(86) These tricks appeared originally in Beeton's Christmas Annual, and
are here reproduced with permission.
Although my work is a history of gambling, in all its horrors, and with
all its terrible moral warnings, I gladly conclude it 'happily,' after
the manner of the most pleasing novels and romances,--namely, by a
method of contriving innocent and interesting amusement with cards,
without the 'chance' of encountering the risks, calamities, and disgrace
of gambling.
I was led to the investigation of this branch of my subject by the
following incident. Being present at a party when a gentleman performed
one of the tricks described, No. 7, the rest of the company and myself
were all much surprised at the result, and urgently requested him
to explain the method of his performance, which, however, he stoutly
refused to do, averring that he would not take L1000 for it. This was
so ridiculously provoking that I offered to bet him L5 that I would
discover the method within 24 hours. To my astonishment he declined the
bet, not, however, without a sort of compliment, admitting that I MIGHT
do so. He was right; for, as Edgar Poe averred, no man can invent a
puzzle which some other man cannot unravel. In effect, I called upon
him the following day, and performed the trick not only according to
his method, but also by another, equally successful. I have reason
to believe that most of the tricks of my selection had not previously
appeared in print; at any rate, I have given to all of them an
exposition which may entitle them to some claim of originality.
PRELIMINARY HINTS.
I. Shuffling, in the simple and inoffensive sense of the expression, is
an important point in all tricks with cards. For the most part, it is
only a pretence or dexterous management--keeping a card or cards in your
command whilst seeming to shuffle them into the pack.
Every performer has his method of such shuffling. Some hold the pack
perpendicularly with the left hand, then with the right take a portion
of the pack--about one half--and make a show of shuffling the two parts
together edgeways, but, in reality, replace them as they were. With
rapidity of execution every eye is thus deceived.
If a single card is to be held in command, place it at the bottom of the
pack, which you hold in your left, and then, with your right thumb
and middle finger, raise and throw successively portions of the pack,
leaving the bottom card in contact with the fingers of the left hand.
With dexterity, any portion of the pack may be shuffled, leaving
the remainder just as it was, by separating it during the process
by inserting one or more fingers of the left hand between it and the
portions shuffled.
II. Cutting--not in the sense of bolting at the sight of 'blue,' though
that is of consequence to card-sharpers--is of importance in all card
tricks. In many tricks cutting the cards is only a pretence, as it is
necessary for the success of the trick to replace them as they were; in
technical terms, we must 'blow up the cut.'(87)
(87) This is the sauter la coupe referred to in the chapter on the
Gaming Clubs, in the account of the trial of Lord de Ros. See 'Graham's
Club.'
There are several ways of performing this sleight-of-hand. The cards
being cut, and forming two lots on the table, smartly snatch up the lot
which should be placed on the other, with the left hand.
This lot being taken up and the hand being in the position shown in the
figure, snatch up in like manner the other lot, and, by a movement of
the palm of the hand and the tips of the fingers, pass the second lot
under the first.
The deception of the trick depends upon its dexterity, and this can only
be acquired by practice. But really it may be dispensed with; for it
is a curious fact that, in every case when the cards are cut, you may
actually replace them just as they were without being observed by
the spectators--for the simple reason that the ruse is not suspected,
especially if their attention is otherwise engaged with your pointed
observations.
The 'gift of the gab' is in this case, as in many others, a very
great resource. A striking remark or bon mot will easily mystify the
spectators, and attract their attention from what you are DOING. Hence
all prestidigitators are always well stocked with anecdotes and funny
observations; indeed, they talk incessantly: they speak well, too, and
they take care to time the word accurately with the moment when their
fingers act most energetically.
III. To slip a card.--To slip a card is to pretend to take the bottom
card of the pack, and in reality to take the card which precedes it.
To perform this feat without detection is a very simple affair, but it
requires practice.
The pack of cards being held in the right hand, advance the left
hand--palm upwards--just as if you were seizing the last card with the
middle finger; but, having slightly moistened this finger with the lips,
push back this card, and make it slip under the palm of the right hand,
whilst you seize the preceding card with the thumb and forefinger.
In this manner you may successively draw out several cards besides the
last, and only draw the last as the sixth, seventh, &c., which will
serve to effect several interesting tricks to be explained in the
sequel.
IV. To file the card.--To file the card is, when a card has been taken
from the pack to pretend to place it about the middle of the pack,
whilst, in reality, you place it at the bottom.
