Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-04-14


knows the history of France, especially
at the time of Charles VII. She also
knows to the smallest detail the life of
Joan of Arc"
When she was a mere baby" added
Sonora de Alvarez, Joan of Arc was
her favorite heroine; she often asked
me to relate that story to her."
Can you remember when this predi-
lection for the celebrated Maid of Or
leans began?"
mo, senor."
did she see her adventures at the
theater?"
she was never at the theater while
in Paris"
The doctor remained buried in
thought for a moment, and then, me-
chanically fixing his gaze on a picture
hanging on the wall of the salon, said:
did you not say that Dolores lived
in this house during her first five
years?"
Eyes"
did you own that picture at tn,
time?'
Eyes, and in fact it hung opposite
her bed"
Here, then" exclaimed the doctor,
1--WE have the corpus delicti," and with
this he rose to look more closely at the
picture.
1t was a colored lithograph-a copy
of the painting by Eugenio Deveria in
the Antwerp museum-representing the
execution of Joan of Arc. The heroine
is depicted as standing on the burning
pile, the fire of which is being fed by
the eXecutioners, while a priest holds
before her a crucifix.
Corpus deficit" repeated the doctor
looking attentively at the picture
Sonora" said he to my aunt, "you may
now awaken Dolores and prepare her
to be seen at once" And my aunt left
us alone together.
How do you explain the origin OF
this hallucination, doctor?"
Very easily: the child was a pc
culiar subject; she frequently saw this
picture and finished by identifying
herself with the principal figure. We
have here a case of auto-suggestion."
Sonora de Alvarez soon announced
that Dolores was ready to receive us
We entered her room, ana the doctor
with much kinGness and tenderness
avoiding all alllsion to the scene or
the train and to her peculiar halluci-
nation, submitted to her a series oil
questions. He felt her pulse, examined
her, and concluded by saying that she
had only a slight indisposition.
Il will write a prescription" HI
added, going toward the door; ant
then, turning around suddenly ant
fastening his eyes, which appeared tt
leap from their sockets, upon those
OF the young girl, he looked at hel
until the rigidity Of her limbs, the
expression of her face and the i'm.
~movability of her eyes, which stood
still as if under a mysterious charm
indicated that she was hypnotized.
was alarmed and my aunt was terror,
lied by the impressive scene.
"You believe that you were onct
Joan Of Arc-is it not 500" inquired
the doctor, without taking his eye.
from her face.
Eyes, SIR" replied Dolores, in {
weak and submissive voice.
Then, in order to convince you tina
you are in error, | command you tt
preserve in your mind the cause O
that error. Upon waking from thi!
hypnotic sleep, you will go into thu
salon, where you will find a certain
picture by which a memory of you
infancy will be recalled to mind, ant
you will realize the exact truth in thu
case.
Il command you, with all my con
trolling power, to detest, abominat,
and execrate the false doctrine of tn
TRANSPORTATION of souls; and to con
vince yourself that the illusions O
your brain regarding a previous ex
istence are the results of impression
received by you in the first dawnins
of your faint mind"
The doctor then ordered my cousin
to preserve permanently the remem
brance of her state of consciousness!
during this induced sleep, after whicl
he awakened her.
Dolores rubbed her eyes and looked
all around the room, scarcely noticin!
those who were present. Suddenly sh'
rose, and, passing with a firm, deter
mined step into the adjoining salon
she stopped before the picture Of Joal
of Arc and said:
"Ah, this picture used to hang op
posite my bed when l was a little cir
here in Paris! How plainly l remem
Der it! How mistaken I was, for
imagined that I was Joan of Arc be
fore I was born. I had forgotten tn,
picture, but identified myself with tn
character, and the vague and con
fused remembrance lurking in m,
mind led me to believe in a previou!
existence, although life, as we under
stand it. includes only the present ant
future state. Perdoname, Dios milo
l was insane. But the picture seemi
to me now much smaller"
at is because you have grown, Will,
it has remained the same" said tn,
doctor; things appear much smalle,
with the lapse Of years."-From tn,
Spanish of Milo Maria Fabra, in N. Y
Sun.