Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 36.djvu/88

78 he removed his cowl a number of "shining, crackling sparks" would pass from his bald pate; and this phenomenon, which was definite and strong while the monk was in good health, continued perceptible after three weeks' illness.

The case of Angélique Cottin has been frequently referred to. She was a French peasant girl, fourteen years of age, and possessing excellent health at the time her singular powers were discovered. She resided in the Commune of La Perrière, department of Orne, and with three other young girls was engaged in knitting ladies' silk-net gloves. Suddenly the oak weaving-frame was thrown down. The girls put it up; and almost instantly it was again upset. It was soon discovered that, whenever the girl Cottin touched her warp, the frame was agitated, would move about, and then, without apparent cause, be thrown violently back. Subsequently chairs, tables, lighted fire-wood, brushes, books, tongs, shovels, scissors, and other metallic articles were all set in motion whenever this girl approached them. The girl was very imperfectly educated and her friends were of limited intelligence, so it was not remarkable that, in 1846, such phenomena should be attributed to sorcery. The case was investigated by a number of scientific gentlemen, including M. Arago, who were shocked, as well as startled, and gave surprising accounts of her powers. Some time after, however, she was taken to Paris and examined by the savants of the Academy, and nothing of a surprising character was discovered. She had simply lost the power she formerly possessed.

The manifestations of Miss Lulu Hurst, of Georgia, will be recalled. A tall, large-boned, well-developed, good-looking country girl, reared on a farm, without any knowledge of occult forces, and among people almost wholly uninterested in scientific subjects, suddenly seems to possess a peculiar force, and the furniture begins to manifest unusual qualities when Miss Hurst is present, phenomena occurring not unlike those attributed to the French girl of La Perrière. This power, which was considerable in the outset, gradually waned, until her public exhibitions were quite unsatisfactory.

The writer was one of the committee who, on her first appearance at Wallack's Theatre, New York, had opportunity to investigate Miss Hurst. One test was as follows: Three gentlemen, among whom was a professor of athletics, each using both hands, held a billiard-cue above their heads in the air; Miss Hurst, by placing her hands flat on the top of the cue, brought it down without apparent muscular effort. At that time all power of repelling articles without contact seemed to have left her; but her success in collapsing umbrellas held by a reporter, and in lifting and repelling chairs by lightly touching them, was quite extraordinary.