The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-02
THE HuMsuG OF HYPNoTIsM.
A Subject Gives a Demonstration Proving
There il Nothing In 1t.

A Subject Gives q Demonstrate on Proving
There is Nothing In 1t.
1.-THE subject who came to me had
been shining light in the profession.
and | have reason to know that he was
exceptionally gifted. He had per-
formed to crowded houses under sew
eral great artists. at the Aquarium and
elsewhere in London and the provinces.
He had figured at select seances of
scientific hypnotists. He had been pri-
vately operated on by medical men anx-
iously seeking after truth. And, by
his own statement, he had humbugged
them all What proof-had |, then. that
he was not humbugging me? Ample
proof. He offered in the first place to
do under my direction everything
which he had done in public and pri-
vate seances when under supposed
hypnotic control. l contemplated, in
the first instance, accepting this offer
and giving demonstration to a select
circle. and it was solely owing to my
self that this was not done.
''As preliminary l asked him to
exhibit few of his powers for my pri-
vate edifcation. He complied without
hesitation. He first of all passed him
self into the 'cataleptlc" state and lay
on the floor rigid. Two members of my
staff took him in this condition and
laid him across the backs of two chairs,
the back of his head resting on one and
his heels on the other On pass being
made over him with the hand his body
arched upward and downward. Two
fairly robust individuals next sat on
his body and the ''cataleptic' supported
them without signs of inconvenience
He then himself thrust a needle into
his arm and through the lobe of the
ear, to prove that he was insensibie to
pain in the cataleptic state. Next he
showed how one side of his face could
be drawn down by toothache (sug-
gested by the operatorl. while the
other side was distended in a broad
grin. Again, at the suggestion of
the operator, the grin and toothache
changed sides, and SO on. he offered
to swallow an ounce of cayenne pepper
in a glass of water. but unfortunately
/ had no cayenne pepper at hand. l
asked him whether he could take a
wineglassful Of ipecacuanha and he
professed readiness to do 1t at once
The cayenne pepper l could partly un-
derstand; it would be- a mere question
of standing a certain amount of pain.
But ! asked him how he managed to
control the effect of the ipecacuanhs.
we only do it for q time, he said.
You can learn to do it with practice,
like the rest of the tricks. But we al
ways bring the stuff up after the per-
formance.' He also expressed his readi-
ness to drink oil Among novel tricks
which he offered TO perform was that
of showing the pulse while under
hypnotic influence. OF this he claimed
to be the original inventor. i asked
him whether all the subjects were
equal impersonators. All, he said. He
knew them all personally, and would
answer for them. He ridiculed the
mere suggestion that there could be
anything genuine in hypnotism, wheth-
er in Paris, London Or anywhere else;
but here he may have spoken beyond
mis- knowledge. -London Truth.
What Prof. Garner Heard.
First Monkey las dude with mon
ocycle in one eye approaches cage
Duffy, what do you call it?
Second Monkey-Rlest If I know,
Gully. How did it get in?
Didn't see it come in. Say, that isn't
one of those things what descended
from us monkeys, is it?''
NAV; de old orang-outang IN dat
other cage is some relation o him"