Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-02-14
Mind-Reading and CopIurers.

WE have recently witnessed two ex-
hibitions of the alleged abnormal
power of second sight, or, what
amounts to the same thing, mind-read-
ing. One was the performance of Mr..
J. II. Brown, who has acquired con-
siderable reputation as mind-reader.
His exhibition consisted in expert
ments intended to prove the existence
of a genuine phenomenal faculty
whereby he reads the thoughts of other
people. The second was the exhibi-
ton of Mr.. Robert Heller, the we'll
known conjurOr, and his assistant
Miss Heller, wherein the lady, blind
folded, ostensibly saw and described
articles not visible to her, but known
to the conjuror and his audience. The
reader will observe the distinction.
Brown seeks TO prove a supernatural
power by curious experiments. He'll
er, likewise, performs equally curious
experiments, but candidly avows them
to be part of his programme Of illu-
sions-in short, neatly-eXecuted tricks.
Mr.. Browns sO-called manifesto
tons have an advantage over those of
spiritualistic and other wonder-w york.
ing mediums, in that they are reared
on small basis of actual fact. And
it is just this modicum of reality
which has commended them to college
professors and others seeking the solu-
ton of many perplexing biological
problems. At the same time, the
phenomenal nature of the mind-read-
er's apparent power has secured for
him host of adherents from the ranks
of those whose peculiarly-framed in
tellects are always ready to believe
anything which rises above the level
of their comprehensions to be super
human. Mr.. Browns ability seems to
consist in an exceedingly delicate
sense of feeling, doubtless cultivated
by long practice; he is also endowed
with quick perceptive powers. likewise
trained, and possesses a sensitive nerv-
GUS organization. BY the aid Of
these not at all phenomenal powers, he
is enabled to detect the involuntary
changes either of the pulse. or the
breathing, or in the muscles in the
person with whom he is in contact. 1t
is an old and well proved fact that a
person who has performed any secre-
tive action, which is on the verge Of
discovery by another, will infallibly
and involuntarily indicate the fact by
some such bodily motion as above
noted. This mental popularity is con-
stantly taken advantage of in the
cross-eXamination of witnesses in
courts, and by detectives in seeking
to fix proof of guilt on criminals.
Guilty individuals will usually betray
themselves by their physical behavior
thus their actions are carefully scru-
tinized. Nothing is better understood
than that the mind strongly affects the
body: witness the actions of blushing,
becoming pale. trembling, weeping
and laughing, all of which are involun-
tary, betraving even to the dullest OBJ
server the sentiments of the person
affected. Deaf mutes can catch the
meaning of persons cOnversing with
them by the merest shades of change
in countenance; and nothing shows
more clearly how the perceptive pow
ers may in this respect be developed
than the fact that the deaf mute has
long since ceased the constant spelling
of words with his fingers, and has
substituted, in an immense number of
cases, slight symbolical signs with the
hands, movements of the body, and
facial expressions, which fully convey
the ideas. We might multiply in
stances, all showing that Mr.. Browns
mind-reading faculty consists in a
keen perceptive faculty rather than in
any supernatural mental qualification.
Examples of this ability exist in deaf,
dumb and blind persons, who commu-
nicate with each other by touch Ct
fingers. But sufficient has been sug-
gested to account for Mr.. Browns
ability to find hidden articles while
grasping the hand of the concealer.
AS the foregoing negatives the idea
Of superhuman power. it will be seen
that the mind-reader and the conjuror
practice their arts by similar means !;
and on comparing them we do not
hesitate to say that Mr.. Heller's tricks
are immeaS urably more mysterious
than Mr.. Browns. Eliminating the
idea Of jugglery altogether, it is evil
dent that, for Mr.. Heller's lady as
sistant to name articles touched by
him at random, requires on her part
a wonderful exercise of the memory,
to return the exact answer called for
by the peculiar form of question; and
on the other hand an equally marvel
lous CELEBRITY of thought is necessary
on the part of the conjuror to frame
exactly the proper question to convey
the information to his blindfolded as
sistant without moments hesitation.
Robert Houdin, in his Memoirs"
explains the immense labor involved
in two persons thus learning what
amounts to new language, the in
tricany of W hich Is shnWn from the