The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-07-10
SPIRITUALISM OUTDONE.
A Man who Reads the Thoughts of
Others.

From n. Y. Times of Saturday.
Mr.. John r. Brown, Of Council Bluffs,
Iowa, arrived in this city few days ago
and is now stopping at the Strurtevant
House. He is young man-twenty-
two years Of age-and was born in St.
Louis, Mo. Mr.. Brown is possessed of
powers which would have made Anth my
MeSmer delight to make his acquain-
tance. He can, certain conditions COM
piled with, read your thoughts, however
much you may endeavor TO conceal
them. DR.. Cocker, of the Michigan Un-
iversity, where the young man allowed
himself to be submitted to mum ber of
tests, says of him: "If an individual
will intensely fix his attention upon a
concrete object, localized in particular
place, and not abstract his attention, Mr..
Brown, while blindfolded, will lead him
to the object" After stating that the
young man was of good character, and
we'll known to many in the university
before the general public knew aught of
his peculiar power, DR.. Cocker says:
"All the cases he gives are instances of
imageal representations of concrete OBJ
jects in space"
Yesterday Mr.. Brown gave a private
exhibition to select company, iAclud-
ing several representatives of the press.
The place chosen for the experiments
was large parlor and bedroom in the
Sturtevant House. He explained be-
forehand that he was obliged to use
certain amount of machinery. This lat
ter consisted of the letters of the alpha
bet printed on a piece of pasteboard, and
long piece of brass wire. He did not
have the wire, the utility of which will
be explained hereafter, but he exhibited |
the printed letters. The letters we're
strung around the wall of the p4rlor, |
and Mr.. Brown commenced his irteres-
ting exhibition. He stated, in the first |
place, that any individual IN the room
might hide an article anywhere in the
house, and that, if certain conditions
were complied with, he would surely
point out where it was hidden by read
ing his thoughts.
A gentleman in the company left the
room, and returned 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 after few eccentric
namely, passed his hand sew
sral times over the gentleman's arm and
across his forehead, the two left the par
lor, followed by the company, and pro-
eeeded to search for the hidden article
The gentleman submitting to the exper- I
ment was led, or rather pulled, by Mr..
Brown through the corridors of the hotel |
md into half dozen chambers until
me was reached where Brown stopped
before a bureau with about a dozen 1
lrawers, and pointing to one particular S
irawer, said: "You will find it there" t
The hidden article, pocket knife, was r
ound in the drawer. The gentleman t
aid that he had followed the course il
which Brown had taken before he hid Y
he knife, and expressed himself as much d
stonished. The next test was made by S
gentleman who went into an adjoining O
partment and selected rosette in one
f three damask Curtains, as an object I,
pom which to concentrate his thoughts.
ir. Brown preparing himself as before, n
ID the gentleman to the wihdow-curtain,