AUTO-SUGGESTION.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4870, 28 August 1925, Page 1

AUTO-SUGGESTION.

TESTS IN AMERICA. HOUDINI NOT IMPRESSED. Before sailing from New York t'o Glasgoyv on the Anchor liner Columbia Professor Konradi Leitner, wno styles himself the Swiss telepathist and auto-suggestionist;, demonstrated to reporters and photographers his ability to find hidden articles without a word being spoken. It was a coincidence that Houdini was on board the Columbia- to see some friends away. He watched Professor Leitner go through hits stunts. For the first demonstration the telepathist requested that two persons secrete an article between them, then return to him and he would take each of their right hands. and seek the hiding place. He also wanted the two persons to notify him mentally to stop or, turn to the rght or left in the search, but not to speak to him.

Two 'of the photographers hid a penknife under the airtank in one of the lifeboats on the port side forward and then returned to the professor. He clasped ther right h.andis and then the trio walked aimlessly about the decks until the passengers began to laugh. Suddenly Professor Leitner dropped th ehand of one of the men, exclaiming : “You have no brains, or you are not using them. I cannot find the missing article unless you two guide ■me mentally.” Finally he accompanied the other photographer and quickly .found the hidden knife.

Another test was made of hiding a cent in a chink in the cover of the booby hatch. The professor also found that.

Houdini seemed to be amused but not impressed by the experiments. He told the reporters that the muscles of the hand usually reacted to an individal’s silent order to “stop,” “go forward,” “turn to the right,” etc. “This Swiss may be clever, but he’s no telepathist,” Houdini said.