rollers are
narrow and very sensitive. With this
have conducted at one time and another a
number of tests, whose results l am about
to condeHse in this paper.
When one sits with his fingers resting
lightly on the wood lin this case seasoned
ash unvarnished), there runs throsgh his
arms and those of his partner, if they are
proper mediums, sense of electrical
force. The tingling extends from the finger
ends up the arms, meeting at last through
the shoulders, or pricking its way across
the forehead and after such sensations
Rlanchette is usually very active. The
hands are drawn hither and thither by the
magnetic force; and although they barely
touch the wood il follows their direction,
and writes intelligibly.
| A lady who is fine " medium, F" but who
was then ignorant of the fact, placed her
hands on Planchette with me one evening,
and without moments hesitation it wrote
Ellie" and afterward the name of another
| friend. When charged with the fact she sd.
mitted that these persons were in her mind
On another occasion the question was ask
ed: What is the name of those nuts on the
sideboard " and the answer was most sin
gular.
One partner thought "shellbarks"-th
other "hickory-nuts.n Fer several letters
there could be seen the effort to write both,
but, at last, when this was impossible, it
followed the stronger will, and wrote
"hickory-nuts.n And until the whole word
was written, neither knew how much the
thought had affected the language.
A gentleman, great skeptic, having his
hands touching mine, inquired; "Did /
settle at the bank to-night?'' For my part
l did not know, aad so remained passive;
and, as he did, the answer was correct,
much to his astonishment.
By placing my hand above those of two
tyros, have made Blanchette seribble off
whatever | wished; and, by taking their
hands, While their other hands were upon
the instrument, have drawn it to me or
sent it from me. 1t will occasionally do
tOlerably well for single person, but
have found that, without any muscular ac-
tion, l can invariably compel it to write
what L wish, and as | wish it--even if
choose to misspeli,
Such knowledge destroys the romance,
1t is true, but it only heightens the charm
of the reality; for it is competent in skilled
hands to draw from an unsophisticated
person answers which are the property of
that one only. Yet have still to learn the
instance where the stronger will would
not control.
My conclusions, then, are these:
l. That Planchette is dependent upon
the same principle as the "turning table"
for its motion, /. e., on the peculiar power
Of certain persons. Into this subject can
not at present enter. It has been done
fully by Count Agenor de Gasparin, and in
DR.. j. Esdaile's work on "Mesmerism as
Applied to Surgery"
2. That after motion is obtained, the in
telligent motion is the result of thought
and will, either conscious or unconscious.
3. That the stronger will controls in all
cases.
4. That Planehette answers nothing
which the "mediumsy do not know or guess.
This accounts for its wild predictions and
laughable blunders.
g That left to itself il will naturally
write nothing until there is a clear thought
10 the mind.
reserve my opinions for the present
concerning the source Of its melton; the