The pack must be held in the left hand, between the thumb and
forefinger, so that the three other fingers be free. One of the middle
cards should project a little. Then take the card to be filed between
the forefinger and the middle finger of the right hand; advance the
right hand from the left, and whilst the three disengaged fingers of
the left hand seize and place the card under the pack, the thumb and
forefinger of the right seize the projecting card before mentioned, so
that it seems to be that card which you have slipped into the middle of
the pack. These movements are very easy, and, when rapidly performed,
the illusion is complete.
TRICKS.
1. To tell a card thought of by a party after three deals.
Take twenty-one cards of a pack, and deal them out one by one in three
lots, requesting the party to think of a card, and remember in which lot
it is.
Having dealt out the cards, ask the party in which lot the card is.
Take up the lots successively, and place the lot containing the card in
the MIDDLE.
Deal out the cards again, and ask the party to state in which lot the
card is; and proceed as before, placing the lot containing the card in
the middle.
Deal out the cards in like manner a third time, proceeding as before.
Then deal them out as usual, and the eleventh card will be the one
thought of, infallibly. This is the usual way of showing the card
thought of; but, as the trick may be partly discovered by the counting,
it is better to hold the cards in your hand, and take out the eleventh
card, counting to yourself, of course, from the left hand, but
pretending to be considering the guess.
This is apparently a most mysterious trick, although a necessary
consequence of the position of the lot containing the card in the three
deals.
2. The four inseparable kings.
Take four kings. Beneath the last place any two cards, which you take
care to conceal. Then show the four kings and replace the six cards
under the pack.
Then take a king and place it in the top of the pack, place one of the
TWO OTHER CARDS in the middle, and the other about the same place, and
then, turning up the pack, show that one king is still at the bottom.
Then let the cards be cut, and as three kings were left below, all must
necessarily get together somewhere about the middle of the pack. Of
course in placing the two other cards you pretend to be placing two
kings.
3. The barmaid and the three victimizers.
For this amusing trick you arrange the cards thus: Holding the pack in
your hands, find all the knaves, place one of them next to your left
hand, and the other three on the table. Then find a queen, which also
place on the table. Then say:--
'Three scamps went into a tavern, and ordered drink. Here they are--the
three knaves. "Who's to pay? I can't," said the first.
"I won't," said the second. "I wish she may get it," said the third.
"I'll manage it," said the first, the greatest rogue of the three. "I
say, my pretty girl, haven't you some very old wine in your cellar?"
Here's the barmaid thus addressed by the rogue in question (showing the
queen), and she replied:--"Oh yes, sir, prime old wine." "Let's have a
bottle." (Off went the barmaid. Put the queen in your pocket.) "Now for
it, my lads," said the knave in question; "'mizzle' is the word. Let's
be off in opposite directions, and meet to-night; you know where."
Hereupon they decamped, taking opposite directions, which I will
indicate by placing one on the top of the pack, one at the bottom, and
the other in the middle.
'When the poor barmaid returned (taking out the queen from your pocket)
with the wine, great was her astonishment to find the room empty. "Lor!"
she exclaimed, "why, I do declare--did you ever!--Oh! but I'm not agoing
to be sarved so. I'll catch the rogues, all of them--that I will." And
off she went after them, as shown by placing her ON, or at any rate,
AFTER the first.
'Now, to catch the three seemed impossible; but the ladies have always
smiled at impossibilities, and wonders never cease; for, if you have the
goodness to cut these cards, you will find that she HAS caught the three
rogues.'
When the cards are cut, proceed in the USUAL WAY after cutting--NOT as
required in the last trick; and taking up the cards, you will find the
queen and three knaves together, which you take out and exhibit to the
astonished audience.
Of course, one of these knaves is not one of the three first exhibited,
but the one which you slipped on your left hand at first. There is no
chance of detection, however; simply for the reason before given--nobody
suspects the trick.
4. How to name every card in a pack successively turned up by a second
party, and win every trick at a hand of Whist.
This is, perhaps, the most astonishing of all tricks with cards.
Although it may be true that whatever puzzle one man invents, some other
man may unravel, as before observed, I am decidedly of opinion that this
trick defies detection. At the first blush it seems very difficult to
learn; but it is simplicity itself in explanation.
Begin by laying out the cards in four rows according to the suits, all
of a suit in a row side by side.
The cards must now be arranged for the trick. Take up the six in the top
or bottom row, then the two in the next row, the ten in the third, and
the nine in the fourth, placing them one upon the other in the left
hand. Then begin again with the row from which you took the six, and
take up the three. From the next row take the king. These numbers will
be easily remembered with a little practice, amounting altogether to 30,
made up thus--6 and 2 are 8, 8 and 10 are 18, 18 and 9 are 27, 27 and 3
are 30--KING.
