MAGISTRATE’S STORY.

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXIX, Issue 150, 22 June 1934, Page 8

MAGISTRATE’S STORY.

hypnotised law student.

HE GROANED HORRIBLY.

LONDON, April 27.

That experimenting in the realm of the occult is not entirely free from excitement and danger is shown by the experience of a London magistrate. This is his story. For years I have made a study of hypnosis, particularly in relation to crime. Alone, or with others, I have often carried out experiments, and obtained interesting results. But I now realise that, in the hands of the unpractised, it might be dangerous.

In the presence of half a dozen friends, mostly barristers, I “willed” a subject ( a law student), when in a state of hypnosis, to go to a violin case which lay on the floor in a corner of the room, take out the violin and bring it to me.

He advanced to the case, knelt down, and fingered with the fastenings. Then he struggled with them, but failed to open the case. He moaned and groaned horribly. Not a little alamed, I approached him and found that his face was deathly white and had a look of horror and anxiety. He continued to tug at the fastenings. Then it dawned on me that, maybe, the case was locked, and I examined it.’ I was right. I madly searched for the key, but failed to find it. Meantime, the groanings continued.. I found a screwdriver and wrenched the thing open. Then the “medium” smiled, took out the violin and . brought it to me at the spot at which he left me.

I told him what had happened, but he knew nothing of it, though he is himself a student of these things.

So quickly does the ipind work that, while forcing the case, I had nasty visions of being, brought up in my own court for causing the death of a friend.

The experience taught me one thing at least —not to . give a person who has been hypnotised an impossible task.