The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1886-12-16
Bishop the Mind-Reader. What P. P. Quimby
Did Years Ago,

The Boston papers have recently given extended
notices of the wonderful performances of Mr.
Washington Irving Bishop, mind reader of great
note, both in this country and in England. From
what we deem authentic information, there can be
no doubt that he is the son of Cony Bishop, whom
our older citizens we'll remember. Mr. Bishop re-
sided here for number of years, and married
Miss Lane, of Searsport, who died. He after
wards married second wife, the mother of the
present Mr.. Bishop, the mind reader. A few years
ago the senior Mr.. Bishop died, and the New York
papers gave quite sensational account of the
funeral where it seems Mrs. Bishop insisted on &C.
cupying the grave and being buried alive with her
husband, and was only restrained from so doing
by force.
Remarkable as Mr. Bishops experiments are, they
are more than those given by the late
DR.. Quimby of this city over As years ago, with
his cairvoyant subject Lucius Burkmar. We give
an extract from paper of report of one of his
exhibitions given in the Court House at Norridge-
wock in January 1913 and written by DR.. James
Bates
"NIr. p. p. Quimby and his young man Lucius
having exhibited at the Court House in this place
on the evenings of the 10th and 18th and some
doubts having been expressed as to the validity of
the apparent facts-a committee consisting of DIR.
J. Bates, 5. W Bates, c. Selden, Esq, f. J. Peet
I. G, Jones, Esq, Judge Tenney and j. S. Abbott
Esq, was raised to superintend and report OH the
facts as they should appear to them the evening
of the 18th inst.
They attended and report as follows: After the
boy mesmerzed by Mr. Quimby, Dr.. Bates
and Mr., Abbott placed thicky folded silk hand
kerchief on each eye coming down to the upper
lip and confined there by third handkerchief 60
ing twice round his head. He was requested to
describe any thing which attracted his attention in
front, A lady raised her white handkerchief to
her face and he said "a lady is blowing her nose.
She has now covered her face with her muir
which was true. He was asked if he any one
In the house he knew. Ans. "Yes." Do you see
Judge Tenney: Ans. "Yes,' and pointing in
the direction in which the Judge stood-some
twenty feet dstant-he said, ''the Judge is a whale
among small fish" Judge Tenney had entered
after Mr. q. had begun magnetzing Lucius and at
the time stood with his glove in his right hand
raised higher than his head. Question Do you
see his hand? Eyes, he holds it up if swearing"
He then took a writ blank in his hand and read.
Also he read in two law books held before him,
correctly, DIR. b. and Mr.. Abbott standing by to
see that the bandage was not removed
The article from which we quote also states that
the subject was put in communication with the
to places he had never seen, of which he gave cor
rect descriptions. There are many persons living
in this city who have seen him do more wonderful
experiments than those we have given, and can
vouch for the fact that there was no deception
plactced in the experiments. In his exhibitions
with his subject, Mr.. Qumby would receive in
writing from the audience what they wished the
subject to do and Mr.. Quimby would mentally,
without speaking to him, tell him what he wanted,
and he would invariably do as he wished him to.
At this time, when there is much wonder
pressed at this apparently new phenomenon, it is
well to call attention to these experiments of al
most a half a century ago.