By repeating this addition a few times, it will be fixed in the memory.
Proceed by next beginning with the row next to the one from which you
took the last card or the king, and take the eight; from the next row
take the four; from the next the ace; from the next the knave. These
cards make up 13. Therefore say, 8 and 4 are 12 and 1 are 13--knave.
From the next row to that whence you took the knave, take the seven;
from the next row take the five; from the next the queen. These cards
make up 12. Thus, 7 and 5 are 12--queen.
It thus appears that you have taken up thirteen cards consisting of the
four suits, successively taken and being arranged as follows:--6, 2, 10,
9, 3, king; 8, 4, 1, knave; 7, 5, queen.
Proceed in like manner with the remainder of the cards, beginning with
the row next to that from which you took the queen, and take the six,
then from the next row the two, and so on as before, making up another
batch of 13 cards.
Repeat the process for a third batch, and finish with the remainder for
the fourth--always remembering to take the card from the next row in
succession continually; in other words, only one card must be taken from
each row at a time.
When the cards are thus arranged, request a party to cut them. This is
only pretence; for you must take care dexterously to replace the cut
just as it was before. Let them be cut again, and replace them as
before. Your ruse will not be detected, simply because nobody suspects
the possibility of the thing.
Now take up the pack, and from the BOTTOM take the first four cards;
handing the remainder to a party, sitting before you, saying--'I shall
now call every card in succession from the top of the pack in your
hand.'
To do this, two things must be remembered; and there is no difficulty in
it. First, the numbers 6, 2, 10, 9, 3, king, &c., before given; and next
the SUIT of those cards.
Now you know the NUMBERS by heart, and the SUIT is shown by the four
cards which you hold in your hand, fan-like, in the usual way. If the
first of the four cards be a club, the first card you call will be the
six of clubs; if the next be a heart, the next card called will be the
two of hearts, and so on throughout the thirteen made up from every
row, as before given, and the suits of each card will be indicated
successively by the suit of each of your four indicator cards, thus,
as the case may be, clubs, hearts, diamonds, spades; clubs, hearts,
diamonds, spades, and so on.
After a little private practice, you will readily and rapidly call, as
the case may be, from the four cards in your hand:--the six of clubs,
two of hearts, ten of diamonds, nine of spades, three of clubs, king
of hearts, eight of diamonds, four of spades, ace of clubs, knave of
hearts, seven of diamonds, five of spades, queen of clubs--and so on to
the last card in the pack.
In the midst of the astonishment produced by this seemingly prodigious
display of memory, say--'Now, if you like, we will have a hand at Whist,
and I undertake to win every trick if I be allowed to deal.'
Let the Whist party be formed, and get the cards cut as usual--only
taking care to REPLACE them, as before enjoined, precisely as they were.
Deal the cards, and the result will be that your thirteen cards will be
ALL TRUMPS. Let the game proceed until your opponents 'give it up' in
utter bewilderment.
This splendid trick seems difficult in description, but it is one of
the easiest; and even were it ten times more difficult than it is, the
reader will perhaps admit that it is worth mastering. Once committed to
memory the figures are never forgotten, and a few repetitions, with the
cards before you, will suffice to enable you to retain them.
5. Two persons having each drawn a card and replaced them in the pack,
to guess these cards.
Make a set of all the clubs and spades, and another set of hearts and
diamonds. Shuffle well each set, and even let them be shuffled by the
spectators. Then request a person to draw a card from one of the sets,
and another person to draw one from the second set.
You now take a set in each hand, presenting them to the two persons,
requesting them to replace the drawn cards. You must pretend to present
to each person the set from which he drew his card, but in reality you
present the red set to the person who drew the black card, and the black
set to the person who drew the red card.
Each person having replaced his card, you get each set shuffled. Then
you take them in hand, and by running them over you easily find the red
card amongst the black, and the black card amongst the red.
Of course you will have prepared the sets beforehand, and take care to
alter the arrangement as soon as possible after the trick. But you can
prepare the pack in the presence of others without their detecting it.
Distribute the cards by dealing according to the two colours; take them
up, and having placed the red set a little projecting over the black,
set them down, and, pretending to cut them, separate the sets.
6. Twenty cards being arranged upon a table, a person thinks of two, and
you undertake to guess them.
