The New York herald., 1878-11-30
IS 1T MIND READING?
MISS MoILIE FANcHEE's TALENT-How SHE
TOLD THE CONTENTS OF. PAPERS IN SEALED
ENvEroPEs-PRorEssoR HENRY N. PARK


HURsrs STATEMENTS.
To EprroR THE HERAID:-
In of the recent publications with regard to
the remarkable of Miss Mollie Fanchcr think
it is time for me to make statement in detail of the
test of clairvoyance which made by means of q
sealed envelope in June. 1867. These publications
have been thus rar made with out her consent and
against the wishes OF Miss Fancher and her friends
and as one of her friends shall continue to keep
silence with reference to the physical aspects of the
case But / have obtained from her permission
TO lay before your readers exact statement
of this experiment. because it it
seems to me- SO far it is possible for single ex-
pertinent to demonstrate general principle. that
there may be clairvoysncc independent of mind
reading have before the contents of the origi-
nal envelope and two statements, Of which
written at the time, and the other. containing
detail prepared two years later at the request Of her
physician. These have been returned to me this
purpose by Miss Fancher. who has had ossesson Of
them and. they will be much better evidence than
my present recollection will give the two state
ments i'll full. They are follows:-
T.srs OF wiSp READING.
% s III os Fl n Mss
opened letters or I" learn whether II is through the
envelope hrs prepared but no. being entirely salts
e s' ss could T b an slip
bity have any conception its probable
that tsken from the Siiis o tho
y IN .as and knew what n sase
that cut from the original Judiciary bill being
After making statements with regard the
TENT 81 ass to me hs sh & the
therei aud contained the hgures -, .. 3 4" subse
the word So judges me 10 Tho
returned 10 with the seal intact and was opened in my
the proof complete that she read the printed
human knowledge Of its contents = ,-,,,,,su
f.s-rhs words: sSo Judge shall Sit" passed through
tho way have good believe they accurately
IsDErkADESr cLAlayoYANcE.
In order 70 test the mode BY which Mis-. Moe Fanehcr
other by direct vision, in
s"na by any possibility ss
il is probable that human being had read word Of
Writing within the envespe and known to me- the writing
Sss too to ss Gs ss ss print
known do not know how she read this writing
mind She then stated shs. the printed Alp about
5 s% aS. VERY
arkable coincidence the word might have there
ing SS fs' that the there
s. no. completely sasisea for the same reason as
Is. T." This regarded as decisive for had No idea
sa to s
@ tie na II rs
the figures B 2 s. g. 8" and other hgures. regard
as as stated ssoss absolutely ndspsndsn. q ali human
knowIedge .. a contents Two points perhaps deserve
isaTis selection Of the printed slip As an official
received several copies Of bill portions Of which
haa sa a q ss ps Of q hss s ~ a1 cat
size Of which saw only that on the top The outside por
package back selected interior
IL ne os he and ssr the
been placed in il that sunlight could t.
eisss and then With scaling wax The seal inisn
s s sss
that the seal had not been tampered with each carefully
scaling wax, and selected certain minute pecasrtes
as the test Those pecaliaritics would have been de-
satisfied each by his own selected tes,s, tha,
any opinions nigh. have the probability Of
dessgpa While therefore am rather s,rens,hsnsd
edge from other minds Is most and easy,
since the experiment has suggested any point
N which y 'A''' 70 % an ESRY is.i rRKUasr
No IT, GATES AvESuE BRooKLys, April "a, lsso
MIND READING?
Nearly ten years have elapsed since this second
statement was written. and have not yet been able
to conceive any respect in which my test could have
been made more satisfactory. My former statements
are definite that need add but ttle At that time
she could not SPEAK that all that expected or
desired from her much Of an indication of
the contents OF the printed slip as should be
absolutely beyond guessing or chance. II was
for this reason that she gave me the numbers
in preference to, words. becsuse they could
be easily indicated by raps. When she first
stated that the paper contained those figures in
that order, and not sure that she not inter
rupted and thus prevented from adding the number
5. could not understand how the figures could be
there at all Then il occurred to me that probably
they some small figures put by the printer at
the bottom of the bill 1t not until the envelope
was opened, and found to contain section g. with
the lines numbered p s. 5. that the idea occurred
to that the line numbers could possibly have been
upon the slip.
The only other point that seems to have been
omitted in my former statements is that entered at
the time upon my pocket memorandum book at her
house the contents Of the envelope she stated
them to Then took the envelope unopened to
my office in New York, which the friend" men,
me, and the envelope was carefully scrutinized
by each Of us. and BY another gentleman whom we
invited to be present. then communicated to them
the contents stated to and immediately after
ward opened the envelope in their presence with the
result test 10 my frend a. " ~ fnr se
knew it impossible that there could have been
any collusion on my part. This friend was DR..
Edwin Leigh. well known to educators as the invcn-
tor OF the pronouncng orthography which Is
used In teaching children to read in all the public
schools in ST. Louis, Boston. Washington and other
cities.
pn IErsH's STATEMENT
From Or. Leigh have obtained the following-
M s sssSe sr aaa :r h ,
Washington city-possbiy II was William Blair Lord-was
Of tho city NJ the time opened il. John II.
Basn then the printer Of the thr,fion Laf. and Of
Lis ut the time tho envelope
opened We all satisfied that IL could have been
with may add that from the In which
TIA. paper selected and nscrted in the volopc
think II absolutely impossible for know
10 by the ordinary Of his what
the euyeope without opening IT, The papers
placed each side OF the contents render
impossible read them by transmitted light IL seemed
conclusive prcof that IL there be such thing
IN nd reading this could not be n oft.
EDWIN LEIGH. No. OBS Fulton avenue, Brooklyn.
For myself with my other knowledge or the case,
l.xsx tt.s
yclope important but wished the test to be such
involve the possibility of deception and to
be corroboraed by independent observers that in
the mouth OF two three witnesses every word
might be established. still believe that in this
was successful. I may add that one reason why
Miss fancher and her friends have objes ted to
the publication Of any of the facts of her case
IL that the result has always been that
she has been Immediately bcset by that
class Of persons who wanting in dclicacy and
common that. although strangers, they will in
trudc upon the home Of sick 70 crafty their