78 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



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 Angelique Cottin has been frequently referred to. 

 She was a French peasant girl, fourteen years of age, and pos- 

 sessing excellent health at the time her singular powers were dis- 

 covered. She resided in the Commune of La Perriere, 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 Cot- 

 tin touched her warp, the frame was agitated, would move about, 

 and then, without apparent cause, be thrown violently back. Sub- 

 sequently chairs, tables, lighted fire-wood, brushes, books, tongs, 

 shovels, scissors, and other metallic articles were all set in mo- 

 tion whenever this girl approached them. The girl was very im- 

 perfectly educated and her friends were of limited intelligence, so 

 it was not remarkable that, in 184G, 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 char- 

 acter 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 coun- 

 try girl, reared on a farm, without any knowledge of occult forces, 

 and among people almost wholly uninterested in scientific sub- 

 jects, suddenly seems to possess a peculiar force, and the furni- 

 ture begins to manifest unusual qualities when Miss Hurst is 

 present, phenomena occurring not unlike those attributed to the 

 French girl of La Perriere. 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 appear- 

 ance at Wallack's Theatre, New York, had opportunity to inves- 

 tigate 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 with- 

 out 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 re- 

 pelling chairs by lightly touching them, was quite extraordinary. 



