The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-05-16
PHENOMENA OF ME SMERISM.
NOVEL ME5MERIC DISCOVERIES
MADE IN ST. LOUIS.
Rabbits, Chickens, Snakes AMI Dogs
Nesmcri cd by n Woman "Details
of Some of the Expe inentS.


In last December a gentleman engaged
to teach in ST. Louis invited a number of
friends to his house to meet a lady who
had just returned from Europe, and who
had travelled extensively in the East
She had met Madam Blavatsky and
Colonel Olcott and other members of the
Theosophical society, but was not herself
a theosophist At Damascus, where her
husband died, she met an Arab physician
who possessed in limited degree what
is called the power of tactual cure. The
acquaintance which followed proved to
her that she herself was strongly endowed
with the mesmeric power. The Arab
taught her how to develop it, and her
knowledge of the Indian mystics, and
the tremendous power they claim, was
perhaps one of the reasons why she en-
braced electro. biology so strongly, max
ing it the study of her life.
The lady was able to perform some
very remarkable feats, as she proved at
the time. For instance, she took a small
mirror, and, holding it before her face,
breathed upon it repeatedly, finally put
ting it upon a table and making several
rapid passes over it. In turn each of the
party was invited to look into the glass,
fixing in their minds the face they dc
sired to see. When the reporters turn
came he fastened his mind upon the set
of fair features which were easiest to re-
call and looked. At first his own face
alone was there, but it faded away, dis
solving first at the sides until nothing
but the eyes remained. Then the glass
clouded utterly with that cracking sound
called rapping by spritualists. and,
framed on the clouds, came the counte-
nance for which the writer looked. There
could be no doubt about it. 1t was as
truthfully limned as though the original
herself stood before the mirror. Singh
larry enough those who tried to call up
dead faces were the only ones who suf
fered even partial disappointment. AS
the Madam remarked: The glass will
only project the picture in your mind.
If that picture is faded you will get only
your idea, nothing more" Madam B.
left the city shortly after for her home in
Philadelphia, and returned to st. Louis
in the latter part of March. In
which she had performed were
not forgotten, and the gen
tlemen who had witnessed her power
were anxious to develop something of a
similar order themselves. Singularly
enough it has been only the dark haired
and dark-c ones who have met any
success at all. The books on the subject
were ransackcd, and some advance made.
TIE doctor living on Olive, beyond JEFF
ferson avenue, seemed to have the most
power. At these meetings, however,
nothing but the stock phenomena of
electro biology were exhibited, until late
in January one of the party made the
remarkable discovery that certain classes
of animals, particularly ordinary barn
yard fowl. pigeons and rabbits, were sus-
ceptible to the mcsmeric influence and
could be controlled with the utmost case,
Some of the experiments are SO simple
and so striking that a detailed descrip-
ton of them may be given. No animal
will look man in the eye except furtively,
the prolonged stare requisite for ordinary
mesmcrism Is out of the question, and
consequently the means had to be found.
Taking large sheet of good white
paper, heavy black line was ruled up
and down the center, about onc-cighth
of an inch thick and eighteen inches
long. A chicken was brought in, IA panic
stricken and intensely excited Shanghai
rooster. Standing the cock on the paper,
his head was forced down so that his beali
touched the end of the black line, the
line itself stretching out before him in
the axis Of the body. Slight, caressing
passes were made with the tips of the
fingers Of the right hand from the head
of the fowl backward, and in less than
three minutes he was in state of com.
p1o nf
of the party has tried, ut the doctors
and at home, and everywhere with the
most complete success. You may re-
move your hands from the fowl com
pletely leaving him pinned by the psy-
chic force to the end of the lead-penci
line on your paper. The pupils of the
eyes dilate, the cock is entirely insensi
Die to sounds at a distance of a yard
and if the passes are continued after the
coma has begun for any length of time
it becomes really difficult to get the birC
out of the trance. In one instance {
sprightly bantam hen that seemed full
of life and vitality died during the ex
pertinent.
A great many experiments with differ
ent colored lines and paper, drawn il
different positions on the paper, all failed
with rabbits, although on white paper {
black ''V" produced a coma which LASTED
as long as the passes were kept up, but N
longer. The next idea tried was thorough
ly successful. Two bright half dollar
were placed on a table near an open win
dow at which diiTused daylight entered
They were put about two inches apart
and rabbits head held with the nos,
touching the table about an inch and-a
half behind the coins Then with small
pelle 5 of paper and matches the pieces o
silver were raised at the edges so that eacl
reflected the light into one of the animal
eyes. The head was held firmly in position
without hurting for about five minutes
when coma was found to have set in sufli
GENTLY to permit the removal of the hands
leaving the robbit swaying backward an,
forward, and altogether unable to NOV
away. The customary passes were the
made and the animal became rigid