News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-03-07
A QUEER SPECTACLE.
A Belgian who Performs Wonders
by Means of Hypnotism.

Prof. Milo de Meyer, Belgian, re-
Gently gave a private seance of hypno-
tism at ST. James Hall. His method
varied at different stages; but at first,
when he was trying his men, he made
his subjects lean forward to him at an
angle of forty-tive degrees; he held their
hands by the wrist and asked them to
look steadily in his face, thinking of
nothing; then, with sudden jerk, his
eyes seemed to dilate, and he stared in
to their eyes with all the intensity of
which he was capable, the eyes of sub
ject and operator being within few
inches of each other. The effect soon
showed itself in an unconquerable desire
on the patients part to peer closely and
still more closely into his eyes. Subse-
quently he showed that grasping the
hand was not necessary. Placing his
hand between the shoulders of the sub
ject the same effect was produced-be
ing first manifested, says one mesmer-
lied individual, by q burning sensation.
Later, when he desired a subject to work
upon, he would fix his eyes upon his as
he sat at the seat, and the man would
gaze like q fascinated bird, remain TN
decided for time, then hewoald bound
across the stage to him. Close proximity
was unnecessary after the first time.
Half dozen men were sent among the
audience, and i'll various parts OF the
room sent to sleep by amagnetic glance,
in spite of the most energetic efforts to
keep them awake. The subjects eyes
seemed in each case to dliate as they met
those of the professor. On recovery the
person operated ON would gaze about
with the bewildered air of one who
wakens from deep sleep, and we fancy
from the gestures some of them made
that they recovered with severe head
aches. An arm stiffeued by the mes
merist was insensible to pain, as we
proved by pricking the fingers with the
point of knife or pin. On awakening,
all memory of the experiences seemed to
vanish as in dream.
Anumber of the sights were exceed
ingly unpleasant to look at. For in
stance, half dozen men were success
lively sent among the audience with their
mouths distended to the furthest posi-
BILE limit, and as the trance always caus-
es vacancy of expression each face was
disagreeably suggestive of an idiot with
IL distorted jaw.
The best part of the entertainments was
undoubtedly the series of tableaux Wv
ants produced by suggestion and other
wise. For instance, one man got mag
netic toothache which made him writhe
and hold his jaw, while another was
transformed into dentist to pull the
tooth out.
A very singular picture was made
by giving one the appearance OF death,
while several of his companions We're in
spired with horror, pity, a desire to pray,
or whatever the professor wished. When
ever they struck good attitude he fixed
them in it as though they had been fro
zen to the spot-one might have taken
them for the wax figures i'll Madam
Tussaud's. That their sorrow was real
was proved by the tears they dropped,
though it passed into oblivion when he
puffed in their faces and awoke them.
A dramatic scene was produced by making
n man think he was rowing n boat, then
that he had been upset and was strug-
Cling in the water; II companion who
saw him drowning, flung off his coat
and swan 0lt to the rescue, looking
most doleful when he thought his
friend was dead, but Frightening up
as he recovered. But the most strik-
ing picture of all, and one that is
likely to attract great attention just
now, was that in which n subject was
prompted i'll trance to commit a shock
ing murder. At the exact time which
had been stated he arose and crept
stealthily to his fathers bedside and
stabbed him twice. Later on he was
narrowed by remoFse, LONDON G|o5e,