Franquin Mystifies Some – Puzzles Many

Northern Advocate, 2 August 1949, Page 9

Franquin Mystifies Some - Puzzles Many

“INCREDIBLE”

‘Amazing” ... “1 can’t believe it”

“1 still think there is some room for scepticism”—these were some of the opinions heard outside the Whangarei Town Hall last night after The Great Franquin had entertained a capacity house for two and a half hours with his demonstrations of hypnotism, mesmerism and thought transference.

But whatever opinions were formed in respect of Franquin’s ability it is safe to say that the large audience was given something to talk over and think of for a long time to come, and the group of willing subjects will no doubt never forget, “or remember,” their experiences.

To open his demonstration, Franquin explained the theory and practice -ol psychomctry. He said any article, handled even (leetingly, retains the personality of that individual, and he showed how he could identify, from any number of articles handed him simultaneously, to whom that article belonged.

then was irresistibly impelled back to the stage once more lo stroke the beard of the master The Advocate representative spoke fo one or two subjects after the 'show, and each frankly staled ho eid no* know what happened while under the spell, but that ho felt in worse for the experience.

Nine people were invited on the stage, each was given an envelope and each asked to place some small article of his own in the envelope. The envelopes were then given to Franquin in a bundle and he correctly placed the owner of each one. It was not necessary for him to look at the person's face—in fact, he identified each one from behind the chair, passing the envelope to and fro across the shoulders and hardly wavering at any time.

The memory test was next on his list. Two blackboards were placed on the stage, each chalked with numbers one to 20, 21 to 40. The audience was then asked to nominate any article. As each was called, his assistant. Miss Franquin, wrote them down on the board.

Franquin himself never saw the board; he only heard the articles called. Then Miss Franquin enumerated them all with the corresponding number, and he straight away called them out. each in its correct position on the board —he even ran through them backwards for good measure.

NAMED BACKWARDS The articles named ranged from needle to battleship, and Ilea to mouse. To conclude this demonstration, the audience was asked to call out any one in any order, and Franquin, with quick-firc precision, placed them correctly. The spice of the evening came in the second half, when hypnotism, thought transference and catalepsy were ably demonstrated.

Introducing these subjects, he explained what they were and how he would need to give a simple test to each subject. The stage was quickly inundated with volunteer performers. Many failed in the test-some being too nervous, others trying to withstand the power, and others just not suitable. About 35 gained admission to the party. The test, was done by mesmerism.

Seating 12 people on chairs, Franquin proceeded to induce them to sleep. Five failed to go off and had to be sent away. When fully asleep, the remaining seven were told to play a violin in virtuoso style. They did—striking some rather flamboyant poses. He then commanded them to awake at the count of three and burst into uncontrolled laughter; this they did also. The audience was also well in the mood, for it simply shrieked. MAKING THEIR BOW The second group lost two of its number in the sleep test, and then was told to play a piano at a celebrity concert. The fingering in most cases was excellent. When instructed to bow to the audience some fell over fiat on the floor in their endeavours to make a full Italian farewell bow. It was noticeable that most of the subjects kept absolute expressionless faces.

Franquin next took a class of 20 on a visit to a cinema. Prior to the curtain rising they all took out bags of peanuts and ate ravenously, some even doing a juggling act with them.

They saw a newsreel of the LouisWallcott fight and reacted accordingly. Before the picture show ended some became really too sleepy and did not take any further interest in the films. When the pathetic Cinderella scene was shown, the weeping and pathos came spontaneously. The audience roared and roared for some minutes when a film of Betty Grable was shown to the subjects. These 20 people embraced and held hands and did all the other things some patrons do when watching a film of this nature.

Then they went home on a bus over a bumpy road, went to bed, woke up next morning, and went to work. Each in turn was instructed to perform his or her type of work, and then was interviewed over the "mike." Some, again, proved uncooperative in that they were really too much asleep to answer the questions. LINGERING MEMORIES Post-hypnotism wa? next demonstrated. The subjects were really awakened and Franquin spoke to them in a conversational voice and told them that when he gave the word they would all go immediately to sleep again and he would tell them to do something and then wake them again, all within a minute. While still conversing he suddenly yelled “Sleep”— and they all did. Various instructions were given and performed, the audience particularlyenjoying the impersonation of the ■Mills Bros singing “My Happiness," by a group of young men. Another demonstration of his- skill was shown when he hypnotised two men and stuck needles in their cheeks. He pierced the fingernail of one man with a needle, the patient did not even bat an eyelid.

For the catalepsy demonstration he used one of his own party—who. lie said, was a really good subject. The man was put to sleep and then, in a rigid position, was laid across two low trestles, his head resting on one and his feel on the o + her.

When told to sag he did. when told to stretch he again obliged, all the time balanced on almost nothing. Then two other helpers were assisted to gain standing room on the man's stomach, and still the body held rigid, but, on command, the subject flexed his muscles, or raised his head, with the two still standing on him. FIXATION In thanking the subjects for their assistance and seeing them off the stage one at a time. Franquin raised much laughter by the last minute power he still held over each. One man could not lift his l'eet from the stage, another had his hand stuck to the proscenium wall, one lady managed to get into the audience and