Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 18.djvu/183

Rh Croffut introduced me to D. W. Craig, Esq., a gentleman who had spent much time in that portion of Maine, and who had amused himself with watching and playing with these unfortunates.

In accordance with the request of Mr. Croffut and Mr. Craig, I began at that time an investigation of the subject through all accessible sources, and this year I visited Moosehead Lake in company with my friend Dr. Edward Steese, and made the investigations herein recorded.

I found two of the Jumpers employed about the hotel. With one of them, a young man twenty-seven years of age, I made the following experiments:

1. While sitting in a chair, with a knife in his hand, with which he was about to cut his tobacco, he was struck sharply on the shoulder, and told to "throw it." Almost as quick as the explosion of a pistol, he threw the knife, and it stuck in a beam opposite; at the same time he repeated the order "throw it" with a certain cry as of terror or alarm.

2. A moment after, while filling his pipe with tobacco, he was again slapped on the shoulder and told to "throw it." He threw the tobacco and the pipe on the grass, at least a rod away, with the same cry and the same suddenness and explosiveness of movement.

3. When standing near one of the employees of the house, he was told to "strike," and he struck him violently on the cheek. I took this person into the quiet of my own room, only my friend being with me, in order that the experiments might be made without interruption or disturbance. I sat down by him, explained to him the object of my visit, conversed with him in regard to his family history and his own personal experience and observation of his peculiarity, and every now and then, during the conversation, I struck him without warning on the shoulder or on the back, or mildly kicked him; and every time he was so struck he moved his shoulders upward slightly, sometimes moving both the shoulders and the arms, with or without the peculiar cry. He knew that I was studying his case; he knew that the kicks and strokes came from me, and yet he could not avoid making a slight jump or motion, as though startled.

4. While holding a tumbler in his hand, standing near to him, I told him to "throw it." He dashed the tumbler with great violence to the floor, and then began deliberately picking up the pieces in a very quiet and patient way. Whenever I struck him quietly, easily, and in such a way that he could see I was to strike him, he made only a slight jump or movement; but when the strike or kick was unexpected, though very mild in character, he could not restrain the jumping or jerking motion; but the cry did not always appear.

5. A handkerchief was suddenly thrown before his eyes by a person walking stealthily from behind. He jumped, just as though he had been struck.

Another case in the house, a lad sixteen years of age, was not so