The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-20
REMARKABLE MIND READING.
4 Kentucky Youth Who SurpasseS the
I'd Hands at the Business.
1From the COurier-Journal.l |

| FROM the COurier-J ournal.
\ new mind reader has been discov-
cred at Glasgow, KY, or rather discov-
cred himself accidentally, not long
since. He is Flavius Taylor, the son of
DR.. f. J. Taylor, a Glasgow physician.
His age is 10 years, and some account
of his doings has been sent to the
Courier-Journal by DR.. P. c. Sutphin,
another Of Glasgow's physicians, who
is familiar with the young mans case,
and has made study of mind reading,
as we'll as what is termed "muscle
reading by performers who claim to
be guided by the thrills Of the muscles
of the subject.
DR.. Sutphin gives some speculations
at length on the alleged distinction be-
tween mind reading and muscle read
| ing, and arrives at the conclusion that,
though there may be trickery and
imposture used by some people there is
such thing as mind reading, and no
such thing as muscle reading. He
qoutes from Stuart Cumberland, an
English mind reader, who claimed
that he was guided by the muscles,
and in a performance before the khed-
i've of Egypt, wrote word thought Of
(the name of the Khedive's son. Abbas)
on piece of paper, in Arabic, laEgu-
age of which he knew nothing, and
this without a moments hesitation.
Cumberland said this was muscle read
ing, but DR.. Sutphin details similar
test with young Taylor, which, lie
claims, shows the mind must bear its
part such a test as we'll as the mus
cles. He is willing to say that some
things may be done by muscle reading,
but that others cannot. DR.. Sutphin,
in his account of young Taylor's perfor-
nance, says:
ave may concede, however, all that
Mr.. Cumberland says Of muscle read
ing; may agree that all his feats were
performed by it; yet when it is at
tempted to include all mind reading in
this, then it will be found that this can
not be done. There is much of mind
reading, indeed, that could not be ex-
planned, nor, in fact, be accomplished,
by muscle reading. This is fully proven
by lately developed mind reader here
in the place in which I live-a young
man. Flavius Taylor, 10 years of age,
son of DR.. F. J. Taylor, prominent
physician and pension medical exami-
Der. It is not improbable that in nearly
every instance the gift ofmind reading
has been of accidental discovery on the
part of the one possessing it, and thus
it was accidentally made known to
young Taylor. Several months ago an
itinerant mind reader exhibited in
this place and young Taylor attended
his performance. Returning home, he
playfully remarked to a young man
who had accompanied him that he
thought he would make good mind
reader, and that if the other would
blindfold him and hide something he
would find it for him. To have little
amusement, he was duly blindfolded
and next told to find book that had
been hidden in an adjacent room. He
now grasped the hand Of the young
man who had hidden the book, but
was utterly surprised to find that not
only the book, but also its place Of con-
cealment were impressed on his mind.
He readily took the Young man to the
place where the book ,:as and handed
it to him. After this there were more
or less frequent tests Of lis powers in
finding things thus, while all hidden
articles were always promptly located
by him. Intermingled with these tests
were others, such as willing him to do
certain things. Say, for instance, that
it was willed for him to take particu-
lar flower Of number Of flowers in a
vase in the room, and to hand it to a
certain young lady present; to remove
the watch from the pocket Of certain
gentleman and to put it into that of
another certain gentleman. to 60 to a
library and take out some particular
volume in it, and turn toa certain page
and paragraph or sentence in it, and so
on of other requests of this sort.
"All these were readily and accurately
done by him, down to the minutest
particular of the wish. Mr. Cumber-
land, however, processes to have done
things quite equal to this by muscle
reading, being directed in them ty the
muscular tremors of the hand kept
enclosed in his. In this way, he says,
be only followed direction. and knew
nothing really ofthe mind, and only
did as the tremors directed. He did, in
other words, precisely what the hand
he was holding would have done, di-
rected by the individual. In this, of
course, there was no mind reading, but
a guidance only by muscle signaling.
Suppose, however, it was required to
take hold Of the hand, aud next tell
any particular thought of the mind
not find anything or to do anything
that the hand of the individual might
do, but simply to take the hand and
say, not act out, what the thought
was-then this could only be gotten