The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-03-11

interested in psychometry through some
very remarkable statements made by per-
sons of more than ordii a'y intelligence,
! began series of Investigations which
have continued through nearly year.
. and which have embraced the kindred
so-called sciences of palmistry, astrology,
graphology and the subject of spiritual
ism. As / do not intend TO discuss any
of the relative claims of any of these
branches of curious knowledge. at the
present time, but simply to give sub
stantially correct account of some OF the
MANY experiences | have had. 1t is not
pertinent to the question that | should
express any conclusions at which have
arrived. Indeed, it is but fair to say that
am still in persistent search of the
elusive and wonderful things which |
= have heard and read of until my wearied
faculties have been threatened with the
.psychometric jiggers." And it is with
emotions of mingled amusement and sat
isfaction that | recall many of my expe-
riences in our City of Angels, good, bad
and indifferent.
To make matters clear at the outset,
let me say that there is broad distinc-
tiond between a medium and u psyche
metrist 1t is only occasionally that the
same person is both The first derives
her power from her spiritual guide or
o., COlltIOl, anu 10 niOlC piioh hS
mouthpiece OF the spirit having no con-
troll whatever over what she may say or
do while in state of trance.
4 On the other hand the psychomeJrist
is fully cognizant of what she says and
does and gives no credit to her control, 7"
if she may be medium. as well as
psychometrist. The impressions through
which she acts are derived from contact
with some subject related to the subject
concerning which information is desired
The Century Dictionary thus defines the
term The power fancicd to be possessed
ifby some sensitive persons OF catching. I'M
'pressions from contact which enables them
10 describe the properties OF medicines,
the vital forces of any part of the human
constitution, the character, physiological
condition, ETC., of persons whose au-
tographs or photographs are touched, and
the scenes associated with any substance
Investigated
designations have been carried by Pro-
fessor Denton, who, in his work The Soul
of Things gives from fragments of
aerolites, etc., minute descriptions of the
inhabitants of Mars, the state OF their
civilization. animals, etc, also describes
a boy in the sun and many other won
derful things.
| made my, initial Investigation with
psychometry because for some unknown
reason the spirits We're shy-in fact
sometimes exceedingly skittish. Early in
my pursuit of the intangible | learned
that neither mediums nor psychOmetrists
were in Los Angeles exclusively for
health. They appeared to be able to see
with greater distinctness when there is a
liberal gratuity in sight. My first step
was to find one of the ilk who had a re-
putaton for successful readings. After
much search | learned of one who was
said to be honest and so frequently was
this term applied that it began to dawn
upon me that there might be some who
were not honest Making an engagement
with them | took with me letter from
; schoolboy friend written some seven
and twenty years ago. This letter
placed in delicately scented envelope
q and prepared to get, through the power
of psychometry, a history OF some of those
pranks in which we were engaged in the
never to- be-forgotten days when we were
boys together.
' Taking the letter in her hands the fair
psychopetrist seated herself in a shaded
corner, behind a screen, and asked me to
sit directly in front of her and few feet
distant. The light was admitted through
!, the blinds in such way that it fell upon
my face. This, it occurred to me, was a
clever beginning and augured well for an
interesting sitting. 1t was with a
cheerful curiosity that | drew forth my
note book and prepared to take the record
of the good old times when we used to
levy tribute on the harvest apples in
old Klingensmith' orchard; and how
once, when we had squeezed half way
through the rail fence, the brindle bull
dog attacked our rear column and the old
German made sortie on our front, and
despite our desperate struggles we were
captured with the loss of our rear guard
which was held by the brindle bulldog
and we were marched as prisoners of
ror into tho old mill op1 rom nallod 70
learn the ten commandments before we
were allowed to withdraw our forces and
repair damages--oh those dear old days
but to our tale. Having placed the
letter in the hands OF the buxom lady
before me, the logical result could only be
as above, when she got down to business.
While she was passing her fingers over
her broad forehead to induce the proper
degree of psychometric power, she chatted
cheerily, relating various remarkable feats
in her psychometric experience which
bordered on the marvellous. Among
other things she told of prominent
physician who had case he could not
treated the man for seven years and had
got all his money and had mortgage on
his farm. well, said the lady, she
asked me to try and find out what the
matter was, for he couldn't afford to let
SO good patient die. So he put in my
manu- lcItcI WIl1VcH NY TIC pdJleHt. AS
soon as | touched it began to smell
drugs, and it seemed as though my in
sides were plastered all over with drug
gists' labels and then got so sick and
weak that it was hardly possible to hold
my head up-and then it was that | saw
the man was being starved to death.
told the physician that if he would order
the patient to have one square meal daily,
and would make his professional calls
once in six weeks and not as heretofore,
three times a day and more when bust
ness was dull elsewhere, that he would re-
cover. He took my advice, and in three
days the man was well and has never
known a sick day since-but the physi-
clan won't speak to me because l took
his best patient away"
This was all very interesting to me, so
encouraged the lady to chat thus pleas
antly while she got into the psychomet-
ric state. The time passed away, but the
spirit Jagged. When | recall that first sit
ting now get warm behind the ears and
go and take a turn with my patent
kicker. Finally, as the smell of cooking
meats found its way into the room the
proper state was reached and the psyche
metrist began to speak in so-far-away-
and -over-the-fence-is- out sort of tone that
l felt sure that she would have to get ex-
cursion rates to get back again if she
travelled by the Southern Pacific. Fixing
my eyes upon her face with gaze so in
tense that the enamel began to sizzle,
was fully prepared to catch the words of
mysterious origin as they fell from her
lips:
sit comes to me just that way" she be-
CAN'T seems to be a dark FACET seem