Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-08-14
FEAT OF MIND READER.
German-American Who Has Re-
markable Gift of Mental Sight.

German-American Who Has a Re-
markabIe Gift of Mental Sight.
Among the delegates to the Ameri- |
can boilermakers' convention, recently
held here, was one of the most re-
markable experts in f'second-sight," Or
mind-reading, or whatever one may
choose to call it, that this country can
boast. He is Bert Reese, a resident
of Chicago, who is well known
throughout the west for his peculiar
mental powers, but who has, as yet,
been little heard of in the east. Since
he does not make any parade of his
powers and does not in any way at
tempt to explain them as marvelously
mysterious gifts, or faunt them be-
fore people in the "show" line, it is
not improper to say something about
him.
Mr.. Reese is a German somewhat
past middle age and his appearance
would indicate well-fed and easy-go-
ing merchant or tradesman. Just what
to call his remarkable gift of mental
sight he and others are at loss to
know. 1t came to him, so he says.
when he was mere boy, and since
that time he has been able to per-
form, with some slight mental strain
the most unusual and astounding
feats of mind-reading. That is hardly
the name for them, because, without
asking one to fix ones thoughts on
any particular event, he can instant
ly tell to the remotest detail just what
has aiken place in a mans life, and
where and when.
Just before the convention met
met Mr.. Reese and he gave me an ex-
hibition of his powers, which was
! quite beyond anything that even the
most fertile imagination could con-
jure. He had never seen me before,
so far as l know, and l certainly had
never laid eyes on him until that mo-
ment. He did not even know my
name, and, as we were in the presence
of third party whose reputation for
honesty and strict adherence to the
truth cannot be questioned, there was
no room for the doubt which uncon-
sciously spread over me as l became
acquainted with the marvellous ability
of this man.
Tearing a piece of paper into five
pieces, he asked me to go to another
part of the hotel and write on one of
the slips the maiden name of my
mother; on another the name of one
of my school-teachers, and on the re-
naming any three questions I might
desire to ask. This 1 did, taking care
to remove myself in such manner as
to admit in no way of his even know
ing where l was. I then folded each
slip of paper and, holding them in my
clasped hand, returned to where he
sat with my friend. He asked me to
hand two of the slips to the third
party, to hold two of them myself
and to place the fifth in my pocket.
did not have any idea what was writ
ten on the slips, as they were divided,
so it was impossible for me to in
fluence his mind by my thoughts
Taking one of the slips from my
hand, he placed it against his fore
head without unfolding, and asked me
to put my finger on it for a moment
Meantime on piece of paper he had
written a line of strange characters,
which were absolutely meaningless
to my friend and myself. Looking
at this inscription while the paper was
held against his forehead, he i'm
mediately said: where was l on
December 25, 1901" That was one of
the questions had written. Handing
the paper to my friend, it was opened,
and there were the words Mr.. Reese
had repeated.
The exact contents of the other four
papers were reeled off in less time
than the telling takes, and without
him in any way touching any of them.
He simply asked that a closed hand,
containing the paper, be held toward
him for brief space, and then, evil
IDENTIFY suffering some mental strain,
he would utter the question or the
name without the least hesitation. In
the case Of my mothers maiden rame
he handed pencil and paper to my
friend and asked him to write down
the letters as he spoke. 1t is not an
extremely common name, but without
hesitancy he spelled it absolutely cor
rect. When I asked him how he &C
counted for this remarkable gift he
shrugged his shoulders and proclaimed
his absolute ignorance. He said:
II have not the least idea how l am
enabled to do it. The strange power
came to me when I was about years
old, and since then l have been able
with only slight mental exertion 10
perform some of the most remarkable
mental feats that could be imagined.
[ do not know anything about the
source of this power. All that 1 do
know is that see as plainly as I see