New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-13
TRYING A SEER.
THE STRANGE STORY OF THE SLEEPER
OF DORLISHEIM.

Zabern in Germany, in which testimony OF the
occult sciences and discussion OF supernatural pow"
ers were mingled to arouse the highest interest vi
the public The defendant in the case was one Hot'-
fried lost commonly known as THE Sleeper or DOT
llshem." and the charge against MIN was rau'.
He had practsed his peculiar arts for years, ana
his clients were numbered by thousands, scattered
in all narts Of the world The sensation caused by
his arrest and trial was. therefore. very great
The Sleeper" was born at Dorishelm IN Aisace'
and was in early life a tailor. But twenty-five OF
thirty years ago he went to Paris to i've lhere nc
attended the meetings of magnetic club. and
served the wel-known Partisan hypnotist Dr. Des-
jardin for two years. He then returned 10 Dorls-
helm. and began practise the healing art uhuer
the system OF hypnotlsm. His reputation became so
great that patients Hocked to him from all points OF
the compass and even from abroad On an average
forty TO fifty persons consulted him daily. NO Zee
was demanded. but people were accustomed 10 pay
a dollar for each consultation, of their own accord
His income was estimated at $4,000 to $4,000 year
He was assisted In his business" and "hypnotized
first by his mother and afterward by his niece
Caecilie VOLTA woman of twenty-elght-who was
prosecuted his accomplish While ne was III
hypnotized condition his patients laid their hands on
his and brought hairs, rags and other OBJECTS INTO
contact with him. He even professed to treat medi-
cay absent people by means of his cairvoyant IN
telect and the objects brought into contact with
him. He had never studied medicine. His inter-
course with his patients was partly direct, parity
through the medium of his riece He made the
diagnosis in a hypnotzed state. The patients were
never questioned by the members or Josts FANNY
or his servants. Witnesses declared that Jost had
EXPRESSLY forbidden this. lie has been assisted Tor
two years past by doctor Of medicine named o'to
Crosse who wrote prescriptions for the remedies
ordered by him. DR.. Crosse was patient IN Dr'
Blnswanger's famous establishment for the treat
nent OF nervous diseases at Jena In 1883. lie mad
made a scientific study OF hypnotism and declared
himself convinced or the efficacy Of Josts treat
ment.
Twice before the present time Jost has been prose-
| cuted and punished for fraudulent practices But
never before has his whole business been 50 thor
| oughly investigated and great public interest
| been manifested in the Every day during MS
| trial the court was crowded many people coming
| from affair even from foreign lands. No less than
| forty-three Witnesses some of them eminent scieh-
tlhc experts, put on the stand. and their evil
dence was highly Interesting showing, as 1t DID,
| saws The London Standard" which reports the
case I'm how high a degree this worker of therapeu-
tic miracles enjoyed the confidence OF his patients
| One OF the witnesses was Leutenant-General Won
Bergman. Governor OF the fortress OF Strasourg.
He stated that he had visited Jost excursion,
rather for the fun OF the thing. Jost had maze
an incorrect diagnosis. The General had got the
Impression that the thing was fraud Another
witness an nnkeeper or beerhouse keeper at Ait
| klrch had consulted Jost about his wife, who had
| been paralyzed by stroke Of apopiexy. Jost mad
| a
| TENT The witnesses for the defence unanimously
| declared that THE Sleeper" had mostly without
asking questions. made correct diagnoses OF their
diseases. and OF those OF absent patients whose
| hair. etc. had been brought into contact win hiin
In most cases complete cure least considerable
| improvement. had resulted from the treatment d.
