The New York herald., 1878-10-14
DO. SPENCER ON KEY THOUGHTS.
A Suspected. Murderer Flees from the Country
''" to Escape the PrOffertd Ordeal.
THE HARMON ROBBERY,
How the Mind Reader Solved Its Mysteries
and Recovered the Stolen Money.
BIooMIeros, Ind, oct. 0, 1878.

WaIklu8 up toWu alter my uEIlthi AeTo AIom Oiu-
cnnati inquired for D. o. Spencer. the mind reader
young man volunteered to be my guide, "though l
don't think" said he, s'Dank Spencer's In town.
He's bin OF lsctioneerin' with Dan Voorhees,, un-
derstand"
Fortunately, however, Mr. Spencer had just re-
turned. found him al his office up stairs at dusk,
considerably travel worn and very much surprised at
the statement that had come to Bloomington on
purpose to IND ont tor the readers of the HERALD
What manner OF man ne was. Hc readily consented
to an evening interview at the same place, and met
me there at halt-past seven. An influx of visitors
shortly compelled adjournment to my room at
Faulkners HOTEL whore after giving directions that
should not be interrupted, confronted Tor long
sitting tho mysterious young man whose exploits
have lately the neighborhood agog. HIS recovery
OF certain OF money winch mad becn stolen from
the Harmon family the last and probably the best
known OF tnese feats.
MIND READER LOOKS.
Mr. Spencer's personal appearance. though i'm /.
proved by hasty toilet since FIRST accostsd him,
was not In the lcast degree Imposing HIS height Ia
slightly under the standard his frame thick and
muscular; his carriage a little unganly. He has
good head with plenty Of room for brains; eyes
. strong. thick nose. and square jaw His manner,
awkward but frank, was void OF pretension, and It
was once apparent that no was not conscious Inn
posior In this OF him most people will agree ON
listening 10 his narrative which shall give nearly
IS possible In his own words. .snt e.s
HIS EARLY LIFE isfs..r 4. E
asked him. first, to recur to his origin ana his
early lfe .ese seH es. tas .8g s,s..
'sWell, SIR" said he, Il came near being New
Yorker, like yourself Ny father was born Lake
Chautauqua IN that State but moved West before
was born, hero in Bloomngton, on the 1sJ OF Sep
tembsr, 1s42 The family poor ana paid for
7
for the Methodist church. sweeping out the church
University, but during tho war served three
years in the Eighth Indiana regiment OF volunteers
and at the end OF that time found soldering had
interfered good deal with my literary studea SO
when l came back In 1865, entered the law school
Of the university. having previously studied law
In the ONCE OF Judge Hughes, who was appointed
Judge Of tho Court OF CLAIMS at Washington by Pres-
dent Lincoln. was graduated In 1866 and admitted
to The Bar Subsequently practsod Tor a time and
was employed In cases 10 which the interests OF some
Of the wealthiest citizens OF Bloomington wero con-
serned. In the meantime had alss learned stsnog-
raphy, ana that for soms time, was my chief en-
ploymsns. have been employed as s.snographsr
In most Of the courts OF Southern Indiana and have
worked In that capacity Tor the Louisville Courier
Journal the indianapolis Journal the Indianapo-
lis Sentinel. ! am o correspondent of the
Ledgcr..St andard. OF New Albany" ~
$50 you now thirty six years old 20 t"t
"Thlrty -six last month" {"
"And have been pressing away at law and stcnog.
raphy, Notwithstanding you were . prophet and a
seer 2" -
''Oh, no, said Mr.. spencer, kughinE ~ didn't
hnd that III that's what call ~ until quite re-
Gently" se4
s'waonfn
HOW HIS pRcuLiAR POWERS WERE DKvELopEp
ssNot until saw Brown-the celebrated J, r.
Brown. He's known all over the United States as q
mind reader, ana believe he is travelling under
she auspices Of the Reapath Lecture Bureau He
eame through hcre-two years last June, tnink-
and gave two mind reading receptions IN tho chapel
pf tho State University. was greatly Interested
Afterward was introduced 10 him at the Orchard
House. In conversation found that his lilo had been
In tow respects similar To my own. that he had
some OF my own idloeyncrasics. For example. do
scIibed peculiar feeling to which no nvariably
subjcc, not weather just before thunder storm
a feeling identical with that which always have IN.
der the same conditions There were other simiiar.
tios between us winch induced me 10 experiment 10
ascertain whether l might perhaps be possessed OF
his singular power II not long before was per-
fccily convinced TINT had the same knack." sats
SHOW aid you convince yourselir"
q aBy actual trial; first with friends and acqua,nt
ances, next with strangers. Within fortnight gAve
. pub 10 reception in Nashville"
"a prompt beginning" t
cit was at tho instance OF Hon. James s. Hester
Circuit Judge OF tho Bartholomew Judicia district
whose father Chie Justice Of the Supreme Court
OF California. Judge Hester was kind. He encouraged
me 10 go anead, and did The audience TOO, wero
aftorward perfectly satisned.n . f
"what was the character OF the tests :"
sOu this public occasion, and ~ all subsequent pub
Tic exhibitions wuich have gvep frst invited the
audience TO select q presiding officer. In his turn
shis ofncer appointed committee OF three, which
somn.ittee selected persons In tho audience upon
whom the tests were to be made or rather through
whom was to bs tested. These persons having been
designated would ask or more OF them to hide
wha,over objects they pleased In tho hall or out
side Of u. l would then nnd the objects MID.
den. Other persons would ask TO think OF
objects. I would then name the objects thought
Of. l would ask others TO think Of names.
woulo spel out the names which were in their
minds, and perpiex them greatly In ane, would
toll all sorts OF queer things including the correct
ages Of ladies In the hail. tho announcement OF which
used TO provoke mingled merrimsnt and annoy yance.n
aow HE COMMUNICATES wfrH rHg ANOTHER.
"But how--in what manner, a. least, was It all
donep
.By physical contact responded Mr.. Spencer, in
. toue that half suggested cant, until caught tho
twinkle In hts eyes ayes, mats exactly IT," he re-
pea,sd. "It's py physical contact. When persons
who had hidden OBJECTS back I'D take them by Tho
band and lead them to tue hiding places and nnd the
things While persons were thinking OF objects /
would hold them by the hand or touch them on tho
forehead and namo things; aud SO likewise wnen
they were thInkIng oil names or ages. In the samo
way, while holding on to PERSONS hand, could ac-
curstcIy describe the salient traits oi n,s or her
cnaracter lu designating names, ages, dates, &c.,
used 10 have wires stretched above the PLATFORM on
ma z pb bpu nj q
the letters ofthc alphabet aud the oiferent numerals
and tnus without speaking, would be able 10 make
he announcement by pointing to these slips one alter
mother"
"a stage effect, suppose2n
~ was tho way Brown did. gave other cxhibi-
tons AZ Nashville oi similar character At length
l onty had TO take nod oil PERSONS finger before
announcing aname or an age. In every pubic in
stance called on the persons SUBMITTING themselves
Tor experiment before tncy let the to tell the
audience whether tho test had been fair--whstn ner
thefe had oeen aby coiiusion or whether had taken
any advanlAEe. In all cases Inc anAMers wsra EN-.