The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-30
TnE WORK or WIZARDS.


Santanelli at the Grand Opera House
Genuine -Edison's Latest In
vention, the vitascope Showing Scenes
as Realistic as Life With All the Move
ments.
The Grand opera house was filled last
evening with large and intelligent au-
dience to witness two of the wonders
of the nineteenth century-an exhibit
ton Of hypnotic power and the opera
ton Of the latest marvellous invention
of the world famous wizard, Thomas
A. Edison.
OF the really great Santanelli every
one has heard ere this, while he was
drawing such enormous audiences to
witness his remarkable power of hyp-
notism at Hammerstein's Olympia the
alter in New York. He is veritable
Svengali; in fact, he SURPRISES the most
powerful representation of Trilby's en-
trancer that the mind can conjure up.
By simple movement of the hand he
sways to suit his powerful will all who
lend themselves to his power as! sub
jects.
On the stage with him last evening
were dozen young men over whom
he had the most complete control, as
he desired. Some of the antics of these
subjects while under the influence of
the hypnotists mind We're ludicrous in
the extreme. They were made to sing
and dance, and do it creditably, too,
men some of whom do not know note
of music and never danced on the stage
before in their lives. In one part of
the performance several of the sub
jects were told that they were employees
at circus and were selling various
articles usually sold by circus fakirs
Baskets were given to them and they
went about through the audience yell
ing each different article for sale.
Finally, by simply pointing his finger
at them and exerting his mental force
over them, he brought them back from
different parts of the house.
He next put two men under his intlu-
ence and while in that state he took q
large needle, threaded with Irvine, and
| sewed it through their ears and lips in
| the thickest flesh of those organs. The
| men neither moved a MUSCLE nor 9TH
erwise showed that they felt any pain.
| Not drop of blood run and no more
pain was felt by the men than If the
| Irvine had been sewed through paste
board
| The performance of Santanelli con-
cluded by his causing the subjects to
stand up on the stage and while in the
midst of hearty laughter, sneezing and
other sensations and emotions he sud
| denly caused them to become silent and
rigid, with all their features fixed in the
| 81 40 10 nj wi
| their muscles were stiffened. That the
genuineness Of the state of the men
| might be proven to be as it seemed,
members of the audience were invited
upon the platform to investigate. Sew
| eral persons accepted the invitation,
among them physician, who pro-
| nounced the muscles of the men rigid
as bone or iron. Some of the men were
| kept in this state for ten minutes,
standing on the stage like statues. Sew
| eral of those who investigated were
| personal friends of the writer of this,
and all pronounced the men In a genu-
| inc hypnotic state, not like many OF
| the fake exhibitions which have been
! inflicted upon the public
1t seems almost as If Santanelli had
| solved the problem OF the mind obtain
/ ing absolute control over matter.
OF the wonders of the yitascope too
much cannot be said. By it scenes
were thrown upon screen and there
appear as realistic as though the actors
were present doing the performance in
person Every movement was distinct
| ly brought out and all on large scale,
so the observer was almost persuaded
| that he was witnessing performances
| by Cissy Fitzgerald and May Irwin in
person. The scenes presented were the
| following:
One-Herald square, New York.
| Two-Umbrella dance by the Leigh
sisters.
Three-The Rescue. Realistic fire
scene.
| Fourth-Annabelle, the Butterfly.
Five-Cissy Fitzgerald; her wink and
dance.
Six-The May Irwin kiss (from "The
Widow Jones."l
| The exhibition by Santanelli will be
| different in many respects every day.
There will be a matinee and evening
performance to-day.