The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1874-08-19
miscellaneons.
CD
MIND AND NATTER.
TIE WONDERFUL J. POWER OF READING
ANOTHER's THOUGHTS.

TIE WONDERFUL POWER OF READING
ANoTHEN's THOUGHTS.
John r. Brown, q bcardIess
young gentleman n:y-two
years Of age, whose home is in
Council Bluffs, Iowa, has excited
q good deal Of curiosity the last
few days by his exhibition Of mind
reading. at the Sturtcvant House
in New York City. Mr.. Brown
is highly charged with some mys-
terious power which gives him
control over the thoughts Of 9TH
ers. lie does not claim to be a
Spiritualist, and distinctly says
that prophecy is not a part Of his
art. lie takes the hand Of anoth-
er and thus establishes a chain
aIorg which the magnetic current
flows. Browns mind is passive, or
at least it thinks only the thoughts
which the brain thinks wit h
which it is in systematic contact.
The thoughts Of the subject whose
hands he holds are photograph
ed to his own brain, and hence
the subject can have no Sc
cret from the operator or re-
clever. You may hide an ar
ticle in any out-of-the-way place,
and you will concentrate your
thoughts upon the thing, Mr..
Brown will take your hand and
lead you directly to it. You may
write down the name Of any place
or Individual and Mr.. Brown, al
though not in the room when you
made the writing Will quickly
spell out the name for you. By
means Of a copper wire be can es-
tablish a current between himself
and yourself and receive the
brain messages. He is the battery
and you are the instrument. He
has been put to very severe tests
by the sceptical journalists and sci
entists Of New York, and has &C.
quilted himself in such way, that
the greatest dopbter cannot hesi-
tate to believe in his powers
He does simply what he says he
will do. He is a riddle to himself,
as be is to all who have seen him
operate. That his power is great
is undeniable, but just what it is
is question which the wisest
cannot answer. The New York
Times says:
Yesterday Mr.. Brown gave a
private exhibition to a select COM
pany including several representa-,
tives of the press. The place
chosen for the experiments was a
large parlor and bedroom in the
Sturtevant House. He explained
beforehand that he was obliged to
use a certain amount of machinery.
This latter consisted Of the letters
Of the alphabet printed on a piece
Of pasteboard, and a long piece
OF brass wire. He did not have
the wire, the utility Of which will
be explained hereinafter, but he
exhibited the printed letters
The latter were strung around
the walls Of the parIor and Mr..
Brown commenced his interesting 9
exhibition. He stated in the first
place, that any individual in the
room might hide an article any.
where in the house, and that, if
certain conditions were complied
with be would certainly point out
where it was hidden by reading
his thoughts. A gentleman in the
company left the room, and re,
turned in a few minutes. Mr..
Brown then blindfolded himself
with linen handkerchief, took
hold of the gentleman's left hand
with his own right hand, and, af:
ter a few eccentric movements
namely, pressing his hand several
times over the gentleman's arm
and across his forehead, the two lefI
the parlor, followed by the compa
ny, and proceeded to search 70,
the hidden article. The gentleman
submitting to the experiement wa:
led, or rather pulled, by Mr
Brown through the corridors ofthe
hotel and into a half dozen cham
bers until one was reached where
Brown stopped before a bureau
with about dozen drawers, and
pointing to one particular drawer
said "You will find it there" -
The hidden article, pocket knife
was found in the drawer. Th
! gentleman said that be had follow
; ed the course which Brown ha
taken before he hid the knife, an
: expressed himself as much aston
) ished. The next test was mad
? BY a gentleman who went int
an adjoining apartment and selet
, ted a rosette in one Of three ds
!, mask curtains, as an object upo
which to concentrate his thought
Mr.. Brown. preparing himself g