Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-12-28
A cREDULoUs PUBLIC.
A Correspondent Vents His Opinion on
Mind Reading Etc.
Editors Tobacco I,eaf-chronicle.

Editors Tobacco Leaf-Chronicle.
AS some reference to the "wild
man" and "mind reader" has been
made recently in your columns, l
hope you will allow me space suf
ficient to express briefly my opinion
on the subject. What / shall say is
the result of a careful consideration
Of the impressions made upon me at
two different times in the dime
museum exhibited on Franklin sire ct
all last week. AS we believe both
the wild man" and "mind reader"
are frauds, perpetrated upon an UNI
suspecting public, and at the expense
of the deceived, it follows, in our
judgment, that any effort for the eX.
position and removal Of such impo-
sltions, is only an expression of true
loyalty to the brotherhood of man.
Hence my reason for asking space in
the columns of your popular paper.
The majority of those VINO have seen
and heard the "mind reader'-and
their name is legion-frmly believe
that she is gifted with that power,
because, forsooth, she, blindfolded,
seemingly tells, without hesitation,
at some distance from the crowd,
what you have in your hand, the
date Of a coin and the number OF
your watch and this, or something
quite similar, is all she does tell or
can tell. We said above she seeming
" tells, which means, in our opinion,
that it is not really she, but that the
one asking also 0RStCerS the ques-
tions-her agent. But" some may
say, "the owner of the article is
sometimes allowed to ask the
questions" This is very seldom the
case, and never without his
(uer meGium) careful examination Of
the article beforehand. Now we
have heard this fatty denied by three
or four intelligent persons who had
been unWittingly taken in. In truth,
we heard several say, just before
making our second visit Saturday
night to this wonder of wonders,
that they had actually heard her give
the date on coins and the numbers
on watches, when they were abso
lutely sure that this agent knew
nothing about it. This is what oc
Cured Saturday night: When this
gentleman had casually glanced at a
watch, asking the lady what it
was, and the owner was about
to replace it in his pocket, | politely
requested the manager to ask the
lady the number Of the watch. He
became very much confused and said
we don't profess to do witchery-
th9t the numbers had to be impressed
on the mind before she could read
them. "Let the owner of the watch
alone see the number" ! insisted
He became still more confused, and
at last admitted before an audience
of at least forty in number that "tne
lady" could not do that. Now what
can we say relative to the parties
who so positively affirmed as true
what was so soon after publicly
admitted to be impossible? Simply
this that, owing to their ever-abid-
ing credulity, they have been com.
pletely "taken in" But what is the
explanation of this trick ? For moth.
ing else it is. We are not sure that
we know, but win state what we
think about it. The lady is a mere
iigure-head, and the gentleman an
excellent ventriIoquist. That is why
he has to see everything, and she
merely moves her lips when ques.
toned. Incorrect answers are only
schemes to ward off suspicion.
made that "the lddy'can tell you the
very year, month and day of your
birth. Well now, MIR. Editor, the
safety in making such remark is
quite potent-there is hardly one
woman in the United States that
would dream of asking such a ques
ton where there was the
least likelihood Of its being
even partially answered; and not
over six sober men in the same terri
tory that would These tricksters
are of necessity good judges of hu.
man nature, for their success lies
chiefly in dipping. Anyway, this
"mind reader" has never told here
any ones age, nor the name of any
one, which she has been asked to do,
This lady suffers a great deal with
beaches, caused from this unusual
strain on the mind GU. Does this
miud-readiug affair accord with rea,
son? Then down with such frauds
and up with the truth, should be the
ruling spirit of every people. But
the public eye, ear and mind seems
ever ready, willing and waiting to be
duped. Strange, passing strange
No one knows the mind save Him
that made il.