Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-11
HYPNOTISM AGAIN.
An Alleged Murderer Sub
jected to a Test.
Mind-Reader Tyndall Expert
ments on Lee Harrell.
Divided Opinion as to the Result of
the Effort.
The Prisoner Claims an Alibi-He Tells
Where He Was at the Time of
the killing naming His
Companions.

On last Friday evening, as was re-
ported in the HERALD, man was ar
rested by Deputy Sheriff Russell on sus-
picion of being Lee Harrell, alias Bob
Powell, who is charged with the murder
of John Howard, night vatchman at
Rio Vista, who was shot and killed by
safe-burglars on January Goth. A de-
scription of the supposed murderer has
been in possession of the city police for
some time.
1t appears that three burglars broke
into the Office OF the Sacramento Trans
portation company and succeeded in
drilling open the safe, in which was
about $500. One man was stationed
outside to act as guard, armed with
-barreled shotgun. Howard saw
the guard and hailed him, when the
burglar fired, the charge of buckshot
taking effect in Howard's abdomen.
The shooter then ran toward the river,
followed by the two others, who left
coin and tools behind in their haste.
Howard, though mortally wounded,
fred several shots after the fleeing safe
crackers. None of them hit their mark,
however. and as Howard dropped ex-
hausted and dying, the men pulled in
small boat toward Wood island, whence
they made good their escape.
The prisoner, whom the sheriff's office
believes to be Harrell, alias Powell, alias
OBrien, was taken by Officer Russell to
the county Jail and locked up.
Yesterday morning Tyndall, the mind
reader, returned to this city from San
Bernardino, and was prevailed upon by
city detectives to try his hypnotic power
upon the prisoner in the county Jail.
Detective Bosqui and several newspaper
men accompanied the mesmerist to the
county jail, whence the alleged murderer
was taken to the sherifPs Office. Tyndall
then went through the usual passes he
employs in hypnotizing subjects,
and seemed to have the prisoner
under a peculiar influence. The SUBJ
ject did not at any time appear abso-
lutely unconscious of his actions, but
suffered under peculiar fit of nervous
trembling. He made a number of
statements while. in this condition
which seem at variance with all he is
charged with. If it be assumed, as
Tyndall insists, that the subject spoke
the truth, the prisoner cannot be the
man wanted.
The prisoner stated while in the ner-
vous condition referred to, that his true
name is O'Brien; that on January 10Th,
the day before the murder, he was in
San Francisco, living at No. 416 Post
street, in a room with four men.
These four, he said, were Harry
Hazel, Tom Mahoney, an employee of
the Bohemian club; Mike Lawton and
a man named Jack, from Salt Lake City,
employed at the Baldwin hotel. Before
he came to San Francisco, said the SUBJ
ject, he lived at Sacramento at lodging
house few doors below the Western
hotel, occupying room with two men
named respectively Mccoy and Smith.
His birth place, he said, was Quincy,
Illinois.
This was all that could be obtained
from the prisoner by the hypnotist.
The sheriff's deputies who witnessed the
experiment maintain that the man was
not hypnotized at all, but was conscious
throughout the proceeding. They base
their theory on the fact that the
subject repeatedly disobeyed Tyndall's
orders while under the alleged hypnotic
influence.
On the other hand, the city detectives
allege that the description received by
the police department of Harrell does
not fit the prisoner O'Brien in any de-
gree. There must, therefore, consider
able interest attach to the ultimate de-
nouement of the case. Several people
from Rio Vista are expected here today
to look at the prisoner with a view to
identifying him.
A telegram received last night from
Napa reads as follows: Lee Harrell,
who has been arrested in Los Angeles
on a charge of being implicated in the
Rio Vista murder, is Napa boy. He
was arrested here eighteen months ago
for arson, and was sent to the house of
correction therefor. He is only 20 years
old. His companion, known as "Slim, I"
is wanted here for burglary.