The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-07-30
A Peculiar Case.


Patrick Power, farm hand living with
Joseph Ashmore on the road from Column
bus to Burlington, called at the Office of
Prosecutor s. A. Atkinson Wednesday
and told pitiable tale of woe. For the
last year he has been employed by Mr..
Ashmore, not only as a laborer but as his
private secretary and assistant. He claims
that for long time past he has been
under hypnotic influence of Thomas
Maloney, his three sons, three daughters,
Mrs. Mary Ann Sheedy and Frank Bavy,
all of Florence This unknown power to
which he has been forced to bow has
caused him any amount Of trouble in the
vicinity and led to his discharge by Mr..
Ashmore. He called on Justice Page, of
Columbus, who was without Jurisdiction
and who referred him to Prosecutor As
kinson, where he told the following tale:
about year ago 1 made the acquain-
lance of Miss Florence Maloney. At first
learned to like the girl and do to this
day, although the way have been treated
by her and her family should make me
shun her. was invited to call on her
and readily took advantage of the invita-
ton. While there l met her father,
Thomas Maloney, two sisters, three bro
theirs, and Mrs. Mary Ann Sheedy. They
all belonged to society which they called
"The Association for the Mutual I'm
provement.of Hypnotists." Hypnotismt
was mentioned that evening of my frs
call and then learned that each in turn
had subscribed for pamphlet published
in the west in which the mystery of
hypnotism was exposed and taught.
was asked to join but refused. They tried
me that night as a subject and they say l
made first rate good thing. Anyhow
think left money behind me but l can't
for the life of me tell how / got home. l
made two or three other calls on Miss
Florence, each time allowing myself to be
hypnotized. Finally another flame APP
peared in the distance and | forgot fair
Florence and her hypnotic charms. From
that time forth l have been bounded by
these people, so much so that even now l
am afraid to go out at nights for fear of
being waylaid It's needless to say that
the new fame refuses to allow me to call
and calls me a coward. / haven't seen
any of the Maloney family nor Mrs. Sheedy
for over a month, yet am constantly in
their power. If lhave any business to
transact, before l can do so have entirely
forgotten it. Often l find myself called
out Of bed at night by unknown persons
only to find that no one is around, and on
two occasions have been awakened far
from the farm house in my night robes.
l have heard while under these hypnotic
spells that my life is to be taken and that
/ shall soon be killed. l know that the
Maloneys are to blame for all of my trou-
BILE for they have been telling slanderous
things about me. | desire to prosecute
them to the full extent of the law"
Power did not see Prosecutor Atkinson,
who was at his cottage at Sea Side Park,
but after leaving statement of the facts
as above he took his departure gleefully.
He is tall, strapping fellow, apparently
rational and fully 80 years of age.
Concerning this matter Florence cor
says: Thomas Maloney is an
old resident here, having occupied his
present farm for nearly forty years. His
children are grown up, thrifty men and
women. Several of them live here and
the rest have moved away and are in
business in other parts of the country
That any of them should be disciples of
the wierd and uncanny, practicing hyp-
motto arts upon the unwary, and creating
trouble like that mentioned. is absurd
One of the sons residing here declares he
has never read book on hypnotism in
his life, nor had any of his family.
Gas for Power he is new conner here
and nothing is said against him save that
for the past year he has been the victim
of hallucination and was plainly subject
to some growing malady. His professed
love for Florence Maloney is purely i'm
aginary, as his relations with the family
were confined solely to the head of the
house, who occasionally spoke to him"