Lay out twenty cards of any kind, two by two,
| c | i | c | o | s |
| d | e | d | i | t |
| t | u | m | u | s |
| n | e | m | o | n |
and request a party to think of two in a line; that is, one of the ten
sets formed by the twenty cards. This done you take up the sets in the
order in which they lie, and place them in rows according to the letters
of the words. You may use a diagram like the preceding, but as the words
are easily retained it had better be dispensed with, distributing the
cards on the table just as though upon the diagram, which will make the
trick more puzzling and extraordinary. Proceed as follows:--Place the
cards two by two on similar letters: thus, place the two cards of the
first set on the two d's in dedit; the two cards of the second set on
the two i's of cicos and dedit; the two of the third set on the two c's,
and so on with the ten sets.
All the letters of the words being thus covered, ask the party who has
thought of the cards to tell you in which lines these cards are. If both
are in the first line (cicos), they must be those on the two c's; if
they are both in the second line, they cover the d's in dedit; both in
the third line, they cover the u's in tumus; both in the fourth, they
cover the n's in nemon.
If one be in the first line and the other in the second, they cover the
i's in cicos and dedit, and thus of the rest--the two cards thought
of NECESSARILY covering two SIMILAR LETTERS, whilst each of the letters
occurs only TWICE in the diagram.
7. To tell a card thought of without even looking at the cards.
Take any number of cards,--say twenty. Pretend to shuffle them with
the faces towards you, and REMEMBER THE FIRST CARD as you close
the pack--suppose the ten of diamonds. Tell the party that the only
condition you require is to be told the ORDER in which the card is dealt
out by you; in other words, he must tell you whether in dealing it comes
out first, second, third, &c.
Remembering your first card, you may then turn your back to him, and
deal out the cards one by one, and one upon the top of the other,
requesting him to think of a card and its order as before said.
Then take up the cards, and shuffle them repeatedly, by throwing a
portion of them from the bottom to the top, taking care not to mix the
cards or let any drop, and then let the party cut them as often as
he pleases. Then, take the cards in hand. Pretend to examine them
mysteriously, but in reality only look for YOUR card--the first dealt
out--the ten of diamonds for instance. Now, suppose he tells you that
the card he thought of came out FIFTH. Then, for a certainty, it is the
fourth card on the RIGHT of the ten of diamonds, in spite of all YOUR
shuffling, and all regular cutting, for such shuffling and regular
cutting cannot alter the order or sequence of the cards. Always remember
to count from your own card inclusive to the number of the card thought
of towards your right hand. But should your card happen to be so near
the right hand or the top as not to allow sufficient counting, then
count as far as it admits to the RIGHT and then continue at the LEFT.
Thus, suppose there are only two cards above the ten of diamonds, then
count two more on the left, making the fifth. If the card you remember,
or your first card, is first, then count the requisite number on the
left, always beginning with YOUR card, however.
The REASON of this trick is simply that by merely cutting the cards, and
shuffling them in the way indicated, you do not alter the SEQUENCE of
the cards. With regard to this sort of SHUFFLING, I may say that it
is simply CUTTING the cards--always preserving their sequence--a most
important fact for card-players, since it may lead to a pretty accurate
conjecture of all the hands after a deal, from the study of the one in
hand, with reference to the tricks turned down after the previous deal,
as already suggested. Hence, in shuffling for whist or other games, the
cards should not be shuffled in this way, but more thoroughly mixed by
the edgewise shuffling of certain players.
This is the trick I alluded to at the commencement of the chapter, the
mode of performing which I succeeded in discovering.
Of course ANY NUMBER of persons may think of cards, remembering their
order, and the operator will tell them, in like manner.
8. A person having thought of one of fifteen cards presented to him, to
guess the card thought of.
Form three ranks of five cards each, and request a party to think of one
of these cards, and tell you in which rank it is. Take up the cards of
the three ranks, taking care to place the cards of the ranks in which is
the card thought of between those of the two other ranks.
Make three more ranks as before. Ask the party again in which rank the
card is, and take them up, placing the rank in which the card is between
the two others. Operate in like manner a third time, and the card
thought of will infallibly be the THIRD of the rank named by the party.
Observe, however, you must not form each rank with five consecutive
cards; but you must place the cards one by one, placing one successively
in each rank; thus, one at the top on the left of the first rank, one
below that first for the second rank, one below the second for the third
rank, then one in the first, one in the second, one in the third, and so
on.
