The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1904-04-21
"And you, senora-you have knawn
the child from infancy?i


She was born in Paris, in this very
house, and I was like second mother
to her until she was taken by her pa
rents, at the age of five years, to live
in Madrid.''
Ibid you notice anything extraordi-
nary about her while she was with
you?'
Yes; vividness of imagination and
fneness of sensibility. She had a per,
feet passion for the marvellous, but, as
this is so common in children, I at
tached no importance to it"
And you,' said he, addressing him
self to me, "have you observed during
her stay in Madrid any unnatural ex-
element, decisions, monomania, or
anything else strange in her conduct"
None whatever; but she has shown
a thoughtful and serious tendency un-
natural to one of her years"
And what does she most enjoy?"
Reading, in the first place. Shs
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 moment. and then, me-
chemically fixing his gaze on picture
hanging on the wall of the salon, said:
did you not say that Dolores lived
in this house during her first five
years?''
YES"
Did you own that picture at the
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-representin 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 priest holds
before her a crucifiX.
Corpus delicti," 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 case Of auto-suggestion."
Sonora de Alvarez soon announced
that Dolores was ready to receive us.
We entered her room, and the doctor,
with much kindness and tenderness,
avoiding all allusion to the scene on
the train and to her peculiar halluci-
nation, submitted to her series of
questions. He felt her pulse, examined
her, and concluded by saying that she
had only a slight indisposition.
81 will write a prescription" he
added, going toward the door; and
then, turning around suddenly and
fastening his eyes. which appeared to
leap from their sockets, upon those
of the young girl, he looked at her
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 once
Joan of Arc-is it not 500" inquired
the doctor, without taking his eyes
from her face.
Eyes, sir" replied Dolores, in a
weak and submissive voice.
Then, in order to convince you that
you are in error, 1 command you to
preserve in your mind the cause of
that error. Upon waking from this
hypnotic sleep, you will go into the
salon, where you will find a certain
picture by which memory of your in
fancy will be recalled to mind, and you
will realize the exact truth in the case.
81 command you, with all my con-
trolling power, to detest, abominate
and execrate the false doctrine of the
transmigration of souls; and to con-
vince yourself that the illusions of
your brain regarding a previous ex-
istence are the results of impressions
received by you in the first dawning
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 which
he awakened her.
Dolores rubbed her eyes and looked
all around the room, scarcely noticing