In Pensacola, James Burleson, 13 months old, and Ida Bell Vann, 18 months, picked up objects that in color resembled chocolate candy, chewed down on them. The objectsfireworks, known as "dancing devils" exploded. Badly wounded, the children bled to death.
In Vienna, Prof. Maximilian Langster, famed mesmerist, advertised that he would perform feats of hypnotism "hitherto unattempted." A "big crowd" marched to his theatre. There a policeman smilingly agreed to submit to Langster's eye. Having hypnotized him, the professor handed the policeman a stick, said: "This is a revolver. Shoot!" In a daze the...