The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-23

In the cheek with a knife When the
wound healed it left a scar under his eye
about the size of dime, and that scar be-
came a bulletin board for Jake's heart. 1t
was naturally white, but when he got the
least bit worked up, although he wouldn't
show it otherwise, it would turn pinker and
pinker, and finally bright red Old gam
blers used to say that they knew just what
shade it took for a bob-tailed flush, and Just
how near salmon-colored it got for four
kings. OF course, that was laying it on
thick, but there is no question but that the
scar broke him up as card player and
drove him out of the business
! Be Mr.. Kinney's misfortunes what they
may, the pulse trick that Paxton showed
me is simple and easily performed by any
| one OF reasonably sensitive touch. | have
done 1t over hundred times with as many
different people, and never made a single
failure after the first few attempts when
was getting the hang of it. The jog or
quaVer of the pulse is very characteristic
and quite unmistakable, and the trick forms
neat and effective parlor illusion. OF
course, faro layouts are not supposed to be
accessible, but deck of cards or blocks let
tered with the alphabet will answer have
| found In most cases, particularly with lad es
VINO are more delicately organized, 1t can
! be done by simply requesting the subject to
think of a number or letter, but TO insure
success 1t is better to have visual object on
which the mind can be more readily con-
| centrate |.
Following out this line, several other
things suggested themselves which are
pretty experiments and easily performed
Here are couple of them: Take a sheet
of foolscap and rule it crossways into six
spaces of equal width. Then number the
spaces, and request the subject to think in
tently of one OF them. While he is doing so
let him take pen by the tip of
the holder aud draw a line from left to right
across the sheet, and the line when it enters
the space on which his mind was fixed, will
almost invariably incline toward the body.
Furthermore, it will show, on close inspec-
tlou tremulous edge, while the balance of
| it is firm
Another and more striking test may be
performedas follows: Lay the ace, deuce,
tray, and four of ordinary PLAYING cards
face up in square on table. Then let tine
subject hold pen suspended by a short
string tied TO the end, above the center of
the square, and tell him to shut his eyes
and think of one of the cards. In few
seconds the pen will begin to oscillate
toward the one, and finally swing directly
over it. Neither of these experiments
should be explained beforehand, as in that
case the subject will probably exert his
will power to defeat them, and they may
| fail
In connection with this curious tendency
of the heart and muscles to betray them
selves had my attention called some time
since to an article in the Revue SctentJiqlte
| tParls) describing an apparatus to do on a
| large scale what Paxton did on a small. 1t
was the invention of Prof. Masso, and con-
| sisted of table on which a man could
stretch at full length, and, having an equi-
pose so delicate that the slightest disturb
ance of his center of gravity would cause a
large indicating needle below to move to
one side or the other. 1t was designed to
| show how the heart and circulation are in
| stantly affected by the mind, and some
| strange things were done on it. Tho slight
| est emotion would cause the needle to in
| cline toward the head, and it would dart in
| that direction even when the man on the
| table was asleep and noise was made in
the room though not sufficiently loud to
awaken him. Masso relates that an Italian
| professor submitted TO the experiment, and,
reclining at full length, read to himself
| from two books. a poet in his own language
and Homer in the original. The needle was
| passive while he read the Italians verses
| but when he came to the harder task of
translating Homer, it moved toward the
head and remained fixed, unmovably there.
| Taken all in all am inclined to think that
| the little force pump in ones breast is about
the only truthful organ, and that when
novelists speak of false heart they Islander
| it. As matter of fact, its delicate throbs
are attuned to every hidden thought, and
| perhaps some day genius will devise form
of MaSsos instrument which may be at
| tached to witness in court and enable
justice to dispense with the formality of an
nath