Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1912-04-26
AYPNOTIST IN COURT
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 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 Won Hadamar, a member OF
an aristocratic family, is charged with
making forged entries in the baptismal
registers to establish his right to q
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 lille
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.
er sprang from his seat with glazed
eyes and extended arms, and in a dull
voice slowly uttered the Latin words:
me indignissimum servum tuum."
The court was thrown into a state
Of excitement, and the president beg
ged DR.. Werner to break the hypnotic
spell. The latter handed a paper to
the President containing 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 q 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:
II protest against such hocus
pocus.".
To which the president replied: "l
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 medlca
adviser then challenged the specialist
to drag down the extended arms. DR.
Werner tried and. failed, but as a su
preme test thrust a long pin into the
hand Of the accused, who did moi
finch. DR.. Pelnar, not to be outdone
submitted to the same experiment also
without flinching.
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 sal
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 weary smile.
The presiding judge then adjourned
the proceedings sine die pending the
preparation Of report by the medica
faculty upon the mental condition o
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.