The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-05
new BREWIN,JOHNSON RIDDLES
NEW PERSON Atty EORGETS
FRIENDS or THE ON.


MtNiFN W haNH'Vp w. 1880
Gase-He wants To Use HSpnOtlsIn.
Friends OF Charles p. Brewin. the Bur-
lington, N. j., tailor who lost his identity
and lived for four years in Plainfield under
the name OF Frank q. johnson. would like
to find two women in this city who were
regarded by afr. johnson" as his step
mother and his hali-sister. With the re-
turn OF his real personality. a week ago.
all recollection Of these women faded from
his mind. He row has no idea even who
Anna G. johnson. the beneficiary under his
Insurance policy, Is or how he came to know
her name. She is described In his For
esters' insurance policy as his sister, hut
Brewin with his real personality restored
isn't able to recall even that as johnson.
the Plainield tailor, he Joined the lodge OF
Foresters there a year ago.
Yet MIR. Brewin's friends in Plainaeld
say that when the johnson personality
dominated him he spoke frequently OF his
step mother and sister in New York. They
say further that he used to call on them
once in a while, and that sometimes he
complained that they had money which
belonged to him. When Brewin's rela-
tives went to Plsintield to get him they
denied that he had any step mother or
sister living in New York.
The old tailor's friends in Plainield
also would like to have explained a memo
randum that has been found among the
papers which he saved when possessed
Of the johnson personality. This memo
randum indicates thai he loaned 500 10 q
New York man while under the influence Of
Personality No. 2. Now that Personalit ~
No. 1 has been restored Brewin is unable
TO recall anything about the transaction
or who the man was that got the money.
Miss Mary Brown, for whom johnson"
worked during his Plainfield career. re-
ceived q letter FROM him yesterday. In
this letter Personality No. ! makes the
interesting request that it be remembered
to all the friends of Personality No. ?. Here
ia the letter, addressed from the home Of
Brewin's brother in Pavonia. y. j.:
DEAR MSS Brown: I am so happy and
feel that l want to see YOU very much 10
thank you for your Kindness to ME. From
what my brother tells me YOU must he a good
Christian lady. And your sister. Mrs. Denton.
must be a good hearted lady. and my prayer
is that our dear Lord will let his blessing
rest on you and her. NV dear wife wants
to see you and thank YOU for taking such
good care Of me. want to see YOU all 10
tell you how l thank you. I will see you on
Monday. You said for me to stay until
then. ! don't seem TO remember anything,
and IL seems to me that have been away
hut a few days. But when | look at my
wife / can see she has suffered Oh. what
\ changed j must stop. for my brain is going
about 100 miles "A minute. Everybody IL
ready to eat me up. they are so glad to see
me. ] must say good-by. Give my low y
TO all that ever knew +. q. Johnson.
Yours with love for watching over me.
G.. =. BREwIN.
Mr.. Brewin is going back to Plainfield
to live. His physicians will not let him
10 back to his old home in Burlington
because they fear that the old associations
might bring on another lapse into what
his friends say is his second personality.
A complete record of the Brewin case
has been compiled and verified SO far as
possible by Prof. James III. Hyslop, for
merly of Columbia University and head of
the Society for Pyschic Research. Prof.
Hvslop made a trip to Plainfield and per-
sonally interviewed the persons who knew
the johnson personality, including DIR. j.
Hervey Buchanan. who attended johnson
from the time that he recovered his former
self until his relatives took him away.
Prof. Hyslop believes that the Brewin
case offers a fine opportunity for the society
to study the phenomenon Of dual person
atty. Prof. Hyslop thinks that this IL the
only logical explanation Of Brewin's case.
sThe case of Mr.. Brewin," said Prof.
Hyslop. "is like that Of many others who
have suffered from dual or multiple per-
sonality, but this case is a remarkably
clear one. An old man. honored, respected
and trusted In the community, leaves has
store in the full possession of his senses.
He, disappears. and after Tour years IL
found with every memory OF his thirty years
Of residence in his home town obliterated.
He doesn't even know his own name. He
believes firmly that he is another person.
Frank q. johnson. His mind is shocked
by the discovery that there is some doubt
about his identity as Johnson; he falls to
sleep and awakens TO find his original
personality restored and the memory of
the last four years of his life a total blank"
Prof. Hyslop told the persons with whom
he talked at Plsinfeld that the case was in
every respect a most desirable one for
scientific study. The scientist said that
he would go TO Camden and ask permission
of Brewin's relatives 10 study the case by
observing Brawin personally, What Prof.
Hyslop wants to 10 is TO subject Brewin
to hypnotic influence. In that way Prof.
Hyslop believes the second personality
might Ire induced to boil to the surface
again and Brewin would live over again
his life as Mr.. johnson. With the second
personality again dominant the professor
believes that Frank G.. johnson might
lie able 10 recall how IL was that he had be-
come johnson, and not Tom Smith or Paul
Jones or some OtneT personality. lnat, IN
the professors opinion, Is one of the most
interesting phases in the case. What
made Brewin select the name Of Frank D.
johnson?
Under hypnotic influence Brewin also
would afford an opportunity for Studying
at close range tho differences in character
between Personality No. 1 and Personality
No. 2, the professor thinks. A pretty good
idea of that, however, has been obtained
from a comparison OF Brewin's former life
and his career in Plainfield. The characters
of both Brewin and johnson. according
10 this data. were practically identical.
Brewin was a devout man. u deacon in the
Burlington Baptist Church. industrious and
generous. Johnson. soon after his arrival
in P%lain1eld, Joined the Baptist Church
and the Y. NJ. G. a. He attended prayer
meeting regularly every Wednesday even
ing, was of regular habits and seldom missed
q day from his work. Johnson's pocketbook
always was open to any appeal from the
poor.
SO far as the record that has been co;n-
piled shows there was OILY one trivial differ
ence in the matter OF the two characters,
religious scrupIes. Brewin never read a
Sunday newspaper and johnson ihdulgcd
occasionally. That was one OF the most
surprising things for Brewin 10 find when