This trick, which is very easy, always produces a great effect. It only
requires a little attention, and it can never fail unless you make a
mistake in arranging the cards, which, however, is too simple to admit
of error.
9. Two persons having each drawn a card from a pack, and having replaced
them, to tell these cards after the pack has been shuffled and cut by
the spectators as often as they like.
The cards may be easily divided into two numerical parts, even and odd:
by taking a king for four points, a queen for three, a knave for two,
and the other cards for their especial points, we may make up two sets
of sixteen cards each, the even composing one, and the odd the other.
These two sets being before the performer, he takes one, shuffles it
well, and lets a party take a card. He then takes the other, shuffles
it, and lets another party take a card. Then, whilst each party
is looking at his card, which HE IS REQUESTED TO DO, the performer
dexterously changes the place of the two sets, and he requests the
parties to replace the cards in the set whence they took them. It
follows that the party who took a card from the EVEN set places it in
the ODD set, and he who took it from the ODD set places it in the even
set. Consequently, all the shuffling and cutting in the world will be
useless, for the performer has only to spread out the cards of each set
to point out the cards drawn.
10. Singular arrangement of sixteen cards.
Take the four kings, the four queens, the four knaves, and the four tens
of a pack, and ask if there be any one in the company who can form a
square with them in such a manner that, taken in any direction, from
right to left, from the top to the bottom, by the diagonal--anyhow, in
fact--there will always be in each line a king, queen, knave, and a ten.
Everybody will think the thing easy, but it is certain that no one will
succeed in doing it. When they 'give it up,' take the sixteen cards and
arrange them as shown, when the king, queen, knave, and ten will stand
as required.
11. The seven trick.
Make up the four sevens of a pack, and take seven other cards, no matter
which, for another lot, and, presenting both lots, you say:--Here are
two lots totally dissimilar; nevertheless, there is one of seven, and
I declare it will be the first touched by any party present. Of course,
when touched, you at once prove your words by exhibiting either the
sevens or the seven cards--taking care to mix the cards into the pack
immediately to prevent detection.
12. Infallible method for guessing any number that a party has thought
of.
Take the first ten cards of a pack of 52 cards. Set out these ten cards
as shown below, so that the point A should correspond to the ace, and to
1--the point F to the card representing the 6--and E to the 10.
2 3 4
B C D
1 A--------E 5
10 K--------F 6
I H G
9 8 7
Thus prepared, you request a party to think of a card, and then you tell
him to touch any number he pleases, requesting him to name it aloud.
Then, adding the whole number of the cards to the number touched, you
tell him to count backwards to himself, beginning with the card touched,
and giving to that card the number of the one thought of. By counting in
this way, the party will at length count the entire number on the card
thought of, which you will thus be able to designate with certainty.
Example:--Suppose the card thought of is G, marking 7; again, supposing
the one touched to be D, equal to 4; you add to this number the entire
number of cards, which is, in this case, 10, which will make 14. Then,
making the party count this sum, from the number touched, D to C, B, A,
and so on, backwards, so that in commencing to count the number thought
of, 7 on D, the party will continue, saying, 8 on C, 9 on B, 10 on A, 11
on K, 12 on I, 13 on H, and end with counting 14 on G; and you will thus
discover that the number thought of is 7, which corresponds to G.
Of course the party counts TO himself, and only speaks to designate the
point on which he stops, namely, G in this example.
This trick may be performed with any number of cards--as few as six, or
as many as fifteen. Then you must always add to the number the total of
the cards used. The trick will be much more interesting and striking
if you turn the cards face downwards, only trusting to your memory to
retain the order of the numbers.
Of course, the letters are only used to facilitate the explanation. The
cards really form a sort of circle, beginning at 1 or the ace on the
left, and then continuing with the 2, the 3, the 4, the 5, and so on, to
the 10 below the ace; and, by necessity, the party must end his counting
with the very card he thought of, beginning from the one he happens to
point out.
13. The card that cannot be found.
Take any number of cards and spread them out fan-like in your hand,
faces fronting the spectators.
Ask one of them to select a card. You tell him to take it, and then to
place it at the bottom of the pack. You hold up the pack, so that the
spectators may see that the card is really at the bottom. Suppose this
card is the king of hearts.
Then, pretending to take that card, you take the card preceding it, and
place it at a point corresponding to A in the following figure.
A C
B D
You then take the card drawn, namely, the king of hearts, and place it
at the point corresponding to B in the above figure. Finally, you take
any two other cards, and place them at C and D.
Of course, the cards are placed face downwards.
