The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-11

Plrnettl, a famous conJurer, VINO ap-
peared at st. Petersburg, early in the
present century. do not youch for
the authenticity of this case, though it
is said to be- we'll attested. | merely
mention it to show the extent to which
claims of conjuring, Spiritualism, ETC.,
can be carried. Pirnetti, anyway, was
announced for a Sednce before the Gar
Alexander. "The hour set was seven
o'clock. Five minutes after seven, and
no Pirnetti. A quarter past-no Pr
netti. Halfpast seven and no Pirnetti.
Messengers went and returned unsuc-
cessful. The Gar waXed Wrathful, but
no Pirnetti. At last as all the clocks in
the palace were about to strike eight,
the door opened, and Pirnetti walked
in with the serenity of a punctual con-
jurer. The Emperor was just about to
indulge in burst of wrath, when Pr
netti took the initiative with the ques-
ton.
"Did not your majesty command my
presence at exactly seven o'clock"
"Just so," responded the eXasperated
Gar.
"Well, then," responded the conju-
rer, quietly, "let your majesty deign to
consult your dial, and you will see that
I am exact, and that it is just seven
,, o'clock"
The Car consulted his dial and was
amazed. The hands marked exactly
seven. All the courtiers did so in their
turn, and it was seven. All the clocks
in the palace were at seven.
"Your majesty will pardon me" said
Pirnetti, II was desirous of making an
impression. Ifyou will consult again,
you will find the hands marking the
real hour" And every dial in the pal
ace, from that in the Cars pocket and
those in the pockets of the assembled
courtiers, to the great clocks with sill
yer faces, indicated few minutes past
eight. AS he was about leaving, hav-
ing performed other equally astonish-
ing feats, the emperor reminded Pr
retti that he had boasted that he could
penetrate anywhere.
$50 1 can, your majesty" replied
Pirnetti."
"Very WE'LL" said the Car, "at
twelve o'clock tomorrow shall have
ready in my closet one thousand rou-
bles; come and get them; but fore
warn you that the doors shall be closed
and carefully guarded"
Tomorrow at noon, I shall have
the honor of presenting myself before
your majesty" said Pirnetti, and with
drew.
The gentlemen present accompanied
Pirnetti to his lodgings, and caused the
house to be surrounded by Gordon of
the police the moment he entered. The
palace of the Car was also instantly
closed, and no one permitted to enter
without the Cars command. High
dignitaries held every avenue to the
emperor, and all the palace keys were
carried up into the imperial cabinet
and locked up. A few minutes before
twelve representative from the police
guard announced by message that Pr
netti had not left home. But as twelve
o'clock sounded, and while the last
stroke reverberated, the. door between
the bedroom of the Gar and his cabi-
net opened, and Pirnetti appeared.
He concluded his feats by leaving St.
Petersburg, which then had fifteen
gates, at all the gates at ten o'clock,
exactly. That he did so was declared
by hosts of spectators who knew him
by sight, and was attested by the writ
ten declarations of the officers placed at
the gates to inspect the passports of
travellers. The inscription Of his pass
ports was inscribed in the fifteen regis
ters. I wish it distinctly understood
that I do not place any seal Of truth
fulness upon this case, and confess my
self too incredulous to accept its autho4-
ity. '
Cases of character similar to these
might be indefinitely multiplied, but
the short time allotted to this lecture
forbid my entering further into de-
tails.
Itwould no doubt be quite thrilling
to US all to witness some of the pre-
tended manifestations Of spiritualism;
for example, the formation ofluminous
clouds in the presence of medium; to
listen to the music of the piano played
by unseen hands; or behold a hand
which can be touched and embraced
grow out of nothing but the. atmos-
phere; a hand that receives from yours
a pencil to write message; or behold a
pencil itself rise and write a line like
this, II have done this, that all present
may know that am a SPIRIT" or be-
hold phantom Of entire form, resem-
bling the spirit of departed friend,
floating around the room, playing an
instrument, then gradually wasting
into nebula, and then into nothing
ness. All this, says a writer, was wit
messed by himself on different occa-
sions in New York.
And now, if these facts, are true what
is their cause? How are such really won.
derful phenomena accomplished? Are
they wrought by the agency ofincorpo-
real spirits as spiritualists assert, or can
they be explained satisfactorily on
scientific and physiological principles?
These are questions which We now
propose to consider as briefly as posi-
llo Ono oF the thoorioc o6vonco6 tr