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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3184, 12 September 1881, Page 4

Several well-known citizens were talking together recently in the billiard room of the principal hotel in a large provincial town in the North, when a well-known conjuror and mesmerist came to see if the billposter had left any of his programmes. Two or three gentlemen began to poke fun at the professor, and intimated that there was some trickery in his performance. Finally the mesmeric professor stood upon his dignity, and offered to give a free exibition then and there of his skill. He said that he would so place one of the party, when under his influence, that, when he had caused the subject to grasp his own nose, he could not leave the room without taking hi? fingers from his nose. The wager was accepted, and ono of the party, an alderman, gave himself up to the influence of the mesmerist, who placed him by the side of an iron column at the end of the room, told him to close his eyes, and made a few passes over his face. He then took the alderman's arm, brought it, round the column, and put his nose between his fingers. After a few more passes, the professor said, " Now, sir, you cannot leave the room without taking your fingers from your nose." The victim opened his eyes and at once saw the point of the joke.