The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-08-27
IN HOTEL CORRIDORS.


| spect and many weird and unearthly
tales have been told and q number OF
books have been written which have for
their foundation this strange power. OF
/ course we are all acquainted with the
| travelling falxir who goes about with his
mesmerism and second sight show and
| we know that it is a fake pure and sim
pie. I saw exhibition in Mexico,
| however, that went away beyond any
| thing of the kind had ever seen before.
! I have read of stranger things but
! have never witnessed anything that
would compare with it. A friend OF
| mine took me with him to see the en-
tertainment- 1t was in a private house
/ and was given in the interest of science
| and not for money. The operator, or
| hypnotist, had a number of subjects who
| seemed to be very susceptible and he
amusing FRANKS One man he put to
sleep and made SO rigid that four men
stood on his body while it was supported
under the shoulders and heels by chairs
| He ran a hat pin through the mans
cheeks and wrists. This was done to Ii
luStrate the anesthetic possibilities or
| hypnotism- He seated himself cross
/ legged upon rug and invited any one
| who desired to look in his eyes, each one
/ thinking how sleepy he or she was He
kept up peculiar sWay1ng motion OF the
/ body and in a short time half dozen
people in the room were sleeping peace
fully. He awakened them by speaking
sharply and swapping his fingers and in
some cases shaking the sleeper. did not
"
get sleepy and something not on the pro-
gramme would happen to me- don't
pretend to understand a thing concern
/ ing hypnOtiSm or its uses and abuses,
| but it strikes me that it is a dangerous
| thing to play with. I know that if
should ever allow myself to be hypno-
tizeds 1 would never again have conf
dence in myself and think it certainly
must be trying to the nervous system"
| A young attorney of Emporia, who
was in Topeka told the following story
on w. N. Smelser. another attorney of
that place, who was elected police judge
several years ago: During the time
Smelser was police judge a young man
was brought before him on the charge of
gambling. The evidence was conclusive
and the judge imposed a fine which was
promptly paid by the young sport who
| had plenty of money. That evening the
/ young man who had been arrested met
| the judge on the street and they got into
| conversation That case is settled,
| judge. and I don't bear you any hard
| feeling because you did exactly what
your duty as judge called you to do,
/ but want to explain the circumstances
/ to you 1 don't want you to think I am
an easy mark for the police, or that I
haven't enough sense to let go when an
| officer of the law tells me to, but this
case looks like it and so want TO ex-
| plain. You see the police told US if
didn't stop playing and break up the
game he would run us in We were just
starting with a jack pot when he came
Ddck TO the IaDlG ana maze MS talk. 4
| had an ace, three kings and a queen be-
| fore the draw. I discarded the ace and
queen and caught another king. The 9TH
| er fellows had good hands and they kept
raising me and tried to bluff me out. If
we quit the game would have no show
for that jackpot and tsayed with them.
Now, 1 want to know what you would
/ have done under the circumstances
| Dor exclaimed Smelser, I would have
| stayed and stayed forever. Why in the
world didn't you produce that evidence
| in court?'
There is no business so dangerous as
/ that of the aeronaut and yet it is sell
| dom that one is met with who is will
! ing to admit that he considers his voca-
| ton more dangerous than g. dozen 9TH
erS he can mention" said a gentleman
at the Fifth Avenue, who was for sew
eral years conencted with the show
business. Il was talking with a bal
loonist who was connected with the
same show that I was travelling with
one day as We were standing ON a
depot platform waiting for a train A
freight train passed and a brakeman
was running along on the top of the
box cars I never see those men tax
ing that terrible risk without SILVER
ing said the aerOnaut. L consider that
theirs Is the most dangerous business in
/ the world How they manage to keep
their feet is something / can't under
stand This same man had made hum
dredS of aScenS1onS and had never had
an accident and suppose he really
thought his business was not danger
GUS At any rate, he talked that way
and his actions proved his statements.
One time he was making an ascension
in a town in Ohio and he was with
this same show The ascension was
made in the morning from vacant lot
a short distance from the show grounds
and nearby was a church When the
ropes were released the balloon did not
rise very high but drifted towards the
church and it looked as though the
areonaut would strike the steeple, as he
was going straight for it, AS the bal
loon drifted it raised and he came in
contact with the top of the steeple- He
told me afterward that he could have
avoided it by swinging a little, but it
presented a good opportunity to create
a sensation and, as no good Snowman
will allow such an opportunity to slip,
he threw his arm around the steeple
and let go of the bar to which he was
swinging. There was cross piece at
the top of the steeple and he got his
legs over that and had a very com
Portable seat. He always carried a. ball
of heavy silk thred for just such emer-
gencies and was not in the least wor-
ried about getting down. OF course he
yelled and motioned and made all sorts
of demonstrations for help, but that
was done for effect and in short time
there was an enormous crowd collected
around the church. The people were
excited and expected to see him lose his
hold and fall to the ground. No one
could devise way of helping him down
from his perch. although the sug-
gestfons that were made would fill a
book The minister, who presided at
the church, was among the crowd of
spectators, and suddenly he mounted
the steps. held up his hands and the
crowd stood in silence while he prayed.
The man on the steeple could not see
the preacher, but he noticed the silence
and saw the men in the crowd bare
their heads and suspected what was
taking place. He thought the thing had
gone far enough, SO he lowered his silk
md a c n wi
promptly tied it to a rope, which he
pulled up and fastened 1t was the
work of a minute to descend by the
rope. When he alighted he thanked the
lnoi, n