The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-13
SCIENCE NOT BENEFITED
4 Hypnotic Test That Was Brought to Naurht
bv a Field Mouse.

From the NCr OricdUs Times Democrat.
zone Of the qneerest experiences Of nv
whole career. and We had lots Of ON. " said
"A well-knOwn theatrical advance agent who
was IN town a lew days ago. happened IN
the fall of 1895. when | was acting rs business.
manager. press boomer. ticket takor and liar
in-ordlnary for 4 hypnOtist who was making
a tour Of the small towns in southern Illinois,
Indiana and Ohio.
The professor was 4 pretty smooth old
faklr, but his show was lacking IN novelty,
aud We We're trying desperately 10 think IN
some sensational feature when We encountered
n chap named OBrien, who was a professional
horse for meenarists. \ horse is stage
slang for a rcady-made subject, who sub
mit- 10 all sorts ot tests. and this fellow sn0-
gesred that We stir mp q little excitement nv
burvlng him alive. or course. the dodge
i old now. but II was fresh then. and We started
AZ once To put II INTO execution. We were
at "A busting town on the Ohio River az the
time, and y" announced that on such and
such a DAY Prof would throw n man into
n trance, nail him ny IN a comm and bury him
eight feet deep, where he would remain Tor
iorty-eight hours The disinterment and
events or which We depcnded 10 draw n huge
crowd, The whole affair was dubbed thu
great East Indian hypnotic trance tes', and
O'Bricu figured a. a wealthy traveller who
had consented to submit To the ordeal purely
IN the interest of science
q course, there w"r" any number of de-
tall that had to be arranged. continued tho
agent. hut the burial finally came on accord
INK Ia programme" Long pracilC" ~ what
l. called the sleep test mad" II "0mparatlyclv
easy for OlIrl"n Ia liz uul"t Tor u couple 81
DAYS and danger from ~unocation was avoided
by a thrpc-luch wooden tube, whirh connected
the coffin with III" outer AR, The eNporl-
meni created Imncn~" excitement IA the VIZ
oinlty. and "" easily persuaded a dozen noto-
rlo,i~lN hungry citizens 10 act ~ 2 'oomlniitee'
10 watch N" gray" by shifts, and 80" that no
food ur ~tlmulant> We're passed dow the tube,
and, needless 10 say, III" whole town came
ont to keep them company. Folks talked
in awed whispers Of III" unconscious man
lving down there ~ the cold. dark ground;
n number Of prominent ply -lclanS certified
10 the genuln"nes- of the trance, Every
when inst at dlsk on the first day a frishtfui
mI~hap occurred.
a small field mouse darrcd suddenly OUT
Of the gras-. made two or three hewlldered
dp-hc~. and foil headlorg into the wooden
air tube. Al III" next instant the most awiul
hlo"d-freeIiug lnhumau howl eyer heard
nv mortal nar- issued oUI of the bowels Of tho
earth. Even to no. who know OBri"u Was
wldrdWake and IN no r"rll whatever. the Yell
was dceVlv horriivius, Nhlo The effect upon
" "dennot rt' t dorrr'n .d "' W ,n,aEan'o t nmI o" and
men became historical, md all the Will" those
hideol- >hrl"ks kept ronrtn. swiftly ont ~
W eI, 10 make u long story short. a shovel
brigade wa organized, and n loss han ton
minutes ORr"u Wa reached and hauled ont.
ITo wa thcn M q .'a'o ~ limp collapse. but
h. had strength enough to- d"rouuro Mo test
A. a fake and doclar"d that 80 had inyo glod
him into u hy taking advantage of H. poverty.
when he got that far along m" professor and
quietly slipped away ana ."'t town .nno--
'rntatIouelv on a ir'cht The orowd vHs
certainly IN lyurhluE 'cN'r"r What hat-
ronrd 10 Brlcn Wa merely u breakdown
Of nerve. Ne was wrought NJ ~ = hlcl nl''h
ANYHOW. aud tho mouse LANDING -uddeulv
on h~ neck drove him insane wI'h panic for
~ .L-a Iat,.v 1hnt AVtEa.Ia raHtNlFAl -
tho ra>sago of ordinances prohibiting he burial
lest in scores ~ Northern cIte..'