CONVINCING SCEPTICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18412, 19 May 1920, Page 6

CONVINCING SCEPTICS.

A SHOWMAN'S ADVENTURE. [Per Press Association.] AUCKLAND, May 18.' "It is an absurd charge," declared Franklyn John Smith, a vaudeville artist, who was charged before Mr Wilson, SM-, to-day, that he attempted to commit suicide by jabbing a knife into an artery of his left arm. The admitted circumstances were that on Saturday afternoon the police got word that Smith was at the hospital with a punctured wound in his arm, a stitch having to bo put in the wound, which had bled copiously. As Smitu was on bail awaiting trial at the Supreme Court on a serious charge, he was arrested. ,

The evidence of a porter at the Metropolitan Hotel was that as he was cutting a pipe of tobacoo in the hotel Smith stepped up to him from a group of men, asked for the loan of his knlie, took ft to a mantelpiece, crooked up his bured left arm* on the mantel and drove the small blade of the knife into his arm. As the arm was straightened blood spurted from it. The men surged round excitedly to stop the bleeding, but Smith laughed and fended them off, declaring that things were all right. Eventually the licensee came on the scene and sent Smith by a tiaxi to the hospital. The explanation made was that Smith and others in the course of filling io time between drinks got into a discussion on hypnotism, the subjeot being introduced by the presence of Professor Dalmaine, who protested to an unbelievei that he had come to discuss a " spot," not to talk shop. Smith took up #ie cudgels for his showman. business, and undertook to confound sceptics by a demonstration of what he cal'ed hypnotism, auto-suggestion, will control, e*;c. He proposed to stick pins into his arm, but someone remarked in disgust, " Show us something now." He called for a knife and did the deed as narrated.

Smith in the box ridictaled the charge, bared hie uninjured arm and explained by demonstration of how the bloc J was forced back from tho veins of tho forearm by muscular contraction, so that the prick of a needle, or oven a knife, would not draw blood. With a showman's instinct he waved one hypnotic hand over the arm as to conjure tho vital fluid back and forth, whereon the Magistrate irritably called " enough. " The witness said that when he had miscalculated his stab he declined to have the flow of -blood stopped at first, for fear that if it were stopped too soon there would be danger of blood poisoning from the to-bacco-stained blade, and afterwards when Dalmaine went to put on a tourniquet the excited crowd in the bar prevented him from getting it on. Claude Arthur Dalmaine, hypnotist, stated that when he wished to avoid a bar discussion on the subject Smith, who almost got annoyed over the scepticism on the point, jumped in and did as stated. Without any of Smith's theatricalism the witness explained thai certain muscular contractions would force the blood back temporarily from the forearm, when a needle or knifeblade could be safely pushed into tho flesh, provided the arteries were avoided. Smith miscalculated and cut an artery, but he had two or three tripes previously seen Smith successiully pierce his am with a knife blade, and had quite frequently dtne it himself. He was quite certain from Smith's demeanour that there was nothing else in the incident.

The Magistrate remarked that after hearing Dalmaine's evidence he was inclined to give Smith the benefit of the doubt, and would dismiss the'ease on condition that the man paid the costs of the prosecution. His Worship added that ho thought a tag should be put to Smith's bail bond to keep him out; of hotels till he had satisfied the law on tho other charge.