Experiments in mesmerism.

I will relate an experiment that I performed with my subject, Lucius, in mesmerism. I asked any person in the room to give me a name of an individual written on a slip of paper. I would send the boy to find the person dead or alive, which he would do, bringing him into the room and describing him to the audience. On one occasion a name was handed to me which I gave as usual to the boy. He said this was a man who had a wife and three children, that he left his chest of tools in a barn and had gone direct to Boston. I told him to follow the man. So he went and said he had found him in Ohio in a cooper's shop, that he had died. Still I told him to find him. Finally he said he had found him and I told him to bring him before the people and describe him. Said he, "Can't you see him? He stands here." I told the boy that he was in a mesmeric state. (He could never understand this but admitted it because I said so. To him there was no change; he had all his faculties and his identity was as perfect as when awake. He expressed fear and joy at what he saw as much as though he had been in a waking state.) I said, "Describe him." He commenced giving a general description and I stopped him, saying if there was any peculiar trait or feature about him mention it. "Well," said he, "I should think anyone might know this man by his hare lip." I asked the person who gave me the name if this description was correct and he said it was in every particular. Here was a clear case of spiritualism. The subject would read sealed letters, he would go to a distant place and ask a person a question and get an answer, and yet the person would not be aware of answering any question.

P.P.Quimby 1863 http://www.ppquimby.com/concord/concord.htm