The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-08-27
PSYCHIC FORCE.


ity Of all minds. whether they be skepti-
cnl CT not.
The manifestations which have been
occurring at the soap factory OH Mission
street. says san Francisco paper. since
last Friday. are no exception TO the rule'
and whether these manifestations be the
result OF some unknown force or the
clever work of some joker. the interest OF
tn, public IL daily intensified by the
peculiar action OF certain bars OF soap.
Yesterday morning tho soap began To
fly around tho room with even greater
force than the day previous, when the
detectives sent by the chief of police were
compelled to admit themselves puzzled.
A short time aftetr the two girls en-
ployed In wrapping soap in the packing
room began To work, between 10 ana. ~
bars OF soap iiew up from the racks ar
ranged along the wall and fell into tho
aisles between the racks.
While the employees were engaged In
gathering up this soap other bars were
flying around. some striking the girls
and one giving such q severe blow 10
Lille Coombs that she cried out in pain.
After the flrst manifestation had ceased
and the girls were again quietly at work
cake OF soap went hurting through the
air from the front end of the room out
through pane of glass in the rear win
dow, with sufficient force TO break
round hole without shatterlng the glass.
From III O'Clock until in the afternoon
there was cessation of the exhibition.
with the exception of an occasional cake
of soap lying across the room. Az l
o'clock large quantity was again lifted
I'm the air and deposited on the floor, and
Immediately afterward another cake went
with incredible velocity through the air
and made IA hole through another pane OF
glass similar to tho first During the
afternoon the manifestations were much
IaS hu haf hn m =
fact that there were vt times as manv as
seven people in the room, the soap flew
around. despite all efforts to find the
cause for the peculiar movement.
AT 3 o'clock three detectives from the
police department.. n surgeon from the
receiving hospital and three other gentle
men were in the room to make thorough
invests igation. During their search In the
room the soap displayed some activity,
but not as much as before.
Derby hats seemed To make good tar
gets for the invisible soap-thrower, and
Detective Egan had just finished his state
ment that no was sure 10 was not done ny
any invisi Dle force when cake of soap
struck his hat and almost Knocked IL from
his head
The manifestations yesterday afternoon
were two that would take the exhibition
entirely out of the range of human aid in
the moving of the SOAP. From the front
"A chimney in the rear n distance of about
30 feet. This pipe is about 10 feet from the
floor and about four feet above the rack
on which the soap Is drying. A cake
Of soap rose in the air 10 this pipo and
circled il twice and was then thrown with
considerable force to the opposite side OF
the room. A second cake Of soap rose
gently in the air and sailed across the
room Just above the racks. settled TO the
floor and spun around on one end for
several seconds. In neither instance was
il possible for these cakes Of soap to have
been thrown by any person in the room.
Neither is it possible for any one TO throw
anything SO that it will 60 as ttIsS cakes
won't
w. G. Curtis, manager Of the company,
said that to manifestations were certainly
of psychic nature. His attention was
first called to them on bis return from
camping trip to the mountains last week.
Lille Coombs told the other girls in the
place that large jar containing rose
bush had raised up and made noise in
the room where she was working. The
story was told to Mr.. Curtis and rs he
saw that the girls were frightened be
laughed ut them and made light Of tho
incident On Friday of last week several
cakes Of soap were thrown about and
Saturday the manifestation became much
more pronounced. He went TO the girls
and told them that he had laughed with
them over the joke and Low wanted them
TO stop throwing tho soap, as every cake
had To be melted over.which WAS thrown.
The girls cried nnd protested their inDo-
cence, and asked him to remain in the
room when he would seq for himself.
That afternoon he saw the soap lying
around, and then came to the conclusion
that there was some unseen force at work.
Sunday he sent "a man 10 the place 60 SEQ
il there were any manifestations going
hnt oil .f
the manifestations became so pronounced
that in order to quiet the employees, who
thought u man was hidden somewhere
about the place, he put the matter in the
hands of the police This was not effective,
as the exhibitions increased after their
search until yesterday. when 1t extended
to the breaking of windows
In speaking of the matter Mr. Curtis said
"There is nothing strange in this to ne.
l have studied theosOphy for years and
have seen manifestations in India that
were more strange. but have never seen
any that were more pronounced. / am
perfectly satisfied that there is no material
agency here. 1t is psychic force that
il causing it, but ] am at - loss TO under
stand the reason for it. | satisfied my
self that no person about the place could
do it. ar Il after l was sure OF this, which
conclusion | arrived at after most
thorough investigation, / knew there
could lac but one cause for it, lt Is inn
possible for the results To he produced
by any person throwing tho soap. Some
OF the manifestations are such as could
not be produced by human agency.
when the soap was thrown about so
freely that wa saw that we were being
damaged bv it, my partner aud deter.
mined To make thorough investi CATION.
I'VE sent everybody out Of the room and
looked tho doors so that there could be no
possibility of any one coming in. We
watched for some time without seeing
anything. and were just about to give il
up when cake Of soap came flying
through the air and hit him in the back.
You can sec that bad there been any per-
son In the room IL would have been i'm
nnssi bic for him to hide. ~