The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-11
IN HYPNOTIC SPELL
JOE MILLER DROVE SAFELY
THROUGH MAZE OF TRUCKS.
THEN TO SCENE OF CRIME.
HELD THE REINS HIMSELF AND
WAS NOT INTERPRETED WITH.


Was Begun-In n Perfect Trance
Escaped Convict Hurried From
supt. ReiIIy's ONCE to Waiting
BuEEy-GOt in Unassisted and
Drove Down Habersham street to
Ifberty-Then Out TO the Louisville
Road where He Claims He Held
Sapp's Gun and Game Bag-When
Told of His Actions when Hypno-
tized Miller Admitted He Had Been
Lying When in Normal stnte-His
statement Is stiII Rejected by the
Officers. HOwevcr-Came out of
Trance at Scene of Crime.
Directed by an occult influence Joe
Miller, burglar. escaped convict and
the mystery of mysteries in the Bour-
quin- Taylor tragedy, drove from po-
lice headquarters to the scene of the
crime yesterday morning without mis-
hap or incident
Under a hypnotic spell. put upon him
in the Office of Supt. Reilly, Miller
walked to the police yard. got into the
detectives wagon without assistance
and drove into Habersham street. De-
tective Frank WALL a representative
of the Morning News and physician
were with the hypnotized man. Miller
adroitly avoided a collision with the
patrol wagon as it went into the Came
well house and again pulled clear OF
a passing trolley car. Through maze
of cotton trucks and other vehicles,
and across trolley car tracks, the mes
1nerized convict drove down Liberty
street to West Broad and straight out
the Louisville roao.
The negro's eyes had an unusual look
and he glanced neither to the right or
left as he guided the horse past other
vehicles on the road. He was not
handcuffed. and used both hands in
driving. That Miller was really hyp-
Noticed there could be no question.
Before police headquarters had been
left he was made to lay with his head
on one chair and his heels on another,
perfectly rigid. That he was not sham
ming was evinced when member OF
the party sat on the subjects stomach.
Other similar tests were made before
the trip was begun, and there was no
question but that the negro was really
3n a trance.
where Sapp Left Him.
At a point probably six miles on the
Louisville road Miller suddenly pulled
the horse up. Waving his hand to-
wards a road on the left he announced
that he had reached the spot where
Sam had left him to hold the gun and
bag 1t was the first time the hypno-
tized man spoke after leaving police
headquarters, The place he indicated
is about a mile and a half from where
Bourquin and Taylor met their doom.
Miller said he sat at the spot for more
than two hours with Sapp's gun and
bag During Sapp's absence he heard
two shots fired, and quite while
afterwards Sapp returned with the
three men who were bent on taking
his life. Miller described these men
and related that only two of them had
guns.
He repeated his confessions OF Fri
day, as given exclusively in the Morn
ing News yesterday. but told more. He
said that he left his home in the city
about 6 o'clock in the morning and
walked out the Ogeechee Road as far
as he took the detectives and repre-
sentative of the Morning News Thurs
day morning. There he claims he met
Sapp, who stopped him. They walk
ed back towards the city and saw
Bourquin and his negro driving to-
wards the Dean Forest Road. Sapp
he said took foot path that finally
brought them out on the Louisville
Road.
The white man told him he was ex-
pecting three friends and left him to
mind the gun and bag at point about
two miles from where they had gone
into the road. He related that he re-
turned with Sapp by way of the Louis
Vile Road to within a mile of the city,
and then cut across country. behind
Laurel Grove Cemetery. through the
colored cemetery. into the Ogeechee
Road and thence to Burgers store.
Sapp passed white woman in a wagon
and spoke to her.
Spell was Broken.
The most remarkable part of the
performance, however, was yet to
come. Besides Detectives Wall and
Murphy, and the Morning News man.
there were three physicians in the
party. The mesmerized negro was in
structed to walk down the road al
legged to have been taken by Sapp, al
though he claimed he had never been
on 1t. The trip was made across to
the tracks of the Seaboard Air Line
and down the railroad to the place
where Bourquin and his servant were
found. At the very spot where the
crime must have been committed the
spell was broken and Miller was made
to realize where he was.
For a minute after he had gotten
ont of the trance he stood dazed and
bewildered. rubbing his eyes. Then
for the first time since the first test
was made, he was told about the Sc
ances in which he had taken part and
all that he said was related to him.
At first startled and then puzzled, the
prisoner looked at the men about him
and the surrounding country.
Only once in his normal condition
would ne even tacitly admit that he
had lied, and upon that occasion he
addressed his remarks to a Morning
News reporter in the presence of De-
tective Stark. When he learned how
ever, of all the things he had said
while under the hypnotic influence he
broke down completely and confessed
that he had been lying.
Standing within a few feet of where
Bourquin and Taylor were killed the
negro repeated the story that he in
Variably told when hypnotized. He de-
clared il to be the truth, every word
of il.
Omcers Reject Confession.
Yet the officers refuse to believe that
any such thing occurred. There are
TOO many inconsistencies in Miller's
statement and if one part is disregard
ed 1t all must be rejected. Those who
have studied the case agree that 1t is
deep, dark and mysterious, and believe
that Miller if he cared to, could throw
a faint glimmer of light on it. Few,
l. IL