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Private Exhibition of Hypnotism Given Yesterday.FOUR MEN SIT DOWNOn the Body of a Woman Suspended Across Chairs.EXPERIENCES NO DISCOMFORTA Perfect State of Catalepsy Produced In Less Than One Minute’s Time.A wonderful exhibition of the science of hypnotism was given at the Empire theater yesterday afterfioon to the newspaper men and their' friends, by the Mon s. H. DeGray assisted by Mile. Josephine.Prof. Gray made a few preliminary remarks about his work, after which he called upon three gentlemen to act as a committee, in order that they might detect, if possible, any slight of blind work on the part of the p.erformer. John T. Dougall, A1 Friend and A. J. You, voluntered to act as the committee, and were requested to sit at the back of the performer. Prof. Gray performed a few slight of hand tricks, such as carrying water in an ordinary sieve, producing flowers from a folded newspaper and several other mystifying tricks, and then the truly wonderful exhibition began,A few movements of the hands were sufficient to throw Mile. Josephine into a perfect state of catalepsy. Her limbs and body became perfectly rigid and lifeless. To prove the absence of the sense of feeling when in a state of hypnotism, Professor Gray thrust several large hat pins through the fleshy part of the young lady’s arm and allowed the committee to pull the pins out. He then placed his subject’s feet on one chair and the head on another with absolutely no support in the center of the body and invited the three.gentlemen composing the committee, to sit on the human bridge. John Dougal in his natural bashfulness, hesitated at first to do the professor’s bitting, saying that he had fallen off a i\ice that way once, etc., but he was assured that the bridge would not break and finally consented. A1 Friend marched up and took a seat without hesitancy but A. J. You said: “Really, Mr.Gray,” but was interrupted by Prof. Gray who again assured the gentleman that they were perfectly safe in doing as he told them. When all were seatedthere was a total of about 500 pounds and to add to this, Professor Gray himself stood on the body, making in all about 650 pounds. Not a quiver in the body was noticed but on the contrary it remained perfectly rigid.Professor Gray then took two chairs and placing them back to back laid the unyielding body of Mile. Josephine on them, the neck resting on the back of one chair and the feet on the other. He then jumped up on the body and stood for fully a minute.Mile. Gray was then brought out of the cataleptic trance and the audience dispersed.A Post reporter held a few minutes conversation with Mile. Gray. She said she had been with Professor Gray for the past six years and during that time had never been sick from the effects of the influence, but on the contrary has always been in the best of health. She said that if she was troubled with a headache, toothache ot anything of the kind, upon coming out of the trance it had entirely left her. Mile. De Gray says that at first it took 10 minutes for Professor 'De Gray to hypnotize her,* but that recently a few seconds would suffice. In losing consciousness she feels no discomfort and the after effects are in no way unpleasant. A glance at the slight figure of Mile. De Gray will convince any one that her muscles when in a natural state would not'support even the weight of her own body. There is no joke about this ^exhibition of Prof. De Gray and it is certainly very wonderful.IVnf i
Newspaper Details
Fort Wayne Evening Post
Fort Wayne, Indiana, US
Wed, Jan 01, 1896
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Southern C.
CA, USA 07 Sep 2024
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