More recently, Beulah Miller, a ten-year-old Rhode Island girl, gave manifestations of the possession of such powers which aroused great scientific expectations, but her later achievements or present whereabouts seem to be unknown.
The mind-reading feats which won Reese his liberty unfortunately will give a new impetus to imposture. But[Pg 63] on the other hand they stimulate a legitimate interest in questions relating to the possibility of the development of a new sense and add to the data through which science may some day solve the problem of human consciousness.
“This man is not a fortune teller, but a scientist and I offer him as an exhibit,” said the counsel for Reese, the accused seer, to Judge Rosalsky.
The judge selected two newspaper men to assist in the experiment. They went into an adjoining room and wrote on slips of paper the maiden names of their mothers. They also wrote two questions each on slips. The slips were brought into the room where Reese was waiting. They had been folded so that no writing was visible. Under his direction they were placed in a hat and mixed up. Then the slips were placed in the reporters’ pockets.
Each man then took out a slip, still folded, and pressed it against the exhibitor’s bald head. He turned to one man and said:
“Your mother’s maiden name was Electa Winans.”
To the other he said: “You want to know if Charley Becker is guilty. He is not really guilty.”
The reporters then took two other slips from their pockets.
“You want to know how old Henry C. Terry is,” promptly said Reese. Then plainly puzzled, he shook his head and went on to a question as to what was the floor covering. The next question was: “Where did I do my first newspaper work?”
He gave correctly the answer. The last slip Reese took in his hand, but did not open it. He handed it back and directed the writer to hold it. Then Reese said: