The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-01-04
UNDER A SPELL.
Tue Strange Case of Mabel BrIggs,
OF Eau Clairo, Wis.
PROFESSOR FLINT INVESTIGATES
Tho Notable Case OF Hypnotlsm-Ho
Wonders that tho Girl Is Not Insane.
Mono but tho Person Who Originally
Hypnotized Hor Conld Restore Her
to Her Normal Condition.


Eau Claire Special IN Eeto York World.
DR.. Herbert I. Flint, Of Chicago. tho
moamcrist who was called in by tho dis.
trict attorney to investigate the Briggs
case with local physicians, 10 now In
Eau Claire giving exhibitions Of hyp.
notism. In an interview no says:
~ respondedto acallin tho Briggs case
with some reluctance, as am opposed
to sonsationalism in my business; but I
yielded to the appeals OF the family
physician aud the authorities on tho
understanding that should not DO hold
to guarantee any results. l found
Mabel Briggs In hypnotic. somnambu.
liatic state. Her will was entirely alb.
rogated, sho yielding entirely TO any
suggestion. no mattor by whom given.
Memory and reason wore almost wholly
lacking. In that condition aho was
wholly defenseless. l found her ono OF
tho most susceptible subjects l ever
saw. In two minutes sho was fast
asleep. Some twenty minutes hard
work was required to awaken her Nom.
ory 30 that she could answer questions
no to her whereabouts and treatment
during the time she was missing.
Slowly, regularly, almost automatic.
ally, came reply after reply, telling the
sad story OF her wrongs and suffering.
The fiercest crosa.examination | ever
witnessed waa conducted by District
Attorney Frawley, but by not oven
word did she change her statements or
descriptions. She denied that young
Pickin had been anything but respect.
full, but claimed that while no had gone
for refreshments, two hunters had ap.
preached her. and each in turn held hor
while the other assaulted her. So care.
full aud unyarying were her statements
that became convinced that. while !
could make her talk, she was acting on
post.hypnotic suggestions given her by
the man who had frat mesmerized her.
After seeking in vain to secure a
contradictory statement, Mr.. Frawley
became satisfied aud awakened the
girl. Her mental faculties seemed re.
stored, and day by day I carried her
back over tho three weeks that she had
remained in tho somnambulistic condi-
ton until l reached the day after Labor
Day. She was ut Little Niagara, until
sharply told that she would recall all
that had happened. Her face lost for
moment its puzzled expression. Then a
look OF horror came over her counten-
ance. She burst into tears and her
checks Redeemed with shame as abe
cried, My God! Why did you let them
do it? and then fled from tho room.
Tears stood in the eyes Of the half.
dozen men present, and the distracted
father seized shotgun and would have
wrought speedy vengeance on the sus-
pected assailan,s had he not been re.
strained by force.
For more than half an ho1r the girl
remained in q hysterical condition, but
finally became quiet, when we found
that she had returned to the somnam.
bulistic state, from which | could not
arouse her except for few moments.
Her original suggestions dominated her
conduct as soon as ceased TO give my
suggestions. l then informed them
that only by the releasing suggestions
Of the person who hypnotized her could
she be restored to normal condition. /
understand that this course was adopt
ed and that she is now well.
she has passed through terrible
ordeal, and it is really wonderful that
she Is not insane from the repeated hyp.
nothing she has been subjected to by
various e1perimenters. Many OF the
phenomena recently observed in her
case seem attributable to suggestions
that che has received from time to
time, though not originally meant to
influence her opinions. Crosa.hypnot.
ism frequently produces hysteria.
There is nothing supernatural in tho
clairvoyant features that have appeared
in the case. They frequently occur.
"Dr. William Lee Howard, OF Balsi-
more, in his letter to Judge Bailey, OF
your city, Gays that subject under COM
ple,e hypnotic control never recalls,
while normal. what transp:red under
such control. His statement Is inco..
rect. Hypnotism is a state OF sleep.
Actions and thoughts in that state are
akin to dreams. Some people recall
their dreams. Some only part; o,hors
nothing. Just go with the hypnotized.
IAN investigator who is not public
operator has not sufficient number OF
subjects to enable him to deduce general
truths. For many years have tested
from two to four thousand annually,
and any opinions 1 may express nro
founded upon testing more than TWEEN
ty thousand people. Few in this num-
Der are more susceptible than Mabel
Briggs. or more completely at the
mercy OF criminal hypnotist. Tho
fact that aho is also an operator and
now understands the peril OF private
tests in hypnotism will probably pro.