Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-08-21
HOW DOES HE DO IT?


Mesmerism, Magnetism, Odic Force, or
What IA Young Man Who Possesses
Most Ine1plicabIe Faculty for Finding
Things.
[From the Chicago Times.l
A young gentleman named j. B.
Brown, 81 years of age, though looking
rather younger than that, and of an in
telligent and rather promising appear
ance, has come to the city from Red
Oak, Iowa, to give exhibitions before
such as choose to investigate, of what
may be termed a power of divination
through mesmerism or psychology. Mr..
Brown claims to have possessed this
strange gift from childhood, and by its
means alleges to have traced a murderer
to his hiding place. He was born in
East st. Louis, but for many years at
tended school at Morrison, Whiteside
county, this State, and Mr.. M. r. Kelly,
formerly Superintendent of Schools in
that county, now accompanies him.
The young mans power may be defined
as "mind reading" though he does not
choose to give it any name, but prefers
that every one shall investigate for him
or herself, and form their own conclu-
sions. His strange gift may be illus
trated in this way A person unknown
to Mr.. Brown hides any object he pleases
in any place he pleases, and then ap-
proaches. the subject, who is blindfolded.
The person who has hidden the object
places himself in rapport with the
operator by allowing him to take his
left arm, which must be entirely sound,
or it will destroy the connection, and
the person must be eminently sober, for
the power can under no circumstances
be induced to make beast of itself.
This arm he manipulates first at the
elbow, apparently to see if it is sound,
and he then places the hand on his fore
head, holding it there with his right
hand, while his own left hand he places
on the forehead of the investigator,
thus forming a complete magnetic chain.
THIS position is maintained Tor perhaps
half a minute, when he withdraws his
hand from the inquirer's forehead, but
keeps the latter's hand to his own head,
and then starts off in search of the hid
den object. But through it all the party
having hidden the object must keep his
own mind intent on the locality where it
is secreted.
In pursuance of an invitation extended
| through the press, a company of thirty
| or forty welI-known gentlemen of this
city met in the club-room of the Sher-
man House yesterday afternoon to wit
ness experiments. Among those pres
poration Counsel Tuly, Gen. I. n. Stiles,
Dr. Blake, Aid. Sherwood, Col. Shirley,
and many other equally well-known gen.
tlemen.
Mr.. Brown was blindfolded, and an
nounced himself as ready for expert
ment. A local journalist in the mean
time quietly slipped tiny leaf from a
carnation pink under another gentle
mans foot, a circumstance known only
to the two persons party to the transac-
ton. Mr.. Brown went through the
preliminary maneuver already described,
and Immediately started straight for the
place where the leaf was hidden, drag
ging his appendage after him. He bent
down his head-he was following a
"light, " he said-and tapped the boot
with his forehead. The gentleman lifted
his foot and the leaf was revealed.
Gen. Stiles then announced that he
had hidden something, and placed him.
self in rapport with the mesmeric SUBJ
ject. They soon started away together,
going hither and thither about ihe room,
| Mr.. Brown proceeding with his head
down, and his action rather reminding
one of terrier who has lost the scent
of a rat Several minutes were con
sumed in dashing about from place tc
place, and Mr.. Brown was all the time
R6Gb1nR MS u0du u0drSI 1llO AOOI, fhtiO
finally stopped and remarked that the
object he was looking for was on Mr..
Stiles person, near the ground. The
General acknowledged the corn - by
drawing Spanish dollar from his shoe
Mr. Tu1y was the next gentleman whc
had hidden something. In few sec
} onds the subject started off with him
dragged him along two Railways, anc
finally lifted heavy trunk, under which
lay concealed the dilapidated iack-knif'
of the learned jurist.
Cardboard letters of the alphabe
were then placed on as many chairs
which had previously been placed IN
circle. A gentleman in the audlenc
then entered the ring with the blind
; folded subject, who passed-with som
halts and straying hither and thither-
, from letter to letter until he had spelle'
, out his companions name. Each lette
was correctly picked out in order.