Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-12-24
A HYPNOTIC MAYOR.
STRANGE POWERS ATTRIBUTED TO
 J. c. MONTGOMERY.


 Hopeless Cases by Personal Magnetism.
 People have wondered for years why J. c. Montgomery, mayor of the town of that same name ill West Virginia. should be the most popular man in the whole section and how he came to be elected mayor of his home town, term after term in succession, till no one can remember when he was not at the head of the municipal government.
 That Montgomery had qualities which always render their possessors popular could not be denied. To begin with. he is giant ill stature, standing over 6 feet, having a splendidly proportioned body, head and limbs. He wears a heavy red beard and slouch hat and is quite good looking He is rich, good natured, easy going, knows every man, woman and child in the valley and calls them by their first names, and is good fel- low ill every reputable sense of the word The squire is modest too. He is a Democrat. and the town gives 800 Re- publican majority, but that makes no difference i'll the certainty of Montgom- ery's election every time a mayor is to be chosen. He has had opportunities to go to congress and the legislature, but he has refused all of them, pickering te rest content with modest .honors among his own people.
 But now, although these qualities are good reasons for popularity, tho true reason for Montgomery < power over his fellows is coming out. Montgomery isa .1 never used his force voluntarily till about year ago. when he became in terested ill q peculiar case of blindness, where a poor miner lost his sight in the mines, on account, as the doctors said, of the degeneration of the optic nerves, from constant work and the dark Mont gomery tried his influence upon the man. He decided that if his will power and that of the patient could be sufficiently controlled and directed toward restoring the lost sight, 1t would be accomplished. Montgomery called at the miners home day after day and expatiated on his the ory to the patient, till at last there was partial return of the sight The work Wis kept mp for fully month, until the miner was able to go to work, and now ire can see very well with the aid of a pair of spectaeles.
 His second case was that of q man afflicted with rheumatism, who had not been able to walk for several years. Montgomery tried rubbing the patients legs with lis hands, and concentrating his thoughts on belief that the work would be effective The rheumatic was I,z,, T that he could walk about, and the pain almost disappeared. A physician s reme- dies were applied and now the patient is almost sound.
 The next person to be relieved by the healer was Judge Brazie of the Fayette county criminal court After the mine .iots of last year he was completely broken down and forced to take to his bed from nervous prostration. He had eminent medical attention, but it did little good, and trip for rest and health did not revive him. Mir. Montgomery, a close personal friend, called on Brazie one day and said he believed he could do him good. He held Brazie's head in his hands for half an hour, strozing it gently and rubbing the back of his neck The next day Brazie was so nearly well that he notified the temporary judge in charge of his court that he would as- sume his duties again the following Monday, which he did. He has been well man since.
 From time to time others came to be healed of rheumatism and other com- mon ills, and ill nearly all cases Mont gomery was successful. However, there were many cases in which he was not entirely successful, and in some no re- lief was given. He made no pretensions and promised no one to do more than try his power. From some of those who were able to pay and offered money he accepted 1t, but he was not making business of healing and asked that as little as possible be said about his work, as the people calling on him seriously interfered with his personal desires as to the manner of spending his time.
 The local newspapers had been print ing news of his work front time to time. and quite an interest has been created among prominent people. At the request Of several prominent men and two or thfee newspaper men he recently con sented to give an exhibition of his pow CT, provided the spectators would fur nlsh the patient. The editor of The Evening Mail suggested John C. Herr mann, who, as every one about there knows, has been confined to his bed most of the time for two years with rheumatism. The party repaired to Herr mann house on the south side without notifying him they were coming. Herr mann was found in bed, grooming with agony and drawn almost double montgomery, who had never met the patient, went to the bed, threw the cov-. CTS pack, barred Herrmann's limbs and began rubbing them. Hermann and his Vile hardly knew what to think of the performance, but they allowed it to go oh under assurance from those present that 1t was all right.
 Alter perhaps ten minutes Montgom- eiy told Hermann to get up Hermann 6 smiled lheredulously, but made no effort 19 m move Montgomery insisted, and nelfMann tried. He rose without diff sui'y and stood on the floor, amazed. sioii gomery then told him to dance. In minute the invalid realized that he was not being trifed with and began nopplng abont the room ill ecstasy. He eould Jump, run and ck;n alo,,+ I;lya o