Immortal Meals #22: Mesmerism Tea Party April 15, 2015
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
This story combines three Beachcombing interests: first, mesmerism, and second, the practical joke framed, third, in an immortal meal, one that many readers would have killed to have attended. We are in the town of Hexham in the north of England in 1871. Mr Morgan, a professor of mesmerism has come to town to impress the yokels. Instead, it was he that would never forget Hexham.
On the last evening of his visit he had announced a mesmeric tea party for the delectation of his visitors, and the Town Hall of the old border town was packed to suffocation. Just as the clock struck the hour of eight, the audience were wrought into the utmost state of enthusiasm by the appearance of a stalwart son of toil [Towler], accompanied by his wife, and under his arm a small bundle, which it was, at one divined, contained the loaf of bread , which the lecturer the previous evening had impressed upon [Towler] he was bound to bring with him for the purpose of the tea party.
This seems to mean that at a previous spectacle Morgan had obliged Towler through hypnotism to bring some bread giving some kind of continuity to the event. One can imagine Morgan saying ‘friends, I’ll see you tomorrow night when I’ll provide the tea and Towler the bread.’
As soon as the proceedings commenced, ‘Towler,’ for by this cognomen he is well known, mounted the platform, and, in reply to questions put by the ‘professor,’ he stated that he had no power to prevent himself coming that evening, and that also he had been obliged to bring the loaf of bread with him; although he had done his best to resist. ‘It is marvelous, really very marvelous, that I should: have such power over this gentleman, but nevertheless true; he had no power over himself.’ Of course this was looked upon by the audience as a very mysterious affair, and all except a select few quite believed in the genuine nature of the whole business.
When Beach first read this he imagined that the implication was that Towler was a stooge. But nothing of the kind…
By-and-by the table was ‘set’ for tea, and, Towler, dressed in a woman’s nightgown and cap, with apron to match, marched on to the platform, along with his confreres, two of ‘them’ being professionals engaged by the ‘professor,’ and accompanying him, in his tour.
Both, as will soon become apparent, had been mesmerized. Towler and the folk were now told to get down to tea.
The tea appeared to be immensely enjoyed by the party, and the audience were highly amused at the whole affair. The tea cakes provided by the ‘professor’ were soon eaten up, and Towler breaks into his loaf. One of our professional friends, who sports a splendid black moustache, and does the ‘funny’ business, at once seizes hold of the loaf, and, amidst the tremendous cheers of the audience, commenced to eat as though for a wager. All this time the audience were assured by the professor that the men were in a perfect state of oblivion, and knew nothing whatever of what they were doing. After a few mouthfuls of the loaf, however, a change was observed. in the face of our professional friend, and in another minute he appeared to quite regain his consciousness. He first seized the half of a cabbage which was on the table, and speedily consumed it, but he got worse instead of better. His eyes rolled in his head, he groaned audibly, and he coughed, spluttered, and expectorated on the stage as man never did before. His grimaces at last became so fearful that many thought he was choking, but all this time Towler oblivious as he was, sat roaring and laughing till the very tears ran down his cheeks. Try as he did to bear it, the oblivious professional could stand it no longer, and called Mr. Morgan to his assistance, fully believing that he had been poisoned, and that he was just at about his last gasp. Of course, those put up to the affair knew what ailed the poor fellow. Towler had been ‘got at’ by a wag, who provided a loaf, in which cayenne, mustard, and ginger were about equally mixed with the flour, and of this the professional had eaten heartily. After a very short consultation, the professional suddenly left the table, and was very soon after followed by Towler, who found him vomiting very freely in the passage leading off the stage, and still asserting that he had been poisoned by something in the loaf. We need not add neither Towler nor his dupe appeared again on the platform. But outside the hall the former held quite a levee (the proceedings having rather abruptly terminated) and he most emphatically declared the whole affair to be nothing more than unmitigated humbug his only reason for going that evening to ‘put it on’ to the above-mentioned oblivious professional.
Great stuff: any other mesmerism tricks gone wrong, drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com
