Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-12
MEsMEaIzED IN COURT.

The Court of Appeals in Paris has beer
| the scene of a most curious and remarkable
spectacle. A young man named Didlel
was lately arrested for an offense in the
| Champs Elysees and sentenced to three
months Imprisonment. In PRISON he 9as
examined by Drs. Mottet and Mesnet, two
well known specialists IN mental diseases,
who reported that he lived in state Of
constant somnambulism, the attacks Of
which can be provoked at will The case
was heard on appeal, and the Judges were
about to withdraw to consider their verdict
when the doctors offered to confirm the
statements made in their report by praeti.
cal experiments on the spot. The Bench
consented, and then occurred the fol.
lowing painful scene, described by
the Paris correspondent of the London
Standard DIR. Mottet, followed by
the magistrates and the prisoner, retired
into a side room. Here, by the usual
means of rapid passes ON the hands be-
fore his eyes and strong fixed gaze, the
unhappy "subject" was mesmerized
Didier was then left in charge of two of the
Municipal Guards on service, the doctors
and the Judges returned to the Court and
the door OF the room was shut. DR.. Mot
tet now called the prisoner by his name.
The next second fearful noise was heard
1t came from the sick young man. a few
minutes before touch of the finger would
have almost knocked him over, so feeble
and emaciated was he. Now, under the
influence of magnetism, he was like a rag
ing lion. Upsetting the guards who held
MIN by the wrists, he rushed at the door,
1. lv,,r.ir,,,f,
BODY in his path, ran up to DIR. Mottet.
Here he suddenly stopped, and fixing his
ewes on his mesmerlzer, trembled from head
to foot in manner terrible TO see. Shrieks
of horror then ran through the Court The
doctor then set to work. 'tUndress your.
self, said he to the prisoner. In few
seconds Didier stripped himself of nearly
all his garments. dress yourself again. .
said the doctor, and again the prisoner
obeyed with the same lightning rapidly.
The experiment appeared conclusive DR..
Mottet then awoke his "subject by blow
ing on his face. Diedier fell to the ground
as if shot The doctor, however, soon
brought him round again. "Why did you
undress yourself before these gentlemen ?"
asked DR.. Mottet; i" that was very i'm
proper. Didier, gazing with vacant as
constituent, replied q What undressed
myself? Impossible" Aud the young
man chung to the doctor for protection like
a child. The Bench, however, was not
convinced, and appeared to look upon the
whole affair as a comedy. DIR. Mesnet. in
his turn, now operated on the prisoner.
Having mesmerized him, he ordered him
to write from memory letter addressed
to him while in prison. Didier replied,
'tCannot, because l am in prison" The
doctor insisted, whereupon the prisoner
sat down to table and wrote, word for
word, the letter in question without single
mistake. While he was writing it DR..
Mottet took long needle out of his instru-
ment case and plunged it into the young
mans neck, but he felt nothing. By this
time, however, the Bench had seen enough
of these painful experiments, and some OF
the audience crying "Assez assez !" the
sitting came to an end. The Court, con-
sidering the prisoner was not responsible
for his acts, squashed the verdict of the
lower Court, and the unhappy man was
discharged.