Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-08-11

depression on the scale answered to
weight OF fifty grammes, q 81 ounces.
The weight Of the entire machine was al
most exactly one-quarter or pound
ANY downward movement OF the pan
with the corresponding motion OF the in
dex-hand on the scale, and still more any
movement Of the body Of the machine.
would require direct and easily discovered
pressure Any suspicion OF the machine
itself would fall back on NJ. de Gramont.
whose property II was, and in no possible
way on Eusapia.
The letter-weigher was placed on the
end of the table opposite the lamp. Just
behind It NJ. de Gramont stationed him
self. and at his side NJ. de VAUDEVILLE,
who Is a doctor both I'm physical sciences
and In law. At the side OF the table. on
a line with the letter-weigher. was Eusa-
MIA with Colonel de Rochas beside her
Opposite. so that the letter-weIgher was
I'm the full lire of vision between them
and Eusapia, stood NJ. Sabatier. Professor
Of Comparative Anatomy and Zoology in
the University Faculty OF er,eIIces at
MONTPELIER Both the pan OF the letter
welgher with the scale, and the hands OF
Eusapia were from beginning TO end In
the fun light Of the lamp not two feet
away. The distance between her hands
and any part Of the letter-weigher was
also plainly to be seen from every side.
THE LETTER SCALES MOVE.
Eusapla at first endeavored to produce
a movement Of the pan, by holding a
single hand some inches above IT, This
was without result She then used 10th
hands. one on the right. and the other
on the left side of the pan. The fingers
OF each hand were brought to a point,
and their extremities held at n distance
of one inch and a half from the pan.
The whole attention Of the four men was
directed TO verifying that at no time was
there any contact of the fingers with the
pan. Eusapia moved her hands lightly
I'd and down. At first this. too. was
without result, but soon the pan osciliat-
ed repeatedly up and down, keeping time
with the movements of her hands At
last Eusapia quite lowered her hands.
and the pan descended to the extreme
point indicated on the scale, and then re-
mounted. During all this time, Eusapla
made no movements other than with her
hands, and there was absolutely no Vi
bration of the table or Jerking of the
machine.
DR.. Darlex. director OF the French
Annals of Psychical Sciences, now
entered the room, and the experiment
was begun again. He placed himself be-
side Professor Sabatier, that Is, where
the letter-welgher stood in the full light,
between him and Eusapia. whose hands
were held directly toward him. Like
Eusapia herself. none Of the observers
was more than one foot distant from the
weigher. For this second trial, she
asked each OF her neighbOrs, Colonel De
Rochas on the left and VI. de Gramont
on the right, TO place a hand on her
shoulder. This Is in accordance with her
idea that force comes TO her from others.
After a few moments, the pan again sank
TO the end Of the scale. All the observers
were agreed I'm their absolute certainty
that the fingers Of Eusapia at no time
came nearer than one inch and half 20
the letter-weigher. 1T was also impossi-
BILE that a very fine thread or hair should
have been adroitly passed by Eusapia
from one OF her hands 10 the other
above the metal pan. which It might thus
have served to lower. She had had no
time 10 prepare for the experiment,
which was unlike anything she had ever
done before: and the slightest motion or
Der hands was closely watched by the ilYe
Zen from the start. DR.. Dariex. however,
made the trial with a fine hair immediate
" after. The light was such, that the
hair itself was easily visible.
That there should remain no doubt as
10 the part played by the hands or
Eusapia. a third experiment was begun
under special conditions. Professor Saba
tier placed himself behind Eusapia,
passing his arms under her own around
her waist, and taking her right hand in
his right, and her left in his left hand.
He thus imprisoned each Of her hands
in his own, leaving outside of his grasp
only the tips OF her fingers united In n
point. By leaning his head slightly TO one
shoulder. both her hands. and the letter
weigher. His own hands moved with hers
and he could not help being conscious
IL they swerved from the up-and-doWn
movement so as to come in contact with
the letter-wegher Under such conditions
If there was trickery possible. Professor
Sabatier would be equally implicated with
Eusapia The pan was again completely
forced down 10 the end Of the scale ana
all the observers were absolutely certain
that there had been no possible contact
with the hands Of Eusapia.
This experiment being satisfactorily
over three OF the men withdrew. Eusapia
remained with Professor Sabatier. Col
onel de Rochas and the Vile and grown
no daughter OF he latter The letter
weigher was placed on the table, one
foot from the edge. Opposite Eusapia
stood Professor Sabatier. so as to have
between himself and her the letter-weigh-
or. In this way he could see the hands
of Eusapia and their distance from the
letter-Weigher in each OF their motions
He asked her TO open her hands wide
TO place them in vertical planes parallel
with each other, one on each side OF the
letter-weigher. and to move them forward
horizontally. as If TO produce movement
OF the entire machine. After two or
three motions OF the hands, which We're
constantly held more than two inches
distant from any part Of the machine,
the letter-weigher glided along the sur
face of the table, without shocks and
with increasing rapidity, until it tumbled
over the edge on to the floor.
These experiments are Of scientific value
precisely because they are SO simple and
well-denncd. Others of a more weird and
spectral quality were made or other oc-
casions. The essential mystery is, how
ever. the same I'm all OF them is it in
visible hands that move the objects, or
some unknown vital force?
A few phenomena. which are mystic
rious under any superstition. have also
been subjected 10 scientific observation
I'm the case Of Eusapia. Thus. distinct
pencil marks were made on the shirt OF
one OF the Observers underneath the outer
garments. Another's finger. clean as far
as could be discerned. through careful
examination, when passed in full light
over a piece Of paper traced pencil marks
ON n five times running. Or. Richet, like
Professors Lodge and Ochorowicz de-
clares that he has been repeatedly
seized by a well-formed living hand. dis
tinctIy felt. while he was himself holding
both hands OF Eusapia. He adds: THAT
which makes this kind Of experiment
very instructive and to my mind abso-
lutelv decisive, is that you must admit
either n tactile hallucinaiion. which seems
IN me absurd. or an ill-timed joke on the
-. 90 eon,a one present which A. IL