THOUGHT-READING EXPERTMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7080, 26 July 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

THOUGHT-READING EXPERTMENTS.

Ah exposition of the so-called science of " though t-readiDg" wai given at the Westminster Palace Hotel on Jane 3 by Mr. W. Irving Bishop, in the presence of a speciallyinvited body of ladies and gentlemen, including representatives of most of the leading journals. Considerable interest attached 10 the proceedings from the fact that Mr. Bishop had announced his intention of "ferreting ont and discovering" within the' radios of a mile, an/ 1 object a fall description of which should be written down by a "subject," who should afterwards be attached to the operator by a wire of a few feet in length. Mr. Bishop expresses his belief that by such means crime may be traced, and hidden dynamite perhaps found; but in regard to this assumption it may be pointed out, first, that the dynamiter has to be caught, and, secondly, according to Mr. Bishop's view, he mnst be a " sympathetic" subject. In snch a case he would, of course, save trouble by stating where the explosives were stored. At the commencement of the proceeding* Mr. Bishop said that considerable experience had shown him that to produce satisfactory results in thought-reading it was not necessary to have absolute contact with the Bub j act operated upon. He then asked that a committee ofgentlemenshouldbe selected from the audience to have the conduct of affairs, and from whom his "subjects" should be selected. On the motion of Mr. Wilde, Colonel French was elected to the chair, and the latter proposed the former as a committee man. The other members thereafter chosen were the Hon. Lewis Wingfield, Canon Harford, Colonel Graham, Mr. H. Pottinger Stephens, Mr. Duuphy, and Mr. Frank Miles. It was then suggested by the operator that he should perform one or two other feats before going out of doors. He was, therefore, conducted from the room by Messrs. Wilde and 1 Wingfield, while. Mr. Donphy hid a pin in j the folds of a lady's skirt. Mr. Bishop was j then brought in blindfolded, and requested Mr. Dunphy to keep olose to him with the palm of his left hand some six inches from his. After much flourishing of hands and groaning, with requests that the mind of the hider of the pin should be kept on the spot where he had placed it, Mr. Bishop discovered it, and with much triumph held it aloft in view of the audience. He next proposed to perform the " bank-note trick," on which there has-been much controversy. After come discussion as to who should hold it, Mr. E. Bobbins, tho manager of 'the Press . Association, said .that some of thoeo present had no confidence in a portion of the members of the committee. This for a moment or two caused a lively scene, which was cut short by Mr. Bishop suggesting that his " sceptical friend" should be added to the committee, and hold the note. Mr. Robbins accordingly took his place at the table, and a gentleman handed him a £5note, which he took into the corner of the room, and, after examining the number, placed it in an envelope. While this was beiDg done, Mr. Bishop had been conducted from the room, and on his return he blindfolded himself, and took Mr. Bobbins' left hand in his left hand, which he held near his forehead. Then, placing his right hand close to it, he traced out five figures with a piece of chalk on a blackboard, only two-of which were correct. A second attempt was worse, at this time only one figure was right. Mr. Bishop, who seemed greatly exhausted at his efforts, - said he would repeat the experiment later on, as a_ large number of people were waiting outside to see him. To prevent any collusion, Mr. Robbins, therefore, took, possession' of the note. The operator said he would now ask Canon Harford, as a member of the committee, to write down on a piece of paper, which would be lodged under aeal with the Chairman, the name of some article in a place within the radius of a mile, which he would undertake to find when attached by a wire to the reverend gentleman. It was by such means; he thought, that discoveries of crime might be brought about. Much laughter was caused by his suggestion that the reverend gentleman, as a Canon of Westminster, would have great knowledge of where things were concealed. He then left the room, and went to the hall door,* where he was blindfolded, and a black stuff i bag placed over his head and shoulders, while a copper wire of some seven feet in length was attached to two fingers of his left hand. After Canon Harford had written something on a piece of paper (of which he was to think 'during the performance), and handed it to the Chairman, he also went out, and the other end of the wire was affixed to his wrist. At this time there was a crowd outside the hotel of some four or five hundred people,' into the . centre of which Mr. Bishop at once plunged at a headlong pace, fairly pulling Canon Harford after him. The scene was irresistibly comic, and caused roars of laughter. - Proceeding westward up Victoria-street, Mr. Bishop entered an open doorway, but, after going up a few steps, returned, and made across the road, almost at a run, direct to the door of No. 4, Broad Sanctuary, where he entered, and passed upstairs. The .police on duty prevented the crowd following, but in about five minutes Mr. Bishop emerged, waving the black bag and handkerchief, and exclaiming, "All right. I've found it." This announcement was received with cheers. On returning to the hotel. Canon Harford read the paper, which stated, "The bust of a person unknown to me, standing in a back room overlooking Dean's Yard." This, he said, he had never seen, except from the yard, as he passed to and fro, and he was' unaware of the name of the. person in whose possession it was. 1 Mr. Bishop, however, had not only found it, but had also slated it to be that of someone of the name ef Ronalds or Reynolds, which was correct. A gentleman in the audience asked if it could be explained how it was that a policeman was at the door when Mr. Bishop got there, but, in reply, it was stated that he was on duty at the entrance to Dean's Yard, and only came up as he saw the crowd arrive. Another attempt was then made by Mr. Bishop to read the note Mr. Bobbins held, but this was a conspicuous failure, not one figure being right, and a trial with the date of a ooin in the hands of Mr. Donphy was also wrong. Then Mr. P. Stephens wma asked to hold a note sent by • gentleman named Galland, residing in the hotel, after two trials. Mr. Bishop was successful. This brought the entertainment to a close, and, though there was a strong minority who freely expressed their views, - the majority seemed decidedly of opinion that the feats of " thought-reading," or, as Mr. Wilde preferred to call it, " muscle-read-ing,"had been cleverly and satisfactorily done, as the only gentleman unsuccessfully operated cm was antagonistic. Farther ex-' periments in the line of so-called thoughtreading were made at the Charing Cross Hotel, on Juno 4, "by Mr.' Stuart Cumber* land, who, among other feats, undertook-to find a pin hidden within a quarter-mile radius of Charing Cross. This was actually done, but not without criticism as to the m«thod pursued. ■ „