Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-02-15
THOUGHT HE WAS TEDDY"
A Drummer Who Played It on the
Travelling Hypnotist.
| Howard Crosby Rice in the Ansonia
Evening Sentinel.

My faith in hypnotists has been
weak ever since an incident which
happened last summer, when | was
down in b, Pa" said the cigar
drummer refiectively, as he cut the
cards held out to him by his right
hand neighbor.
Let it CO." said the man opposite,
I'm tired of whist, but | am always
ready for a good story"
Yes, spring it, said the dealer,
laying down the pack.
1t all began by suggestion of
Sam Haywood" said the cigar man.
"A half dozen of us roadsters were
lounging about the B. hotel, won
dering what would happen before bed
time, when Sam, who was wandering
about the office, stopped in front of a
bright colored poster and began to
read something after this style
" Professor Yousif Panletti, the re-
nowned hypnotist, will appear in the
town hall, this evening The profes-
sOr's marvellous power has been the
wonder of physicians and scientists
throughout the world, and he is ac-
knowledged the greatest living expo
nent of his art. Come and be placed
in a state of hypnosis. Admission
Is cents
" Boys said Sam, here's a chance
of a lifetime. Wen go down in
body and have a show that will make
Shenandoah look like a Sunday school
picnic
but it's fake, said the doubter
of the crowd.
" Granted returned Sam, but you
let me be the entertainment commit
tee. You'll get your moneys worth
only be ready for anything.
well, that evening, the six of us
were languishing in the front row of
the town hall with every seat in the
place filleu After a few minutes
Professor Panletti made his appear
ance. He was a thin little man, with
long curly hair and a hook nose
which gave him the appearance of
three-ball Isaac. He wore long
frock and carried small wand.
Ladies and shentlemens,' he be-
gan, 'heepnotIsm is a science veery
little understanded by the most of
peoples He went on in this strain
for several minutes and nnally began
to operate on the subjects which he
had with him. He hypnOtized them
easily enough apparently, by means
of suggestion as he called it; made
them go through various antics which
melted awe and admiration in the au-
dience. Among other stunts he told
them they We're Theodore Roosevelt
scaling San Juan hill, whereat they all
began to charge up and down the
stage to beat seven Of a kind.
Finally, after bringing his men to
earth again. Professor Pantalettes, as
we called him, invited any of the au-
dience who wished to come up on the
stage and be hypnotized This is
where Sam figured. Giving us an
SX20 wink he left his seat, walked
suavely to the platform and sat down
beside three scared looking bump
kins. who had preceded him.
old Trousers made a brief speech
in which he said he was not always
able to hypnotic inexperienced sub
jects on account of their lack of con-
centration. He would do his best
however. Then he set to work.
Placing his wand just above the
head of his victim he would begin the
rigamarole, 'drowsy, sleepy, in
drawing voice, compelling his sub
ject to keep his eyes glued on the end
of the wand He had been unsuccess-
full with the three Rubes and the au
dienCe was growing restless when
Sans turn came,
We'll, sir, Sam took to hypnotism
like a duck to water. He looked at
the stick for few seconds, then let
his head drop on his chest, and finally
slid Imply out of the chair to the
floor. The audience was delighted
and the professor, who had begun to
look worried, resumed his confident
expression. He put Sam through
his PAGES in great shape and every
thing went along beautifully until
Trousers sprung the San Juan racket.
1T was worth sixty days to see Sam
when he was told that he was Teddy
doing the hero act. He leaped from
his chair, and with a Give EN- HI,
boys. began to dash about the stage
at a LAS clip. This set the audience
wild with delight, but they were UNI
prepared for what was coming.
Sam ambled around the stage
twice shouting like mad. Then he
stopped, pulled a revolver from his
pocket and began pegging blank car
tridges straight into the audience.
Talk about your panics: Honestly,
gentlemen | never saw anything like
il. Something like twenty women
tainted at the first volley, and every
able bodied man in the house seemed
suddenly to remember that he had
forgotten something The women
Who didn't have the nerve to faint
began to scream, and a few of the
more heroic men shouted frantically
for the professor to make him come
out of it,
But Sam was long past the pro-
fessor's aid. There he stood in the
centre of the stage loading and firing
with the precision of regular and
every few minutes emitting a war
whoop that ratified the windows
Once the professor approached him
with his wand outstretched but Sam
turned on him flercely and the hypno-
fist left the place via the fire escape,
an exit which had been used previous
| " by Sans fellow subjects.
Sam kept up his bombardment un-
til there WAS not a soul in the place
except we five and himself, and we
could not have stirred if Sam had
been reinforced by company of
| sharpshooters. | was so helplessly
convulsed that l nearly expired for
lack of breath, and | was not a cir
cumstance to some of the others.
Why Jack Seymour fell off the settee
and nearly had an attack of vertigo.
when we had partially recovered
Sam was escorted to the hotel and
taken to his room Immediately.
| o,uoes itic met nc we'll that we left