The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1866-02-03 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

EXTRAORDINARY SCENE AT A PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT. An extraordinary scene took place on Friday evening last at a mesmeric entertainment • held in the assembly room in that quiet and picturesquely situated town of Carmarthen, where the editor of one of the local papers was brought to feel the powers of mesmerism in a way he little expected. Miss poole, a wellknown lecturer on electro biology and mesmerism, had been lecturing and performing to crowded audiences at the above room during the week, and on Friday, being the day the local papers are issued, one of them contained the following paragraph : " MEsmEßism.—This science is too dry to go down the throats even of the lower classes without a bit of fat in the shape of gifts and prizes. Miss Poole has been experimenting here this week with good pecuniary success, the bait taking remarkably well. The lady, for aught we know, may be an accomplished electro-biologist ; but we have no hesitation in saying that her subjects' were • wide awake when they were supposed to be in the embrace of a god more powerful than Somnus and Morpheus combined. If Miss Poole denies this, will she allow the writer to apply a very simple test to her subjects -after she has had them under her control I This would be the means of convincing or of undeceiving the public." On that evening Miss Poole commented on the above critique, and took a copy of The Reporter from her pocket and tore it into shreds before the audience. She then had several young men of the town upon the platform, who yoluntered to be mesmerised; and the whole of them, with few exceptions, were experimented upon with success, and appeared to be completely at her bidding. While this was going on the editor of the above newspaper entered the room, and, being recognised by the doorkeeper, was ordered out; but he refused to leave. The doorkeeper then appealedto Miss Poole if he should send for a policeman to turn him out, and she replied, "Let him alone; ' I have policemen of my own. We will have some fun directly." And addressing about eight of the young men on whom she had been operating, but who were then apparently awake, she said, " There is a person in this audience whom I want you to bring on this platform; go and fetch him." At this command the whole of them bounded off the platform and ran towards the individual referred to, who was pointed out to them by the doorkeeper, and they laid hold of him and carried him by main force to the platform, the audience cheering and laughing heartily, little anticipating what would follow. But matters soon took a serious turn; for as soon as he was brought near the platform, Miss Poole, whose coolness and self-possession had evidently deserted her, seized hold of him by the hair of his head and dragged him upon the platform, the young men still keeping fast hold of him, and there he lay for a few minutes, with the enraged lady pulling his hair in a furious manner, the audience yelling and hooting at her ; but their yells and hoots she heeded not. The editor at last gained his feet, but his revenger still clung tenaciously to him till some parties in the audience went to his rescue. The confusion was now intense, and amidst the hootings and the hisses of the audience Miss Poole proceeded with her performance. " Summonses have been issued against Miss Poole and her coadjutors who joined in the affray. • The affair has created quite a sensation throughout the town, the gentleman attacked being highly respected by all classes. [There will be little difficuly in our readers recognising the heroine of the above adventure as a lady who performed in our town about a month ago.—ED. B.H.]  An inquest was held on Monday on the bodies of the two French persons, mother and son, who committed suicide a few days ago by hanging themselves at their lodging at Paddington, London. As the deceased persons had left some letters behind them which the jury were desirous of hearing read, the inquest was adjourned for that purpose. It is said that negotiations are taking place between Russia and Prussia for the occupation by the latter state of the island of Formosa. An article on this subject, explaining the anxiety of Russia to obtain an ally in that part of the world, is to appear in the forthcoming number of the Bevue des Deux Hondo.