The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-06-08
WHAT WAS srsHor.s powERs
Reasons far Believing That 10 Wa
OHsy Muscie Reading After All.

Reasons for Believing That 10 Nes
Or'y Mnscie Reading After Al.
New York Press.
Now that Washington Irving Hishop
has passed awav into the great b.
yond. people are beginning t. Discus
the legitimacy of bis pretensions dqrs
ing life That ~ Was 1 80 >8Atively
sensitive man with = spaienouaenshy
strong will power caract Be denied by
those Who knew him.
But WAS bishop xealiy q mind
reader. IS he claimed 70 be, or was he
! nleje tri;kseerf Here is . question
thai Z beihg aaked. and asked again
va ont receiving satisiactor.
ans$er. nrs. Janeway and Spitzka
wers confronted with it by Prem re-
reporter. This Is how the former re-
piiei.
There u 20 snch power as mind
reading poseessed BIZ any man. The
successful performanee OF Bishops
tricks was due 70 his extraordinary
will f,eQe}. which, when exercised
over ) MIN Of weaker mind, caused
his subje 70 do slmost anything that
Bishop aiS1Ubd.
Lbs bank note trick Was undoubt-
eiiy mu~cl1 residing. or. rather. mus
Gle foIi0Wine, pure and simple. When
he took his subjects hand in his to
write down she nunber OF bank
note, he followed the line OF least re-
sistance in subject Who was simply
passive. and the line Of greater re-
sistanee in one who was on the alert
fc defeat his plans. This was palpa-
bic by his n1othed ct operation.
AFTER writing the nunsbers once he
would go over sIaetzf> eFxin. sometimes
back ward. and often Grn~e and change
the figssres unsu hewes convinced BY
the involuntary acfiorioz the nsu .cles
o. his subject that the hgnres, as in
scribed on the Black oerd, were cor
rect !"
Dr. spisska met the reporter's ques-
ton In this way: There II nothing
Bi~hop ever did in pubic which had
not been done before. and 8 treat deal
better. by Stuart Cumh<riesd, the
English fniasd reader. se-caI;e<i. The
apparently inexpltcAbse ph~neSsera Of
mine reading has been gYiftx& aH0As
ard explained time and axnin II Il
nothing more nor less than following
the unconscious vibrations az the
nerves. and know Of no better way
to Illustrate what | mean than 10
quote the old lrcsnrc-room explanA-
ton.
TO explain this subject 10 medical
students q drum head, made 10 re-
sosye on wheels shy turning q crank.
Was ased. Over the surface OF The
drum head lamphlaek was lightly
sprinksrd. and q needle Was arranged,
above The drum head Just high enough
20 that ifs point came in contact with
the Ianphleck- The person selected
lnT subject was required 20 turn the
crank and at the same time peruse 4
book.
The person SO engaged was sup
posed 20 Concentrate bis entire attss1-
ton on the beok, the act OF turning
the crank being purely automatic.
This sas necessary 20 insure the suc-
cess Of the experiment.
A. the person turned the crank il
wac possible ~ ascertain hy the little
eoneentrie curves described by the
Feeble GA the ssrnphisck whether be
was interested in whss be was reading.
or whether be vas boresf, and 10 ausf
what degree be was interested or
tsoress- The involuntary frensers OF
the nerves acting upon themuscfes Jeff
shesr feii-f~ie marks or the iasnpb ack
bis - she foundation Of What i
popularity kno@r ~ mind reading
Dat which n nufhing more nur les
than the Following Of the suyolnnsary
movements al the ssssf.rf.. -
irssneiy sensitive person Bishop Was
above all things close observer and
. ssPsfsstlvsly sensitive man