New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-07-16
Reading Others Thoughts.
Another OF the Unexplained Mysteries Of
the Human mind.

About hundred gentlemen assembled last
night in the Sturtevant House to see the
extraordinary performance of MIR. J. II.
Brown, young gentleman who processes to
read thoughts i'm the mind of any person in
his presence. Mr.. Brown is about twenty
seven years of age, very thin and nervous.
The first test of his powers was made by a
gentleman hiding pencil outside the room.
MIR. Brown put one hand upon the forehead of
the gentleman, and holding his arm with the
other went with hardly any delay to the
place where the pencil was concealed. The
pencil was then hidden under Il gentleman's
coat collar, and discovered in similar man
ner. In this experiment the person who
concealed the pencil allowed his train of
thought to be Tor moment broken, and the
interval was marked by the Young performer
stepping rapidly toward the other end of the
room, and, as the ideas of the man whose
mind he was reading were once more brought
under control, he as rapidly rctraced his
steps, and drew the pencil from under the
collar.
Another gentleman was then requested to
think Of some person in the room, but walk
ing rapidly around for some minutes Mr..
Brown declared his inability to find the per-
son thought of, and asked where he was. The
gentleman then explained that his friend
was in California. The writer, who was
q dOubter, was asked to think of some one
person in the room. He selected Mr.. Lewis
Leland, the proprietor OF the hotel. Mr..
Brown laid his hand upon the reporters
forehead and walked quickly up the room.
Before Mr.. Leland he passed, aud at that
moment the reporter allowed his mind to
wander to another person. Instantly Mr..
Brown stepped toward the person last
thought OF, and then as the reporter once
more concentrated his thoughts upon Mr.
Leland, he wheeled, reiraced his steps,
and put his hand on Mr.. Leland's shoulder.
-Four gentlemen, among whom was Mr..
Wells OF Fowler Il Wells, phrcnologists,
were selected while Mr.. Brown was out of
the room. They passed an article from one
To another. the last Of the party hiding il.
Mr.. Brown then put his hand on the forehead
of the gentleman who had in the first instance
given the article to Mr.. Wells. After a
| short search the performer stopped opposite n
| gentleman whose features in some measure
| resembled those of The phrepolo.ist, and it
was then explained that the person through
whose hands the pencil had first gone had
never seen Mr.. Wells before, and had mo-
mentarly mistaken the man pointed out
by Mr.. Brown for him. This announcement,
apparently proof conclusive of the speakers
| powers, was received with applause. Mr.
Wells stepped forward, and through him Mr.
Brown traced the article to the person to
whom it had been next given, and finally, to
| its place Of cOnccalmcnt.
The next experiment was that of reatin"
the mind of a gentleman by holding the
| hand Of another person who, while touching
the gentlemen experimental upon, allowed
his own mind to remain as nearly as poss-
bic impassive.
Mr.. Wells examined the performers head
and found nothing unusual. lie said his men.
tai eXertions seemed very wearing, and that
he was not likely to live ten years longer.
He added that the performance was to him
ineyplicable.