Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-09-19

the appearance of the latter remarks
nothing, except perhaps extreme fra
gility.
A programme indicated that at tn
close of the lecture some interesting de
monstrations would be made. Mrs. ant
Miss Leffingwell, it was stated, wer
both mediums, and the former gifte,
with remarkable powers of reading tn
future
We decided at once to ''assist" at thi
protection. The mans extreme villany
and audacity made him interesting
Indeed, so entire had been the popular
conviction, in the trial TO which hay,
referred, of the mans deliberate, vim
dictiye malice, that there had been fell
very general disappointment that hi,
sentence was not more severe. Not {
very large audience, of course; but i
was a pretty fair turn-out-severa
hundreds-and these were mostly col
lected before Mrs. Leffingwell and tn,
young lady made their appearance.
were placed a table with lights and
several chairs. Mr.. Leffingwell came
in, arranged these, withdrew again
and soon returned conducting his as
sistants. The woman seated herself in
bustling, important way, arranging
and rearranging her dress, and sending
around bold, assured glances. The girl
took her place quietly without raising
her eyes until the falling of window
which had not been properly fastened
up: then she lifted them for moment
with a startled, expectant look. l OBJ
served the group closelp, for | had be-
gun TO grow interested i'm them.
The lecture was a tissue of trashy
plagiarisms, through which what the
man would be at was not at all percept-
ible. 1t was evident, however, that he
had himself a sort of grotesque faith in
what he was trying 10 say-a kind of
trembling belief involved in his dia-
bolism. And this suggested to me plan
for the ISOLATION of a query which had
entered my mind: How far, namely,
that slight young girl sitting there
with an air of such utter abstraction
was voluntary accomplice of Mr.. and
Mrs. Leffingwell. That they were well
matched admitted scarcely a doubt
The woman, large-framed, coarse
featured, swarthy, with thick, sensual
lips and black brows meeting over lurid
eyes, looked fit for any emergency of
wickedness. In dress she was the
counterpart of her husband: every
thing about her was tawdry; a flashy
silk gown, much fiounced, heavily
wrought and solid white shawl. a rigo-
lette, as | believe they term those tri-
angular tagrags which women were
then beginning to wear on the head, a
quantity of bracelets, rings, chains.
looking fan. which she flourished un-
remittingly, made up her outfit. She
impressed one as having forgOne every
womanly trait.
Not so the girl claimed by the Letting
wells as their daughter. She looked at
most fourteen, and might have been a
year or two younger. She wore lilac
colored dress and a black silken scarf,
the simplicity of her attire, not less
than the frail, delicate beauty of her
person, contrasting noticeably with the
intense vulgarity of the woman beside
her. Her face was too pale, but the
features were exquisite in outline: the
brow low, the shadowy chestnut hair;
the eyes blue, | knew afterwards,
though l had supposed them black,
were so large and fringed with such
long, thick lashes, that they seemed to
make half her face. There was an Oc-
slight compression of the un-
der lip that showed her TO be i'll at
ease, whether from physical pain or
some other cause, and under an air of
apparent languOT, quick, nervous
closing of the little left hand which
held the edge of her black scarf. She
wore no ornaments.
OF course do not pretend to account
in any way for the phenomena | am
about to ascribe. No theory that ever
came in my way has seemed to me to
bear adequate credentials. In most in
stances, too, which have been related
to me / have found myself compelled to
doubt facts and differences. l will give
an unvarnished statement of occur
rences, promising only that | had pre-
viously and precisely, when | have
found myself in a mood similar to that
which / have described as particularly
to me on that day, been able
to exert the influence to which has been
given the epithets magnetic, odic, and
he like. over some refractory subjects.
At the close of Mr.. Leffingwell's de-
,lamatory farrago he came to the front
IF the platform and proposed, for the
more satisfactory demonstration of his
science to experiment on any one or
several among his auditors who might
solicit proof in their own persons. A
man of stOlid aspect and
BOY of 10 presented themselves. Di-
'ecting them to be seated on chairs on
he right of the staging, and observing
hat he would begin with the elder in
lividual, he took his station nearly OPP
,osite and commenced his craft.
/ commenced too, and in earnest.
For about three minutes, during which
felt nv concentrative power-I know
10 better name forit-growing stronger,
perceived no outward token of sue
,ess: but then there was perceptible
oning down, a manifest smouldering
# the audacity of his look. Let me en-
leavor to describe my own experience
Il the time.
1t seemed as if / projected a circle of
influence extending to an indefinite
listance from the man, and inclOsing
lin as a centre, the circumference ir-
egular at first and wavering. 1t was
nv effort to integrate, and then with
teady, tidal pulsation TO contract tc-
Yards and around the person i was en-