The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-28
HELLISH HYPNOTISM,
A Revolving Tale of Crime From Eau
Claire.


EAU CLAIRE, Wis, Nov. 25,--Dr. George
w. Pickin and his son. Asigal Pickin,
were arrested last night on the charge of
criminal assault. DR.. Pckin is out on $1,000
bonds, but his is in Jail.
The prosecution is the result of an in
vestigation which began September A, last,
when girl of II, named Edna Mabel
Briggs, daughter of Joseph NJ. Briggs, was
found at the house of DIR. Pickin by her
father and an officer, after she had been
missing two days The case of the prosecu-
ton is that the girl had been hypnotized
and was criminally assaulted repeatedly
by both Pickin and his son. The defend
ants have pleaded not guilty and waived
examination. While the state expects to
prove the crime evidence of ordinary
nature a lars, mass of evidence will be
produced on the hypnotic features of the
case.
The facts are alleged to be that the girl,
when found by her father, under
hypnotic control; that she remained so for
a long time afterward. and, owing to the
control exercised over her by young Pick
in she was unable to reveal the truth;
that she was constantly in the care of a
prominent physician of this city; that the
authorities summoned to their aid a we'll
known professional hypnotst physician
who placed her under hypnotic control
superior to the other influence; that by
this means the main facts were gained,
though the girl lapsed again into the con-
troll of young Pickins influence for time;
that young Pickin was finally compelled
by persuasion to partially release the girl
from his hypnotic control though he con-
tinued to impart suggestions to the girl,
duplicating other parties and for time
baffiing the authorities and the physicians
in spite of the fact that she was all this
time in their custody and that of her par
ents; that by careful treatment
HER MENTAL FREEDOM
has finally been restored, and that when
her she threw off the last vestiges of their
influence and is prepared to tell her story
on the witness stand.
One Of the extraordinary features Of
the case, say the district attorney and the
physicians, is that it was demonstrated
beyond the shadow of a doubt that while
the investigation was going on Mabel
Briggs and young Pickin We're in mental
communication to such extent that,
though separated by a distance of two
three miles, she described with perfect
accuracy on several occasions exactly
what Pickin was doing at a time when
collision was absolutely impossible The
physicians say that the phenomenon of
mental biography or thought transfer
ence is by this case established firmly as
a scientific fact and that it opens a new
era The girl is of much more than ordi-
nary intelligence.
The story is terrible in it's details. One
of the things she tells the district attor-
ney is that on the night she was taken
to Pickins house she read the mind of
the doctor through that of his son. She
added that if there is anything in mind
reading, there is a subcellar in that house
and buried there are the bodies of two
young girls.
There is growing excitement over the
affair. Citizens of standing and wealth
are interesting themselves in the girls
case. Dr. Pickin and his son say nothing
except that they are innocent. DIR. Pickin
has lived here many years and has So
called vitapathic institute in an obscure
part of the West Side. The Briggs family
are of excellent social standing and Mabel
was always in good society until this at
fair occurred.