The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-06-09
THE COLUMBIAN, Vol. X, NO: ~
COLUMBIA DEMOCRAT, VOL, XII, NO. u
Mysterious Sounds.

Perhaps the most familiar Of mysterious
sounds are those produced by the ventrilo-
quist familiar because almost every county
fair is visited ly one or more of these exhib-
itors mysterious because the real source OF
sound does not correspond with the apparent.
1t lies within the province Of the anatomist
or Psychologist to explain Why it is that
some men can speak from the stomach in
stead of from the throat, and without any
perceptible movement Of the lips but the
person who can do this, the yentriloquist,
may make himself most bewidering de-
ceiver of those who listen TO him. Our pow
er of determining the exact direction whence
u sound comes is less than we usually imag-
inc. 1t is said that Savile Carey, who could
well initiate the whistlng of the wind would
sometimes amuse himself by exerting this
art in public coffee house; some Of the
guests at once rose to see whether the win
dows were quite closed, while others would
button up their coats as if cold.
Sir David Brewster notices ventriloquist
of exceptional Skill NJ. st. Gille, who one
day entered church where some monks
were lamenting the death of brother.
Suddenly they heard voice, as if from over
their heads. bewailing the condition of the
departed in purgatory, and reproachng them
for their want of zeal. Not suspecting the
trick they fell on their faces and chanted the
he Profundis.
A committee appointed by the Academic
des Sciences to report on the phenomena of
ventriloquism went with NJ. st. Gille to the
house of lady, to whom they announced
that they had come to investigate a case of
aerial "spirits" somewhere in the neighbor-
hood. During the interview she heard what
she termed "spirit voices" above her head,
underneath the floor, and in distant parts of
the room, and was with difficulty convinced
that the only spirit present was the ventrilo-
| quistic voice of NJ. St GilIe.
! Brewster tell of another master Of this art,
Louis Brabant, valet de chambre to Francis
l., whose suit was rejected by the pareuts OF
a beautiful and well-dowered girl with whom
he was in love- He called on the mother
after the death of the father, again to urge
his suit; and while he was present she heard
| the voice of her deceased husband express
ing remorse for having rejected Louis Bra
bant, and conjuring her to give her immedi-
ate consent to the betrothal. Frightened
and alarmed, she consented. Brabant, deem
ing it desirable to behave literally in the
marriage arrangements but having not much
cash at command, resolved to try whether
his ventriloquism would be as efficaciou:
with money lending banker as it had been
with the widow. Calling on the old usurel
at Lyons, he managed that the conversation
should tuan upon the subject of demons
spectres and purgatory. Suddenly wa.
heard the voice of the usurer's father, com.
planning of the horrible sulerings he wa.
enduring in purgatory, and saying there wa.
no way Of obtaining alleviation except b,
the usurer advancing money to the visitor
for the sake of ransoming Christians from
the hands of the Turks. The usurer wa
terrified, but too much in love with his golt
to yield at once Brabant went the mex
day and resumed the conversation, whei
shortly were heard the voices of host o
dead relations, all telling the same terribl
story, and all pointing out the only way o
obtaining relief. The usurer could resist NJ
longer; he placed 10000 crowns in tn
hands of :the unsuspected. ventriloquist who
of course, forgot to pay it over for the ran
som of Christians either in Turkey or amy
where else. When the usurer learned after
ward how he had been duped, he died {
vexation.- Chambers Journal