The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-31

a
-, sback when he saw that DR.. Mac
.ss-son rad quietly entered the room as
- smoke. for .he great brain specialist
generally manages to take a considerable
5f.-ouut of the worth of the superstitious
r,,i,-s scientific assertions. on this oc-
~,sisn. however. Macpherson happened to
agree with him to some extent.
..rbs direct power of the brain is a sub
+sot which needs Investigating he said.
..r.s pity is that the science is at present
,f,,,st entirely in the hands of oharIatans
.-,7- met man once who could kiln
-er.on simply by willing it, his own brain
--o,.rollins and paralyzing that of his
,f-rim: at any rate that is the power he
claimed for himself Unfortunately he
vas killed before 1 had an opportunity
IF verifying his claim to any extent. But
am interrupting you, major"
Dennett was more anxious than any Of
Ms to hear of a case which seemed to IL
1rstrats what he had been saying and a
very remarkable story the doctor told US:
81 met Prof Lyas'-as he called him
sslf-on board an American liner" He
bsaan. MY brother had become engaged
10 a New York lady travelling in Europe.
and as her people were anxious that the
wedding should take place at her home
We were all going across to the states.
had been wanting a holiday, and Robin.
nv brother. was anxious that 1 should
oficiate as his best man, so l managed to
ioin the party going across. 1t was on the
second day out that this Lyas began talk
ing at dinner of his wonderful power Of
will. and he offered to convince any scep-
teal persons by operating upon them. He
would not kill them outright, he said.
kindly. but if the proper conditions were
observed he would, by simply looking INFO
the subjects eyes, suspend for a moment
the action of the heart, and take them
as near death as was expedient for an
experiment 1 volunteered instantly, and
the professor was making arrangements
for the public display of his power, when
10 everybody's surprise, a lady also eX-
messed her willingness to undergo the
experiment. She was a quiet-looking lit
tie woman of so or so, who was travelling
alone, l was told afterward. to join her
husband in the states, and her offer sur
prised me all the more when l observed
from her face that she was evidently
highly excita5le and hysterical nature.
The passengers generally seemed in favor
of the lady undergoing the test instead of
me. Finally the professor decided to try
his will power upon us both in turn,
and we adjourned to the deck for the
experiment. Unfortunately, it was de-
cided to take Mrs. Maple, the quiet little
lady, first. The professor sat in a deck
chair facing her, at the distance of
few feet and fixed his remarkably pierre
ing little black eyes on her face. We
gathered round in quite a. state of excite
ment, which became indescribale when
in less than five minutes the lady turned
white and tainted. ] hurried up at once
to attend to her, and applied the usual
restoratves, but 1t was quite a long time
before she regained consciousness. She
seemed to be in a state of catalepsy, and
the passengers were in a fearful state,
thinking that they had helped to kill
her. They were relieved when l came up
from her cabin, TO which the professor
had helped me to carry her, with the an
n0uncement that she was well on the way
to recovery, but when expressed my will
mgness to subject myself to the expert
ment they rose in a body to protest
against it, and the captain put an end to
the matter by absolutely refusing to let
his vessel l was amused to see how
thoroughly the professors feat had i'm
pressed everybody on board, and I no.
tced a general inclination among the pas
sengers to give him a wide berth and avoid
his eye. For my own part, should have
been more satisfied with his performance
If had been the subject, and since there
was no chance of another public trial of
his power l determined to ask Lyas to
civ l. IlofA
l had an opportunity of asking him, how
ever, my views with regard to the pro-
lessor underwent a change. 1 had been
considering him simply charlatan. My
brother informed me that he was a
backyard. 1t seemed that he had been
prosecuting Miss Gavin, my sister-in-law-
elect, with unpleasant attentions. They
had met casually a year before in New
York, and the fellow was presuming now
upon their slight acquaintance to make
violent love to the lady in spite of her
unconcealed dislike for him, and the fact
that she was about to marry my brother.
Robin was furious, of course, and asked
me to be present at the interview he was
intending to have with his fiancee's per-
secutor
was quite willing
will run up on deck and fetch him
down now, if you will wait here 1 said,
while we give him a bit of our minds
1 strolled up on deck to look for the
professor, but as it was pretty dark L
nad some difficulty in finding him. At
last, however, 1 caught sight of him
!eanlng over the railroad talking to
lady. When 1 found that the lady was
MISS Gavin, 1 felt no hesitation in inter
ruptng the conversation, which 1 knew
must be distasteful to her AS l was about
70 90 so, however, my attention was ar
rested by something the villain was say
ing and I am not in the least ashamed
70 confess that waited without disturb
ing him to hear a little more of it. The
professors chief attraction was a singu-
larly clear voice, and, although he was
speaking almost in a whisper, 1 could
eaten everything he said. He was threat
enlng to kill her lover by this will-power
OF his unless she promised him to break
OH the engagement. My blood boiled
When poor Katie Gavin answered. and
her voice told me how frightened and in
pressed she was. OF course, it sounds
strange to you, gentlemen, that a sensi-
DIE young lady could be alarmed by such
d threat, but you must remember that
me experiment Of the morning had crea-
Tea tremendous impression and that
mere was scarcely a person on board but
oeleyed that Prof. Lyas had the power
70 XIII a man by willing it. That Miss
lawn believed il thoroughly was proved