The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1893-09-02
OTIS NJ.
4 subj Get Gives q Demonstration, Prov.
ing That&Thara IL Nnthinn - II, II

~ OAtO6 - O0lnOuSEEaUiOff, IrOY~
Ing That There lis Nothing in 1t.
The subject who came to me ad
been 9 shining light in the profess
sion, and / have reason to know that
he was exceptionally gifted. He had
performed to crowded houses under
several great artists at the AQUARIUM
and elsewhere in London and the
provinces. He had figured at select
seances of scientific hypnotists. He
had been privately. operated ON by
medical men anxionsly seeking after
truth. And, by. his own statement.
he had humbngged them all. s
What proof had I, 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
private seances when under supposed
hypnotic control Il I contemplated,
IN the first instance, accepting this
offer. and giving demonstration to-
a select circle, and it was solelv
owing to myself that this was not done:
AS preliminary I asked him to,
exhibit few Of his powers for my
private @edi6eations He. complied
without hesitation He first of all
passed himself into the s'eataleptic''
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
mead resting on one and his heels on,
the other. He remained so for sew
eral minutes On a. pass being made
over him with the hand, his, body,
arched upward or downward. 49,.
Two'fairly robust individuals next
sat on, his body and the. s.catalepticn
supported them. without assign, of. in-
convenience: He then, himself thrust
a. needle into his arm, and through,
the lobe of his ear to prove that, he!
was insensible to pain while in. the
cataleptic state. Next he showed
how one. side Of his face could be
drawn by the. toothache (sugg ested
by the operator), while. the other side
was distended, in a. broad grin.
Again. at the suggestion of the
operator, the grin and. the toothache
changed sides, and so on. b
He offered to- swallow an. ounce of
cayenne pepper in a. glass of water,
but unfortunately | had no cayenne
pepper at hand, asked him whether
he could take a wine.glass full Of
ipecacuanha and, he protested a read
mess to do it at once: The, cayenne
pepper | could, partly understands: it,
would be mere question. of stand
ing al certain amount of pain But
asked him how he managed to con-
troll the effect of the ipecacuanha.
ave only do it. fora time" he said.
You can learn to do it with. prac-
tice, like the rest Of the. tricks. But
we always bring the stuff up after
the performance.
He also: expressed. his readiness to
drink oil Among novel tricks which
he. offered to performs was that of
slowing the pulse while under hyp7
motto influence. Of this he. claimed
to- be the original inventor. I asked
hin whether 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,
whether in Paris, London. or amy
where else; but here he may have
spoken beyond his knowledge.