New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-26
EUSAPIA PALADINO'S POWER
HER REMARKABLE MANIFESTATIONS IN
vEsT1GATED IN FRANCE.

YESTIGATED IN FHANCE.
A COMMITTEE OF SCIENTISTS OBTAIN STARTLING
RESULTS IN WHICH FRAUD IS OUT
OF THE QUESTION.
Paris. July 10.
Is II fact that inert objects have been set IN mo-
tion not in the usual way. by material contact with
some mover. but solely by means OF some UNKNOWN
and invisible vital force. emaEating from the or
ganism Of a person placed at a distance! IL 80
then science has to face fact far more discoh-
certing to It's calculations than any X-rays II not
then a satisfactory explanation has to DO fourd
for phenomena which have been observed by scien-
tifc men OF undoubted competence. under circum-
that to exclude all possibility OF fraud
or error. Colonel Albert de Rochas formerly OK
tho Ecole Polytechnique. Of Paris. and now at
tached to the French Ministry Of Public 1nstruc-
ton. has just published the notes taken Of such
observations. day by day. as they were MADE. from
September % to % Of last year.
Tho person who this supposed force Is tho
famous Eusapia Paadino, who has already been
repeatedly under the close and systematic observa-
ton Of professional men Of science Italian French.
Russian, German and English She is a peasant
woman of Naples. and Is now about forty years OF
ago. Her father was killed by brgands when she
a child. which may partly account for nervous
terror with which she is afflicted. When only eight
years old she was subject to Authorizations, seeing
eyes looking at her from behind walls and bushes.
She Is Of a hysterical disposition and Is MT sub
ject for hypnotsm although she enters into her
present trance states of her own accord. When
thirteen, she began taking part In Spirftualist
seances with much SUCCESS; but they tired her, and
she left or all experiments with her strange pow
ers until she twenty-five. Then Spiritualist
induced her to undergo a systematic course OF OBJ
servatons, and for several years she formed the
establishment of sceptics and the delight Of
1n1i trttA n no
line The wonderful things related Of this time Of
her life have nothing to do with the present phe-
nomena, which do not need the Intervention OF
spirits for their explanation. Stii whatever cleg-
erness at sleight OF hand she may De supposed to
possess, she must have acquired at this time She
has always remained quite ignorant. so far
ordinary education goes. though naturally Of good
understanding
The first to examine Eusapa Paadino In the name
of positive science was her countryman the we'll
known DR.. Lombroso, with other medical authorities
mental arrangement and hallucination. In 1891 at
Naples. in 1892 at Milan in 1898 at Naples and Rome
In 1894 at Warsaw and afterward in France, she oc
casioned mysterious movements that bafled every
effort Of scientific men to explain. In August Of
1895 she was taken to Cambridge, England. where
the phenomna were Judged by rules laid down by
Mr. Maskelyne. the authority on egerdeman. Tho
whole attention OF the observers was centred on
one point-to find out II Eusapia freed of her
hands at any time from the c0ntrol supposed 20 De
constantly exercised over both. Every facility was
offered her for doing so II she wished. and 1t was
discovered that she actually prohted by the OPP
portunity.
CHANCE OF FRAUD EXCLUDED
The raising Of the question Of fraud consequent
upon this made 1t necessary that there should be
observations under circumstances which
would render fraud impossible at least the part
of Eusapia herself This has been done with such
attributed to the Of science. The test expert
ments made In France Immediately after
carried on with a special view to the criticisms
made at Cambridge, in order to get rid Of every
suspicious condition.
Eusapia quite unaware Of the tempest she
had raised. She was brought to country house OF
Colonel de Rochas, who had organized a new COM
mission OF seven Independent men Of science.
Of whom. like himself. were accustomed to
hypnotic experiments. but none Of whom had ever
had any dealings with Eusapia Paladino II was
$50 o'clock in the evening OF September g. -Four
sets of observations had been made on previous
days. beginning always after $50 In the evening"
No notice had been given either to Eusapia or to
the committee that experiments might be made at
this hour of the day. She was in her normal wax
ing condition. and there sign Of the APP
parent trance which usually accompanies the phe-
nomena. In the drawing-room there was heavy
table, a little three feet long On one end OF
1t placed large petroleum lamp having
white muslin shade. The whole surface Of the
table brilliantly Illuminated. NJ. de Gramont
brought from valise in his room letter-weigher
which comprised ordinary metal stand. with a
small pan above for the letter and balancing
weight below at the end of an elbowed lever, the
movement Of which set an index-hand In motion
tho scale answered TO weight of fifty grammes
"a ounces) The weight of the entire machine was
almost exactly one-quarter Of pound. Any down.
ward movement of the pan with the corresponding
motion Of the index-hand on the scale. and still
fnff hn hndV of fhs. mo- In
would require direct and easily discovered press
ure Any suspicion Of the machine itself would !
was and In no possible way on Eusapia
tb Opposite hs mp ene n
Gramont stationed himself, and at his side NJ de
and law At the side Of the table on line With
the letter-weigher. was Eusapa, with Colonel de
We sSs Vssa the full wee them
and Eusapa, stood NJ Sabater, professor of COM
facay of at Montpeer Both the pan cf
the letter-wegher. with the see. and the hands OF
OF the lamp not two feet away; The distance be-
tween her hands and any part OF the letter weisher
THE LETTER SCALES MOVE
Eusapia at first endeavored to produce a move
ment OF the pan by holding a single hand some
inches above 1t. This without result. She then
used both hands one on the right and the other on
the left eide OF the pan: The fingers of each hand
dsae 20 Of c and ha ro h
pan The whole attention OF the four men was d.
rected 10 verifying that at no time there any
contact Of the fingers with the pan. Eusapia moved
her hands lightly up and down. At first this too
without result, but the pan oscllaed repea;
ly up and down. keeping time with the movements OF
her hands. At last Eusapa quite lowered her
hands and the pan descended 10 the extreme point
indicated the scale, and then renounted. Dur
ing all this time Eusapa made no movements other
than with her hands, and there was absolutely no
vibration OF the table or Jerking OF the machine
Dr. Dariex. director Of the French Annals OF
Psychica Sciences, entered the room and the ex-
pertinent was begun again. He placed himself beside
Professor Sabaer that is, where the letter weigher
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 foot distant from the letter wegher For
this second trial sho asked each of her neighbors