After this location of the cards, you tell the party who has chosen
the card that you will change the position of the cards, by pushing
alternately that at the point A to B, and that at D to C, and vice
versa; and you defy him to follow you in these gyrations of the card,
and to find it.
Of course, seeing no difficulty in the thing, and believing with
everybody that his card is placed at the point A, he will undertake to
follow and find his card. Then performing what you undertake to do, you
rapidly change the places of the cards, and yet slowly enough to enable
the party to keep in view the card which he thinks his own, and so that
you may not lose sight of the one you placed at B.
Having thus arranged the cards for a few moments, you ask the party to
perform his promise by pointing out his card. Feeling sure that he never
lost sight of it, he instantly turns one of the cards and is astonished
to find that it is not his own. Then you say:--'I told you you would
not be able to follow your card in its ramble. But I have done what you
couldn't do: here is your card!'
The astonishment of the spectators is increased when you actually show
the card; for, having made them observe in the first instance, that
you did not even look at the drawn card, they are utterly at a loss
to discover the means you employed to find out and produce the card in
question.
14. Cards being drawn from a pack, to get them guessed by a person
blindfolded.
At all these performances there are always amongst the spectators
persons in league with the prestidigitator. In the present case a woman
is the assistant, with whom he has entered into an arrangement by which
each card is represented by a letter of the alphabet; and the following
are the cards selected for the trick with their representative letters.
The performer takes a handkerchief and blindfolds the lady in question,
and places her in the centre of the circle of spectators. Then spreading
out the cards, he requests each of the spectators to draw a card.
He requests the first to give him the card he has drawn; he looks at it,
and placing it on the table face downwards, he asks the lady to name the
card, which she does instantly and without hesitation.
Of course this appears wonderful to the spectators, and their
astonishment goes on increasing whilst the lady names every card in
succession to the last.
It is, however, a very simple affair. Each card represents a letter of
the alphabet, as we see by the figure, and all the performer has to do
is to begin every question with the letter corresponding to the card.
Suppose the party has drawn the king of hearts. Its letter is A.
The performer exclaims--'Ah! I'm sure you know this!' The A at once
suggests the card in question. Suppose it is the ace of clubs. He
says--'Jump at conclusions if you like, but be sure in hitting this card
on the nail.' J begins the phrase, and represents the card in question.
Suppose it is the ten of spades, he cries out--'Zounds! if you mistake
this you are not so clever a medium as I took you for.' The ace of
diamonds--'Quite easy, my dear sir,' or 'my dear ma'am,' as the case may
be. Q represents the ace of diamonds. The queen of diamonds--'Oh,
the beauty!' The ace of hearts--'Dear me! what is this?' The ace of
spades--'You are always right, name it.' The nine of diamonds--'So! so!
well, I'm sure she knows it.'
Doubtless these specimens will suffice to suggest phrases for every
other card. Such phrases may be written out and got by heart--only
twenty-three being required; but this seems useless, for it does not
require much tact at improvisation to hit upon a phrase commencing with
any letter. However, it will be better to take every precaution rather
than run the risk of stopping in the performance, whose success mainly
depends upon the apparently inspired rapidity of the answers. The
performer might conceal in the hollow of his hand a small table exactly
like the figure, to facilitate his questions. As for the medium, he,
or she, must rely entirely on memory. Of course the spectators may be
allowed to see that the medium is completely blindfolded. This modern
trick has always puzzled the keenest spectators
15. The mystery of double sight.
All the cards of a pack, or indeed any common object touched by a
spectator, may be named by an assistant in the following way--whilst in
another apartment, or blindfolded.
Take 32 cards and arrange them in four lines, one under the other. You
arrange with your assistant to name the first line after the days of
the week; the second will represent the weeks, the third the months, the
fourth the years. The assistant is enjoined to count the days aloud, and
the first card by the left.
The following is the entire scheme:--
Days 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8* Weeks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Months 1 2 3** 4 5 6 7 8
Years 1 2 3 4 5 6 7*** 8
The cards being thus arranged, the party who has to guess them retires
from the room. When he is recalled, whether blindfolded or not, he
pretends to count to himself for a considerable time, so as to allow his
associate time to say to him, without affectation or exciting suspicion
of collusion--'I give you,' or 'I give him SO MUCH TIME to guess what is
required; 'for it is in this phrase that the whole secret of the trick
is contained, as I shall proceed to demonstrate.
