The Holbrook news., 1912-05-03
HYPNOTIST IN COURT
PROCEEDINGS STOPPED WHEN
 DEFENDANT FALLS IN TRANCE.
Then Medical Adviser to Presiding Judge Has Pins Stuck In Him In Vain EndeaVor to Discount
 Performances of Accused.

Prague.-The forgery trial which Is proceeding with a municipal engineer as the defendant came to a dramatic pause at the criminal court when the prisoner fell in hypnotic trance. The accused, whose name Is Siegmund Versbach von Hadamar, a member of an aristoeratic family. is charged with making forged entries in the baptismal registers to establish his right to a title of nobility. He admits the for gerry but in doing so makes an extra ordinary explanation.
 He states that the entries which he made to confirm his title of "ReichS Ritter" which he is accused of ille- gally bearing. were penned while he was in a hypnotic trance. and con trary to his normal desire, To con firm this plea the prisoners medical attendant, Dr. Werner, declared his belief that the patient had been under the said influence exercised by sec ond person, and that this person had ordered him not to reveal the formula by which the hypnotism had been pro duced. The formula was. however, "Deus Aeternus"
 As soon as the witness uttered these words in loud voice the prison CT sprang from his seat with glazed eyes and extended arms. and in dull voice slowly uttered the Latin words: Me indignissimum servum tuum."
 The court was thrown into state of excitement, and the president beg ged Dr. Werner to break the hypnotic spell. The latter handed a paper to the President containing a long formula and the president asked the prisoner:
 Where have you read thus?"
 He replied: "On a board in the Hofburg, near the emperor's head. was in the Hofburg to present peti- ton for pardon from the emperor"
 The experiments which the special ist then proceeded to perform with the prisoner were interrupted by the pub lie prosecutor, who cried:
 q protest against such hocus pocus."
 To which the president replied: T am powerless."
 An angry conversation then ensued. in the course of which the medical adviser of the court, Dr. Pelnar, tried in vain to drag down the prisoners arms. Nothing daunted. the medical adviser then challenged the specialist to drag down the extended arms. Dr. Werner tried and failed, but as a su- preme test thrust long pin into the hand of the accused, who did not finch. Dr. Pelnar. not to be outdone. without finching.
 Finally the president inquired what would now follow, to which Dr. Wer- ner replied that the prisoner would awake in full possession of his senses He then breathed in Versbach's face and the prisoner shivered and sat down wearily, but after some moments fell again into repose. and all attempts to awake him proved fruitless. Dr. Pelnar asserted that. sleep was due to wearisomeness of the genealogical documents read to the court-an opin- lon which instantly awoke the prisoner with a weary smile.
 The. presiding judge then adjourned the proceedings sine die pending the of report by the medical faculty upon the mental condition of the accused No report Is to be made upon the state of mind of the special Ist, who is, however, believed to be suffering from merriment. long sup pressed.