A PECULIAR CASE.
Auckland, May 18, Franklyn John Smith, a vaudeville artist, was charged before Mr Wilson, S.M., to-day that he attempted to commit suicide by jabbing a knife into an artery of bis left arm. The admitted circumstances were that on Saturday afternoon (he police got Avord that Smith Avas at the hospital with a punctured Avouml in his arm, a stitch having to be put in the wound, Avhieh had bled copiously. As Smith Avas on hail invading trial at the Supreme Court on a serious charge, he Avas arrested.
The evidence of the porter at the Metropolitan Hotel was that as he Avas cutting a pipe of tobacco in the hotel, Smith stepped up to him from a group of men, and a>ked for the loan of his knife, look it to a mantelpiece, crooked up his bared left arm on the mantel, and drove the small blade of the knife into bis arm. As the arm was straightened blood spurted from it. The explanation made Avas that, Smith and others got into a discussion on hypnotism. Smith took up the cudgels for bis showman business, and undertook to confound the sceptics by a demonstration of what he called hypnotism, auto-sug-gestion, will control, etc. He proposed to stick pins into his arm, but some one remarked in disgust, “Show us something new.” He called for a knife, and did the deed as narrated.
Smith, in the box, ridiculed the charge, hared his uninjured arm, and explained how blood was forced back from the veins of the forearm .by muscular conlraclion, so that the prick of a needle, or even a knife, would not draw blood. Witness said that when he had miscalculated his slab, he declined to Imre the flow of hhmd stopped at first, for fear that, if it were slopped too soon, there would be a danger of blood-poisoning from the tobaccostained blade.
Claude Arthur Dalmaine, hypnotist, explained that certain muscular cunt motions would Jorcc the blood back temporarily from the forearm. wfiA a needle or knilc-hladc could be safely pushed inlo the flesh, provided tiic arteries were avoided. Smith miscalculated, and (-ill an artery. He was quite eerfaiu from Smith’s demeanour Unit there was nothing else in (he incident. The Magistrate remarked that after hearing Dalmaine’s evidence he was inclined io give Smilh the benefit of the doubt, and would dismiss the case on condition that the man paid the costs of the prosecution. His Worship added that he thought a lag should he put lo Smith’s hail bond lo keep him out of hotels till he satisfied Cue law on the other charge.
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Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2130, 20 May 1920, Page 3
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440A PECULIAR CASE. Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2130, 20 May 1920, Page 3
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