Mind Reading in Sydney.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 66, 6 September 1884, Page 5

Mind Reading in Sydney.

Professor and Mrs Baldwin (who intend visiting Auckland shortly) are creating a sensation in Sydney in the above line. The " Sydney Morning Herald," in a recent notice, says — "The illustrations of mind -reading wore successful in nearly every attempt, though the effort is so difficult that onlj a certain percentage of successes is generally attained. For instance, Captain Trouton thought of a star on an American ensign on the platform. His thought was divined, and he was led up to the star in quick time i^nother surprising effort was tho finding of a pin hidden amongst the audience, and yet another, the expressing of the locality of an imaginary pain in a person's body. These last two efforts created intense astonishment in England recently, and this is the first time they have been made here. In the second part of the entertainment Mrs Baldwin is the principal operator, and she reveals in it a gift as nearly allied to that of prophecy as is conceivable. The audience are invited to write questions on any topics they please. But themselves no one sees them, neither Mr Baldwin nor his male assistant. Mrs Baldwin is then mesmerised, and so far as time will permit she answers them accurately. In no instance last night did she fail, though the topics were extremely varied. One gentlemen wrote, ' How long will the present Ministry live ?' The answer came, ' Two years and eight months, but one of them will die.' Another gentleman had written, ' Was Cordini innocent or guilty ?' The answer to this was, 1 1 see a man who speaks a foreign tongue. He dies innocently. The spirits say .the black tracker was right. There was a man and woman there.' Mr Baldwin asked, 'How did the man die?' and the reply came with quite a shriek of horror, 'With a rope around his neck.' Mrs Baldwin also stated in her divinations that the federation of the colonies would not take place for 15 years. She also told an inquisitive lady who had stolen her firewood, and she informed the audience who had committed the Horsham Bank robbery. And in every instance Mr Baldwin offered to back his wife's statement with any amount of money. It is difficult to conceive that there was confederacy in this extraordinary performance. Indeed, it was denied by Dr. Cox and several gentlemen whose questions had been answered accurately, and it can only be supposed that Mrsßaldwiu saw mentally the scenes she described,"