The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-12-10
MENTAL MAGNETISM.
MISS DE MoNTFORD AMUSING BOSTON AUDI
ENCES-HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL MESMERIC
? EXPERIMENTS. Sod. ... q.


From the Boston Post, Nov H.
An audience larger, if possible, than that
which assembled Monday night, gath
cred at the Beethoven Hall last eve
ming to witness the wonderful and anus
ing experiments in mental magnetism
which Miss Annie De Montford is conduct
ing there. The success of this lady'S first
appearance before a Boston audience had
been so perfect that a general interest was
manifested to see more of her perform
ances. Promptly at s o'clock she appeared
upon the stage, and the requisite number
of volunteers for the tests was speedily
obtained. After the usual preparatory de-
lay the operator began to try each individ-
ual separately as to his ability TO keep his
eyes open. Several faint-hearted individu-
ais now lost courage and ANONYMOUSLY
left the platform. OF those who remained,
ten proved to be susceptible to the lady
influence, but among them were four OF
those who, on Monday night, became will
ling performers. By further experiment
ing. the number of really good subjects
was reduced to five, three of them being
veterans from the first appearance, and the
others being little more than boys. All be-
ing in readiness and the operatives seated,
Miss De Montford made a succession OF
pdcSCS III llOliJ VI pdl ie'NJ
at the piano furnishing meanwhile some
soothing music. After few moments
delay one of the group slowly arose and
began to walk toward the mesmerist. Two
others soon followed, and after being led
across the stage, the three were left gazing
intently at the carpet, while Miss DE MOntss
ford practiced her wileS on two others.
When the five had been brought to the
front of the platform, she pointed down.
ward, and said: ''See the finest flowers
you ever saw in your lives" As if by
magic, every one frightened, and the de-
luded creatures stopped to the floor, and
at once began picking imaginary bios
SONS, occasionally smelling the collections
they were making. Their mistress sud-
denly gave a cry of "Wasps," however, and
change came over the spirit OF their
Dreams Handkerchiefs were frantically
flourished there were wild rushes to
and fro, and occasionally, as the lively in
sects got fair drive at one of the victims,
the poor wretch would writhe in seeming
agony and caper around the stage half
cTazed. OF course the audience roared
with laughter, but they fairly screamed
when one of the sufferers threw himself
on the carpet and rolled over and over as
if possessed, and finally fell four or five
feet to the floor of the auditorium. A
word from Miss De Montford brought the
young man out of his trance, and he very
shamefacedly walked back on to the plat
form and to his seat. Four of the party
were next directed to look at their hands
and see them turn black. This seemed to
happen, and next all imagined themselves
to belong to negro minstrel troupe, and
a pantomimic performance on bones,
banjo, tamborine, and violin at once took
place, This was followed with songs, Jug
Cling. and a general season of tumbling,
the edd antics of the performers again
nearly convulsing the audience with laugh
ter. The boy of the party, lad of ten or
twelve years, was now made to stand
open-mouthed and with his hands in his
pockets until permission was given him to
do otherwise. Another subject, man OF
slight build and rather below the medium
height, was then put into a cataleptic state
while standing bolt upright with his arms
close by his sides. Two gentlemen stood
with extended arms behind him, when, at
the will of Miss De Montford, he slowly
began to fall backward, and in moment
was extended at full length on the stage.
Two chairs, with man seated in each,
were placed back to back about four feet
apart. The rigid, insensible form of the
Young man was then lifted and placed on
so that the feet rested on one chair while
the shoulders bore upon the other. - A
man, weighing evidently about 100 pounds,
then slowly and cautiously stepped upon
the body thus extended and stood for sew
eral seconds upon the apparently petrified
trunk. The body was then placed on the
floor, and, while the pianist furnished ap-
propriate music, the mesmerist, by few
passes, brought the young man back to
his senses seemingly none the worse for
his strange experience. The experiment
with the entire audience was next tried, |
but so little attention was paid to the Dir !
rections given that but few were infIuenc- |
ed. The favored subjects on the stage
were again taken in hand, and this time |
they were impressed with the idea that
their coats were on fire. After making |
much amusement by their efforts to es-
cape q burning-the fancy changed, and !
the most ludicrous efforts were made to I
put those garments on again-wrong side |
up, wrong side out, after the manner OF
pantaloons and score of other comicaf
ways. A whiskered subject, of thirty years |
or so, was next made to fancy himself a |
mother, and rag doll given him was care |
fully fed with q cane, by Nay Of spoon, |
from soothing syrup taken nom hat. |