Suppose the card touched be one of those marked with the asterisks * **
***; if it be the first, the associate says,; I give him eight days to
guess it.' Then the medium, beginning with the upper line, that of the
days, will at once be able to say that the card touched is the eighth of
the first horizontal line, or the first of the eighth vertical line.
If it be the card holding the place of the number marked with two
asterisks ** the associate says 'three months,' and 'seven years' for
the one marked with three asterisks ***.
Thus, whatever card is touched, it will be easy to indicate it, by
beginning with the line of days at the top, counting one from the left
of the associate and medium.
Such is the simple process; and the following is the conventional
catechism adopted by all theoperators in double sight, with a few
variations adapted to circumstances.
With this collection of words and phrases, every existing object can
be guessed, provided care be taken to classify them according to the
following indications.
To operate, two persons must establish a perfect understanding between
them. One undertakes the questions, the other the answers, the latter
having his eyes perfectly blindfolded. Both of them must thoroughly know
the following numbers with their correspondences:--
1. Now. 9. Quick. 2. Answer or reply. 10. Say. 3. Name. 20. Tell me. 4.
What is the object, or thing. 30. I request you. 5. Try. 40. Will you.
6. Again. 50. Will you (to) me. 7. Instantly. 60. Will you (to) us. 8.
Which?
Example:--Add the question of the simple number to the question of the
decade or ten. Thus, in pronouncing the words 'Say now,' 11--for say is
10, and now is 1, total 11. This, therefore, forms question 11.
Again--'Tell me which number,' 28--for 'tell me' is 20, and 'which' is
8, total 28.
Thirdly:--'I request you instantly,' 37; for 'I request you' is 30, and
'instantly' is 7, total 37.
All the expressions or words that follow are totally independent of the
answer, and are only adapted to embellish or mystify the question as far
as the audience is concerned. For instance:
Question 7. Instantly, what I have in my hand? Answer, A watch.
Question 9. Quick, the hour? Answer, nine o'clock.
Question 30, I request you (2) reply--the minutes. Answer, 32 minutes,
that is 30 and 2, equal to 32.
It would be useless to give the entire correspondence invented for this
apparently mysterious revelation, as a few specimens will suffice to
show the principle.
Say what I hold? A handkerchief.
Say now what I hold? A snuff-box.
Say, reply, what I hold? A pair of spectacles.
Say and name what I hold? A box.
Say and try to say what I hold? A hat.
Say quickly what I hold? An umbrella.
Tell me, reply, what I hold? A knife.
Tell me what I hold? A purse.
Tell me now what I hold? A pipe.
Tell me and try to say what I hold? A needle.
Tell me quickly what I hold? A cane.
I request you to say what I hold? A portfolio.
I request you to say now what I hold? Paper.
I request you to say, reply, what I hold? A book.
I request you to say quickly what I hold? A coin.
Will you say, reply, what I hold?--A cigar.
Will you say, name what I hold?--A cane.
Will you say, again, what I hold?--A newspaper.
Now, what I hold?--A bottle.
Reply, what I hold?--A jug.
Name what I hold?--A glass.
Again, what contains this vessel?--Wine.
Instantly, what this vessel contains?--Beer.
Now the form?--Triangular.
Reply, the form?--Round.
Name the form?--Square.
The form?--Oval.
Try to indicate the form?--Pointed.
Again, indicate the form?--Flat.
Now, the colour?--White.
Reply, the colour?--Blue.
Name the colour?--Red.
The colour of this object?--Black.
Try to tell the colour?--Green.
Again, the colour?--Yellow.
Now, the metal?--Gold.
Reply, the metal?--Silver.
The metal of the thing?--Copper.
Again, the metal?--Iron.
Instantly, the metal?--Lead.
Ah! the figure or hour?--1.
Well?--2. 'Tis good?--3.
'Tis well?--4.
Good?--5.
But?--6.
Let's see?--7.
That's it?--8.
&c.
Now name the suit of this card?--Clubs.
Reply, the suit of this card?--Hearts.
Name the suit of this card?--Spades.
The suit of this card?--Diamonds.
It is obvious, from the preceding specimen, that a conventional
catechism involving every object can be contrived by two persons, and
adapted to every circumstance. The striking performances of the most
notorious mesmeric 'patients' in this line prove the possibility of the
achievement. The 'agent' who receives the questions in writing or in a
whisper thus communicates the answer to the patient, who is laboriously
trained in the entire encyclopaedia of 'common things' and things
generally known; but it MAY happen that the question proposed by the
spectator has been omitted in the scheme.