Won Iangsdorn OF Freburg, who had studied hyp-
notism for forty years had observed Jos for scen-
| tlnc reasons and had not got the impression that
he was a swinder. \ notary from Constance had
consulted Jost about his mother-n-law, and mad re-
ceved a correct diagnosis and advice which led 10
| cure The wife OF another lawyer or good standing
C'Councillor OF Justice by ttle) stated that Jost
had cured her OF an ulcer In the stomach The
Burgomaser OF Dorllsheim gave him brilliant
certificate OF character lie had treated the poor for
nothing and his benehcence had become proVeroal
In the neghborhood. A woman whose doctors had
said that she had only two or three weeks to live
had been restored to health by him. One OF the
| witnesses had consulted him about his wife. From
her hair Jos; had ascertaIned. not only the disease
from which she had been suffering when the witness
lef; her but also another which had begun during
his Journey and OF which he knew nothing All
these witnesses emphatically declared their faith
In the healing power of the Sleeper though most
OF them said that they had gone TO him without
ANY such faith and had had their doubts dispeled
The iirst expert who examined was Professor
very much struck by the fact that so great an ap-
paratus had been necessary In order 10 hypnotic
lost In the case Of persons well ittel tor hypnou,
zallon the process did not require nearly so muc1
time No instance OF hypnotzaton being continued
for years without injury To the intellect had ever
come to his knowledge Jost had refused TO let MIN
self be hypnotzed 10y MIN ana denanueu Imat wv
operation should take place IN ms own evening
A. Zabern, on the other hand, he had al once DC,
carel his willingness 10 let himself be hypnotized
~ court-that H. amid surroundings certainly Ill
h;ted for the purpose The professor attached no
eyes during hypnotizstion. because IL proved moth
ing. but another thing had struck him wnen Jos'
was hypnotzed. The pupils showed no alteration
such Gs wont 20 appear under hypnosis ana 2
| considerable vibration was visible In the race ana
| D.. s..fl.i hon h,.l
cycles he had encountered vigorous resistance tht
under hypnosis. and he had observed voluntarily
motions OF the eyes lie did not regard the state IN
hypnosis in his opinion. the people who were
really hypno;ized were Jost's visitors lie did not
statement that options formed themselves under
hypnosis which were not present In normal waxing
Professor Naunyn agreed with Professor FiirstneI
In denying claryoyance when must ne Saps.us
distinguished from the hypnosis OF expe,iinsh9 :,
| pa thology. Claryoyance had always been natiy De
"sII cl1irvoyance a further development OF hypno
sm for clairy9yanee WAS older Ma4,c h{phStin
also declared his disbelief in clarvoyance. He ha1
known the accused for twenty years having In hi
masked him quack in 1914 He had formed ID, hi,
opinion OF Jost that occasion. ana could not allo"
that subsequent occurrences had forced him to alte
!. | H. He did not doubt J0st's responsibility Tor M
actions and believed that in most OF the cases II
which people supposed taat they had been cured b.
him this opinion OF theirs was due to a psychopath
, disturbance OF the Judgment
The dentist Or. Won Lanssdorr OF Freiburg II
Baden WAS heard as an expert for the defence
J. With regard % the expression 'quack. he wished
| | 10 remind the Court that PRINCE bismarck once
said in answer 10 a proposal OF Nirchow's with ref
erence to unlicensed practitioners; III Nature ma
lent healing power 60 man snail not De ' ;hor
oughy imbued with splrltualistlc Views. gave l. a.
his opinion that among the medical men licensed b,
the State healing power was not proportlonate z
scientific knowledge ard cxpat,ted. in spite or tn
frequent Interruptions OF the president OF the court
on matters rather remotely connected with the rea
: subject OF the tral-sprItlsm among the ancien
Egyptians things he had seen In America, etc. Oh
the ground OF his observation Of Jost on a singh
occasion he had arrived at the conclusion tina
stimulation was utterly out OF the question In hi
,
After all the testimony was In, elaborate speecne
and arguments made by the counsel, and I'D
Court adjourned the case for week Tor consldera
ton AT the end of that time II announced It's de
cIslon. holding Jost guilty OF fraud and mposin
upon him sentence to sixteen months irnprlson
, ment.