The sun., 1919-02-02
UP TO DATE 'TRILBY'
BLAMES HYPNOTTST
Youthful Actress Receivers
From Spell and Wins Free
dom in Court.
CASE PUZZLED DOCTORS
Girl Fails to Remember Hav-
ing Tried to Pass Bad
$3.50 Check.

The Court Of General Sessions through
Judge Thomas C. T. Grain took official
cognisance yesterday Of the fact that a
girl could commit a crime and atterward
acknowledge 1t. and yet be utterly
blameless because she had been under
hypnotic influence at the time. This
legal recognition OF such a possibility,
one OF the first Of its kind in this State.
double identity that rivals tho novel Of
'Trilby."
Norma Mcleod, II years old and at
tractive. like the heroine OF George du
Maurier's tale. has been accustomed to
appear before the footlights for a living.
since she ran away from home six years
ago.
Who or where her parents we're
seemed almost as much a mystery to her
as the manner in which, though honest
enough In her ordinary character, she
had been led TO become a criminal when
mesmerixed, She had been brought UP
with guardians at st. Paul, MINI. In
1919 she suddenly developed a spirit of
Independence which led her to revolt
against her humdrum surroundings. and
she left homo overnight
Enters Alleged Villain.
Tho life that appealed the most to
actress. so abe Joined . theatrical COM
pany. But the road was hard and
engagements were irregular Her
powers OF resistance were at a suitably
low ebb last summer when she met q
man who promised a good career for
her on tho stage He was a hypnotist.
playing In vaudeville. and he offered
her an engagement as his partner in an
act that, he said, was q ''headliner."
She was to be tho subject but though
she knew she would put herself under
trustworthy. and the work seemed easy
after her years OF struggle. SO the
girl agreed, and after a few rehearsals
the hypnotist was able TO send her
into a trance easily and the act went
on tour. She yielded her mind to
him so readily that he was able to
put her into An automatic condition
for days at a time.
Suddenly after going into a trance
in a theatrical rooming house. at 244
West Forty-eishth street. with serene
confidence. she woke a few days
ago to hnd herself in the Tombs being
having been charged with forgery by
Louis Missi. the boarding house keeper
Condition Proves Pushing.
DR.. Frank A. Mcclure. the Tombs
physician. told her that at the time OF
her arrest In November she appeared to
be dazed. SO DR.. Mcclure gave her the
customary medical treatment for the
drug habit. but she failed to become CO.
herent under IT. nor did she recall any
thing about the bad $3.50 check she tried
to pass
Greatly puzzled. DR.. Mcclure placed
her under observation. He noted that
her demesnor had many peculiarities
that suggested insanity. but at the same
time differed from such mental states
because there seemed to be no temporary
spells OF lucidity and clear conscious
mesa
So the physician called her case 10 the
attention of Judge Grain and District
Attorney Swami. A lunacy commission
was appointed. and the most they could
make out of her case was that tho young
woman seemed to have a strange and
rare mental affiiction. 1t was suggested
that she might have amnesia, because
she exhibited no concern about herself
the prison or how she got there.
fore with person mesmeriEed into com
hitting misdeeds, did not imagine the
possibility Of hypnotism, and were about
TO give her up, baffted-
Mind Does n Right About Face"
Then abruptly, and as II her mind
had done a right about face" OF It's
own vol.tion. this modern Trilby came
out OF her coma and asked where she
was
Then she tod OF the hypnotic spells,
repeating again and again that she had
not known what sho was doing when
she offered the false check. She thought
she might have been led to do similar
things nf which she had no recollection
while in other frances
Her story was so unusual that be-
sides DR. Mcclure, Dan Kimbaii and
Mrs. Kate Sprague were set to work
investigating 1t, while two attorneys.
william Embree and Louis Fabrlcant,
we're called in TO look into the facts
and prepare a case for her Their in
quiries substantiated her assertions.
On the strength OF their report Judge
Grain yesterday freed her from prison,
at the same time issuing a bench war
rant for the arrest of the man who. she
said. had put her in the condition In
which she presented the bad check