He was especially punctual in the closing of his store at 9 p.m. on ordinary week-days, and at 10 p.m. on Saturday. He attended the Methodist church on Sunday, and on one occasion, at a religious meeting, he related an incident which he said he had witnessed on a steamboat years previously on the passage from Albany to New York, and his remarks were thought particularly relevant to the point under consideration. In short, none of the persons who had any dealings with him seem to have conceived any suspicion that he was in any unusual condition or labouring under any form of vagary.

On the morning of Monday, March 14th, about five o'clock, he heard, he says, an explosion like the report of a gun or pistol, and waking, he noticed that there was a ridge in his bed not like the bed he had been accustomed to sleep in. He noticed the electric light opposite his windows. He rose and pulled away the curtains and looked out on the street. He felt very weak, and thought that he had been drugged. His next sensation was that of fear, knowing that he was in a place where he had no business to be. He feared arrest as a burglar, or possibly injury. He says this is the only time in his life he ever feared a policeman.

The last thing he could remember before waking was seeing the Adams express waggons at the corner of Dorrance and Broad Streets, in Providence, on his way from the store of his nephew in Broad Street to his sister's residence in Westminster Street, on January 17th.

He waited to hear some one move, and for two hours he suffered great mental distress. Finally he tried the door, and finding it fastened on the inside, opened it. Hearing some one moving in another room, he rapped at the door. Mr. Earle opened it, and said, "Good-morning, Mr. Brown." Mr. B.: "Where ami?" Mr. E.: "You're all right." Mr. B.: "I'm all wrong. My name isn't Brown. Where am I?" Mr. E.: "Norristown." Mr. B.: "Where is that ? " Mr. E.: "In Pennsylvania." Mr. B.: "What part of the country ? " Mr. E.: "About seventeen miles west of Philadelphia." Mr. B.: "What time in the month is it?" Mr. E.: "The 14th." Mr. B.: "Does time run backwards here? When I left home it was the 17th." Mr. E.: "17th of what? " Mr. B.: "17th of January." Mr. E.: "It's the 14th of March".

Mr. Earle thought that "Mr. Brown" was out of his mind, and said that he would send for a doctor. He summoned Dr. Louis H. Read, to whom Mr. Bourne told the story of his doings in Rhode Island on the morning of January 17th, and said that he remembered nothing between the time of seeing the Adams express waggons on Dorrance Street on January 17th and waking up that morning, March 14th. "These persons," he said, " tell me I am in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and that I have been here for six weeks, and that I have lived with them all that time. I have no recollection of ever having seen one of them before this morning." He requested Dr. Read to telegraph to his nephew, Andrew Harris, then at 121 Broad Street, Providence, R.I. Dr. Read telegraphed, "Do you know Ansel Bourne? Please answer." The reply came, "He is my uncle. Wire me where he is, and if well. Write particulars".

Later, Mr. Harris journeyed to Norristown, sold the goods in the store by auction, and settled up the business affairs of " Mr. Brown," who, as Mr. Bourne, returned with him to Rhode Island. Dr. Read adds, in his account of the case which he furnished to Dr. Weir Mitchell: -

"He said he was a preacher and farmer, and could not conceive why he should have engaged in a business he knew nothing about, and never had any desire to engage in it. When asked about his purchasing and paying for goods, and paying freight bills, he said he had no recollection of any such transactions.

"The family with whom he lived say that after the occurrence of that morning he was greatly changed. He was annoyed at any reference to his store, and never entered it afterwards. He became despondent, took no food, was unable to sleep, and became greatly prostrated both physically and mentally, and, from information recently received, those conditions are said to continue.

"There are a number of circumstances connected with and preceding the peculiar dual condition that have satisfied me that he is a sincere man, and not an impostor".

Early in 1890 Professor James heard of the case from one of our Associates, Mr. J. N. Arnold, who was the means of putting him into communication with Mr. Harris and Mr. Bourne, and for whose assistance in this and in other cases we are much indebted.

It will have been observed that no account was forthcoming of Mr. Bourne's doings between the time of his disappearance from Providence and his advent in Norristown two weeks later, and Professor James conceived the idea that if Mr. Bourne could be hypnotised, we might obtain from him while in the hypnotic trance a complete history of the whole incident, and at the same time, by post-hypnotic suggestion, prevent the recurrence of any such episode. The circumstances had naturally left a painful and perplexed impression upon Mr. Bourne; he was anxious to have any light possible thrown upon his strange experience, and he readily acquiesced in the proposals made for hypnotisation.

Mr. Bourne is still living in Greene, R.I., and in accordance with our arrangement1 he came to Boston on five consecutive days, May 27th to 31st, and submitted to our investigations, returning each day to Greene. Professor James and myself also visited Mr. Bourne and hypnotised him in his home at Greene, R.I., on June 7th, 1890.

On May 27th we questioned him in detail concerning his past life, and ascertained, inter alia, that he was "mesmerised " once, about forty years previously; he thinks that he was not "transformed" into any one else by the " mesmerist," but was made to go through various laughable performances. At 1.50 p.m. Professor James began to hypnotise him - using passes - and he proved a sensitive subject, becoming entranced in the course of a few minutes. He was unable to open his eyes, to unclasp his hands, etc. No inquiry was made on this occasion concerning the "Brown" incident; we determined simply that he could be readily entranced and readily waked.

1 Mr. Bourne received his travelling expenses, and in addition the amount which he would have earned by his ordinary work as carpenter. He arrived in Boston about 11 a.m. and left at 3 p.m.