Swiss ‘Auto-Suggestionist’ Does Stunts for Reporters as the Columbia Sails.

Before sailing yesterday for Glasgow on the Anchor liner Columbia, Professor Konradi Leitner, who styles himself the Swiss telepathist and autosuggestionist, demonstrated to reporters and photographers his ability to find hidden articles without a word being spoken. It was a coincidence that Houdini was on board the Columbia to see some friends away. He watched Professor Leitner go through his stunts.

For the first demonstration the telepathist requested that two persons secrete an article between them, then return to him and he would take each of their right hands and seek the hiding place. He also wanted the two persons to notify him mentally to stop or turn to the right or left in the search, but not to speak to him.

Two of the photographers hid a penknife under the airtank in one of the lifeboats on the port side forward and then returned to the Professor. He clasped their right hands and the trio walked aimlessly about the decks until the passengers began to laugh. Suddenly Professor Leitner dropped the hand of one of the men, exclaiming: “You have no brains, or you’re not using them. I cannot find the missing article unless you two guide me mentally.” Finally he accompanied the other photographer and quickly found the hidden knife.

Another test was made of hiding a cent in a chink in the cover of the booby hatch. The professor also found that.

Houdini seemed to be amused but not impressed by the experiments. He told the reporters that the muscles of the hand usually reacted to an individual’s silent order “to stop,” “Go forward,” “Turn to the right,” &c.

“This Swiss may be clever, but he’s no telepathist,” Houdini said.

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