The Mineral argus., 1884-07-31
Exposure of Find Reaainr.

rhe Subject OF Mind-reading is at
tracing considerable attention in Lon
don, and Mr.. Labouchere, the editor of
London Truth, has been publicly ex-
posing the tricks Of the readers and
bitterly denouncing the imposition in
his journal. So savagely has he attacked
Irving Bishop, a noted performer, that
he was sued last week for libel and the
damages are laid at alarge amount.
The following is the interview Mr.. La
bouchere had with Stuart Cumberland,
a rival performer, which led to the suit;
Mr.. Stuart Cumberland called upon
me one day last week to explain to me
how he succeeds in finding pins in 9th
er such manifestations" If a person
object, and if any one-whose percep-
tive faculties are properly trained
takes his hand, the operator viii be,
Mr.. Cumberland explained, inevitably
drawn to the spot where the object is.
"rhought-reading, then, I said, "is
muscle reading" "To q certain ex-
tent, he replied, "but not absolutely.
You have to watch for other indications;
for instance, if / find myself close to the
article thought of, the hand of some sub
jects gets hot, in others the pulse quick
ems. You must watch these indications
as well as the muscles" "But, surely
you must have had a confederate when
you tied yourself to a man by a
on1 fov,n1 AIiooN
concealed by him" "No,7 he said
Il could feel the string dragging one
way, and 1 followed the indication.
When I came neal the object the string
trembled. This is the simple explana-
ton of the mystery" "And do you
to say that you can take hold of a
persons hand with one of your hands,
and with the other write a series of
numbers that he is to think off"
Certainly not" he replied; "the per
sons hand must grasp the hand with
which l write; my hand remains al
most passive, and he without knowing
it, himself writes the numbers well"
l said, 81 will think of something in
discover it," 1 thought of a little card
case that was lying on the table. Mr..
blind-folded himself.
why do you do that?" I said.
That my own thoughts should not be
from what / am doing" He
took my hand; in a minute or two he
approached, the table, lowered over the
articles upon it, and finally
my hand upon the card case. I
had thought all the while of this article
/ could feel my hand involuntarily
drawing him towards it. 1t would take
person a long time to acquire Mr..
.umberland's powers of PERCEPTION but
my one can realize how the trick-if 1
nay call it SOS done, by thinking of
some object on a table, and getting a
to grasp his hand and try to dis
it. He has only to concentrate
his thoughts upon the object and
he exact place where it is, in order
find that his hand ~resists when
sver it is sought to divert it
rom the direction towards the OBJ
ect which it, apparently of itself, strives
o approach. In fact, the thought acts
the muscles much in the same way
rs the desire to grasp something IL
5he hand to grasp it. In both cases the
muscles involuntarily obey the brain.
And how did Irving Bishop read the
number of a bank note that was n
closed in an envelope without contact
with the only person who knew it?" 1
"To do so by what he terms
thought reading" Mr.. Cumberland
answered, "is absolutely impossible.
Without contact you can obtain no in
dication of what is passing in the brain
Of another person, as you may perceive
yourself if you have understood my ex-
"Then the thing was a swindle."I
said. Mr.. Cumberland smiled. "And
the mental picture which he processes
to see?" Mr.. Cumberland smiled again.