TOUCH -AND-GO PAPERS. Mesmerism.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 242, 18 February 1888, Page 3 (Supplement)

TOUCH -AND-GO PAPERS. Mesmerism.

'The firab person I ever saw mesmerised was -a young Wealeyan preacher on the * "Circuit. He was a guileless, artless person» 'who believed no harm of anybody, and \ras herefore peculiarly liable to associate with persons whom he should have avoided. Amongst these was one, a resident of the town, who took an especial pleasure in mes* jmerising, and amongst others that he experimented upon was the young Methodist parson. Little by little he acquired a n influence over him, and then the fiendish idea suggested itself that he would keep him from attending to his duties. At firs* he would meet him just as he was going off to preach at some outstation» talk to him, •and then send him off partially mesmerised ■and very much stupefied in his work. But ■as time went on his power increased, ao that one day he was able to stop him in the .street and leave him standing there unable to move one way or another. The preacher's friends now intervened, sent him *way, and I believe he left the Wesleyan ministry. J A curiou3 instance of compulsory sub- < jection to mesmerism came under my notice some time ago, in the house of a Church of England clergyman, who had great mesmeric powers. By dint, probably, of frequently mesmerising the ! governess of his family, he had contrived "so to her will to- his that, if he passed his hand over anything she was about to drink, she became stupefied ; -while, with three passes at most with his hand, he could send her to sleep, and make her do anything he pleased. This, however, came to a very unexpected end. One evening, after the reverend gentleman had been amusing some people who were at hia house, by making the miserable girl take off her shoes and stockings in their presence, one of them who witnessed the de- . grading exhibition contrived to get a quieb talk with the girl, and ascertained that she had a brother living near London. To that brother he took a very accurate and circumstantial account of the scene he had assisted at, with the result that a few days Afterwards the clergyman had several marks of violence on his face, a broken Collar-bone, and — no governess. There are, of course, a great many men who travel about as lecturing mesmerists who are absolute impostors, wno pay people fco go on to their platform,, pretend to be helpless, and so amuse and mystify the .audience. A well-known actor, now one of the lights of the English boards, tells ,an anecdote of his first appearance at the ' .footlights as a candidate for the one ghilling a night allowed by a travelling who chanced to visit the town. Judging the whole affair to be a farce,, this youth, for he was young then, ' provided. himself with' some large crackers, Some touch -paper, and a few fuses, and so equipped went manfully up to the platform. It> was not long before he was placed, in a state of assumed insensibility, on a chair by the " Professor," who thereupon turned round with his back to the boy to speak to the audience. ' Now was the lad's time — gently lighting the crackers, he dropped them to the ground close to the lecturer's foot,' and waited deyelopments. The effect was startling, for it not onjy frightened, the lecturer, but all •ftxe other boys on. the platform, and brought exasperated audience iip, withniuch resulting damage to the mesmerist's person clothes.' , • > ' Bub -the most extraordinary case 1 of uypnotism occurred only about » year ago on the south coast of England. There, In one of the towns, a Frenchman lectured ■about hypnotism, and gave a number of illustrations of his powar. Amongst others whom he called up to the platform, in a atate bordering Upon coma, waa a young light-haired girl, who was staying there with an aunt and uncle, the guardians of herself and her large property. Once mesmerised, Bhe did not seem to regain tier full senses, but raved all night ana for the next several days of' the dark-eyed Caul. One day she was missing. Nowhere could she be found. Had she fallen, over the cliff, been washed away by the «ea, or what? Three days of terrible wixiety followed, and then a- telegram arrived from a seaport town of France, ticQtn the Professor, saying that the giri--who had given him her address— had come t{iere; aha must be removed at once. Away went her parents to fetch her, and found her in the hotel where the mesmerist was staying, only prevented from forcing herselt into his room by the- attendants of the inn, who were keeping her a prisoner in her own apartment. She was now, raving , mad, and there was nothing left but to bring her back to England, and place her in a lunatic asylum, where I believe ihe is to-day.—" Aboufc Town."