Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-27
VICTIM OF A. HOTEL CLERK.
The Professor n Ruined Man Owing
to One Sinner.


'If it had not been for one of you Eel
lows 1 might now be supporting myself
comfortably by my hypnotic powers. in
stead of playing the piano and doing
vaudeville turns" said the professor af-
ter he had finished his stunt at the Fri
daylight smoker Of the Hotel Clerks
Llfe-Saving Social, and Outing Club.
1T was four years ago." he continued,
that landed in New York with enough
money to run me for two weeks. and no
prospect OF an engagement. / had left
New York with the Fly-by-Night Bur-
iesque Troupe. / played the piano for
them at night, and circulated handbills
in the daytime. We did a ragged one
night-stand business, but we managed to
pay expenses until we reached Three
Rivers Mich, and nothing but the Cher
~ Sisters would go in that town. They
wouldn't have us there, and the company
broke up. Each member had 10 shift
for himself or herself.
Il had done something in phrenology
and hypnotism. and l made my expenses
back to New York and a little more.
didn't know what TO do when got here,
and after working the saloons as phre-
nOlogist for a week 1 saw that i must
strike a new lay or starye TO death. /
am pretty strong in hypnotism, and had
cultivated II for several years. There
are so many fakirs around, however, that
exhibitions of ii didn't pay.
1T was purely by chance one morning
after had paid my last dollar for room
rent that I discovered a way TO utilize my
hypnotic powers with profit. i am the
inventor OF IL. and if 1t hadn't been for a
hotel clerk / might now be working II.
/ was down on my luck, and / began look
ing through the personals and lost and
found notices. hoping that something
wcuid turn up. This notice caught my eye:
Found. a sum of money in a pocket
took on Broadway. Owner may get it by,
proving property and paying for adver-
Using. Mary X. c.. 100 west - street.
1T occurred TO me that Mary was q
very honest woman. and l wondered IL /
couldn't guess description of the pocket
book and the amount Of money, and so
get IL 10 tide me over. / speculated on
what sort of woman Mary was and then
came the thought, Why not hypnotize
her and get her TO tell about the pocket
book? The more 1 thought it over the
better l liked II, and / went TO Mary's
address to see what / could accomplish
You know that II is an easy matter 10
hypnotic the average woman. l have
done Il easily many time. For ordinary
cases wear large paste diamond in my
scarf, and i ask the subject to look at II
closely 1 half a minute she is under the
influence. When the maid answered my
ring at the address given i'm the adyer-
tisement I told her that / had come 10
rlaim the purse She shouted upstairs:
Mrs. Green, here is the gent what
lost the money and Mrs. Green came
down, evidently very much disturbed by
her maids awkwardness Mrs. Green twas
a motherly. philanthropic looking woman,
and she began apologizing for her maid,
concluded that she was a good subject
Before 1 say anything about the
pocket-book, madam l said. won't you
be good enough to look into this diaAesEs1
in my scarfpin and see II II is cracked?
A boy threw a stone at me as l entered
the house and II struck this pin. / am
afraid that he injured IT.
MRS. Green was sympathetic. and as
stepped to the light she looked at the hin
She brought her eyes close 70 II. and az
my request stared at II steadily until /
said:
g" Now, Mrs. Green, that is not a pin.
~ IL a pocket-book. Can you see it?'
Yes; II is a pocket-book,' she an
Ewered In a mechanical voice.
" It is the pocket-book which Won
found on Broadway
Yes she answered.
Describe II IN DETAIL commanded.
III is black pocket-book,' she said. |
with a silver monogram. ~. 4. b." on |
the back II contained three S20-bills and |
one &-bilL That Is ALL.
Thank you, Mrs. Grsen,' said y, |