Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-07-11
A Wonderful Instance OF the Profita-
BILE Application OF Hypnotism.

LONDON. June 28.-The cUwn prose-
cutOr Of the town of Wolverhampton
in the county Of Stafford, Is In n guam
Diary. The police there have in custo-
dy a young man who Is undoubtedly
worthy of severe punishment and yet
his crime Is so novel that he probably
cannot be punished at all, unless the
old statutes against witchcraft are re-
vived, In which case he might be COM
fortably roasted before slow fire.
This young man, whose name Is Lew
Is Albert, Is a graduate Of Oxford uni
versity. Soon after he left college he
became interested is mesmerism, mind
reading and hypnotism, and result OF
natural gifts or close study, soon got Ia
be so expert that for a time Travelled
about giving exhibitions ofh powers.
He acquired wonderful influence ov-
er the will power of certain classes OF
people, and established such a reputa-
ton that he might have made bis exhi-
billions very profitable but for an unfor-
tunate penchant for the flowing bowl.
This brought him so low that three
months ago he turned up In Wolverine
in rags and without money or friends.
Then he began to hypnotic with a
vengeance. Small shOpkeepers, usually
women, began to discover that the con-
tents of their tills were mysteriOusly
dwindled after visit from the urbane
stranger. Just what his method of pro-
cedure was, none could tell, but when
they found, on comparing notes, that
their losses invariably followed the Wis
it's of the polite Albert. they set the pO-
lice to watch him. Then some start
ling discoveries were made. His GUS
tom was to enter q shop, make a pur-
chase of some trifie and put down a
copper In payment thereof. Then the
hypnotism or mesmerizing process
must have been brought into requistion
for the shop.keeper in every case took
up the copper and handed out the
change for sovereign, which the young
man promptly pocketed. In only one
case while the police were on his track
was there failure to befog his victim
in this way. The detective who fol-
lowed him about was mystified, for a
long time being utterly unable to &C.
count for the hallucination which invar.
iably seized Albert's victims, and led
JUeUl w HllSldhc Cuppcf COlu lOI q
gold sovereign, and it was only after
discovering his professional record that
he began to understand it. Albert's
last victim was youth of19, the atten-
dant at the box-office of theater in
Wolverhampton. He stepped up to the
window, boldly asked for shilling
ticket, handed the boy dirty scrap OF
newspaper and received as change with
out the slightest hesitation on the part
of the boy 4 soveriegns and 10 shillings
While walking off with this he was
arrested by the officer, who had been
shadowing him for two weeks. The boy
in the box Office was dumfounded when
his attention was called to the scrap OF
newspaper in his cash-box, and still
stoutly insisted that the gentleman had
handed him a G5 note. He remembers
however, that a peculiar sensation
came over him which he described as a
sort of numbness when the man first
approached the window of the Office,
The legal status Of Albert's offense is
very difficult to determine, as it is with.
out a precedent, and good lawyers say
there is now no law in England to pun
ish him. The case is exciting grea in.
terest.