The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-12-19
tHYPNOTISM AND CRM,E.
Remarkable Experiments Made
by a French Scientist.
an Important Problem in Medical Juris-
prudence-Tests Applied TO q French
Lady and a Soldier-Rcsult OF
the Experiments.

According to the London St. James Gazc:ts
II. Jules Liagsois, Professor OF the Faculty
OF Law at Nancy. has lately made some re-
markable experiments connected with
hypnotisn 1t is already well known that
subject who has been thrown into hypnot-
ic trance will. upon awakening, immediate
ly execute any suggestion" however GRIM
inal, that has been made during sleep by
person who possesses the dangerous power
of fabsolutely directing the will Of another.
The object of Mr. LiegeoiS' experiments
was 70 ascertain If It would be possible,
when a crime mad been committed by
hvppotic subject, to discover the author OF
the criminal suggestion, who IL such case
would obviously be the really guilty party.
This important problem in medical Jurls-
prudence has for some time attracted
great deal of interest in France, and num-
ber Of lawyers and medical men were pres
;ent during the experiments.
here IS one OF the experiments out OF
many: A lady who was well known to be
hypnotic subject was thrown into an aru-
fetal sleep, and 4. Liegeois then suggested
TO her that upon awakening she should
shoot with revolver a certain Monsieur
O., who was supposed to have insulteo
her. She was enioined to say, II she
was questioned, that NJ Liegeois had held
no communication with her upon the sub
iect, and that she had not been under the
influence of any one, but had acted entirely
of her own yohtion. A revolver loaded
with blank charge having been placed up
on table close at hand, the lady was awak-
ened. The instant she perceived Monsieur
O., who was in the room, she seized the re-
.yolyer and fred at him. She was then
again put to sleep, this time by DR.. Lie
banlt, who played tbs part Of zneclco-legaI
expert and proceeded tointerrogate ner. Inc
lady at once admitted the supposed CRIME,
and, in obedience to the injunction she mad
received, stoutly denied all suggestion. so
far it seemed that there was a certain
means of escape for the real criminal VINO
had suggested the supposed murder; but an
ingenious test was then resorted to which
proved that the suggester was never very
safe after all N Liebaplt made these three
suggestions: ''Q) When you see the insti-
gator of YOUR crime enter the room you
must 60 to sleep for the space OF two MN
iutes; (2) when you awaken you must LOOK
Sxedly at him and not take your eyes 1-om
his until say That viii do;' (S) you must
then stand in front of him and endeaVor, oy
extending your skirts, to conceal hln from
.view'' The lady was awakened, and IN
short time NJ Liegeois, who had suggested
the shooting, came into the room, IN
which about dozen persons were assem-
.bled. Almost at once she went TO sleep.
In about two minutes she awoke, nHeo her
gaze steadfastly upon NJ Liegeois, and fol
lowed him, step by step, round the room.
N. Legeois went into another apartment,
the lady following him. He sat down, and
she at once extended her dress IN front OF
him, as though to conceal him. When she
regained her normal condition, she remem-
!bered nothing Of what had happened
M. Liegeois' experiments do not stand
alone. Prof. Bernhelm applied almost lden-
teal tests to soldier who had returned
from Tonouin. He compelled him, by sug-
,gestion, to steal a 6ve-franc piece, and en-
joiaed him not to admit that he hao oeen
ihypnotized. Whom interrogated as to why
he had committed the theft, be repheo that
he did it ssbecause the idea occurred to MN,
and took an oath that the act had not been
suggested to him. Thereupon the soldier
was again operated upon, and while he was
m the hypnotic sleep he was told: ' When
iyos see the person who suggested to you TO
steal, you must go up to him and say, j am
very glad to see you. Please sing me the
.Marseillaise.'" The subject obeyed
these iniunctions to the letter. He
was then again put to sleep and
asked to reveal the name of the IN
stigator of the theft; but he once more
denied that there had been any sugges-
ton. Nevertheless Prof. Bernheim said to
him: ssWhen you see the instigator Of the
robbery, you must say: i remember you
perfectly; it was you who told me to steal. ;"
The moment he was awakened be went up
to tho professor and repeated the suggested
phrase. Il would thus seem to be to!er-
ably clear that although hypnotlzed per-
son win not reveal in a direct way the name
of .person under whose influence he has
been. he viii reveal it in an indirect way.
He will do nothing that he has been cate
goricaliy forbidden to do; and that is all.
This being so, it IS clear that in certain cir
cuustances the author Of a criminal sug-
gestion would assuredly be discovered But
these experiments take no account OF very
,iSrportant contingency-thc possible, and
indeed probable, absence from the scene OF
the suggester Of crime. The whole sub
iect Of hypnotism is very curious and I'M
oortant from the point Of view Of medical
iurispru6ence; since it is obvious that un-
der cover Of ssuggestions'' the most afro
c;ous crimes could be committed. Happily
there IS good reason to believe that the
number of persons capable Of oeing hypao-
tized is comparatively small: and 1t IS
doubtful whether, after all, hypnotc sus
gestion would be of much use to the boloest
and most adroit vilain-except, OF course,
in shilling shocker."