On one occasion, when the famous Prudence was the 'patient,' and was
telling the taste of all manner of liquids from a glass of water, I
proposed 'Blood' to the 'agent.' He shook his head, said he would try;
but it was useless. She said she 'couldn't do it,' and the agent frankly
admitted that it was a failure.
Now, if the mesmeric consciousness were really, as pretended, the
result of mental intercommunication between the agent and patient, it is
obvious that the well-known taste of blood could be communicated as
well as any other taste. This experiment suffices to prove that the
revelations are communicated in the matter-of-fact way which I have
sufficiently described.
Should it happen that a spectator has discovered the method, the
performers easily turn the tables against him. They have always ready
a conventional list of common things; and the agent undertakes that his
mesmeric patient will indicate them without hearing a word from him,
even in another apartment. The agent then merely touches the object, and
the patient begins with the first name in his list. The patient takes
care to give the agent sufficient time, lest he should name the object
next to be touched before the agent applies his finger, and thus, as it
were, call for it rather than name it when touched, as required by the
case.
1. Guessing.
Five persons having each thought of a different card, to guess five
cards.
Take twenty-five cards, show five of them to a party, requesting him to
think of one, then place them one upon the other. Proceed in like
manner with five more to a second party, and so on, five parties in all,
placing the fives on the top of each other. Then, beginning with the top
cards, make five lots, placing one card successively in each lot; and
ask the five parties, one after the other, in which lot their card is.
As the first five cards are the first of each lot, it is evident that
the card thought of by the first party is the first of the lot he points
to; that of the second, is the second of the lot he points to; that of
the third, the third of the third lot; that of the fourth, the fourth of
the fourth lot; that of the fifth, the fifth of the fifth lot.
Of course five persons are not necessary. If there be but one person,
the card must be the first of the lot he points to.
It would be more artistic, perhaps, if you dispense with seeing the
cards, making the lots up with your eyes turned away from the table.
Then request the parties to observe in which lot their respective card
is, and, taking the lots successively in hand, present to each the card
thought of without looking at it yourself.
17. The Arithmetical Puzzle.
This card trick, to which I have alluded in a previous page, cannot fail
to produce astonishment; and it is one of the most difficult to unravel.
Hand a pack of cards to a party, requesting him to make up parcels of
cards, in the following manner. He is to count the number of pips on the
first card that turns up, say a five, and then add as many cards as are
required to make up the number 12; in the case here supposed, having
a five before him, he will place seven cards upon it, turning down the
parcel. All the court cards count as 10 pips; consequently, only two
cards will be placed on such to make up 12. The ace counts as only one
pip.
He will then turn up another, count the pips upon it, adding cards as
before to make up the number 12; and so on, until no more such parcels
can be made, the remainder, if any, to be set aside, all being turned
down.
During this operation, the performer of the trick may be out of the
room, at any rate, at such a distance that it will be impossible for him
to see the first cards of the parcels which have been turned down; and
yet he is able to announce the number of pips made up by all the first
cards laid down, provided he is only informed of the number of parcels
made up and the number of the remainder, if any.
The secret is very simple. It consists merely in multiplying the number
of parcels over four by 13 (or rather vice versa), and adding the
remaining cards, if any, to the product.
Thus, there have just been made up seven packets, with five cards over.
Deducting 4 from 7, 3 remain; and I say to myself 13 times 3 (or rather
3 times 13) are 39, and adding to this the five cards over, I at once
declare the number of pips made up by the first cards turned down to be
44.
There is another way of performing this striking trick. Direct six
parcels of cards to be made up in the manner aforesaid, and then, on
being informed of the number of cards remaining over, add that number to
26, and the sum will be the number of pips made up by the first cards of
the six parcels.
Such are the methods prescribed for performing this trick; but I have
discovered another, which although, perhaps, a little more complicated,
has the desirable advantage of explaining the seeming mystery.
Find the number of cards in the parcels, by subtracting the remainder,
if any, from 52. Subtract the number of pip cards therefrom, deduct this
last from the number made up of the number of parcels multiplied by 12,
and the remainder will be the number of pips on the first cards.
To demonstrate this take the case just given. There are seven parcels
and five cards over. First, this proves that there are 47 cards in the
seven parcels made up of pips and cards. Secondly, subtract the number
of pip cards--seven from the number of cards in the parcels; then, 7
from 47, 40 remain (cards). Thirdly, now, as the seven parcels are made
up both of the pip cards and cards, it is evident that we have only
to find the number of cards got at as above, to get the number of pips
required. Thus, there being seven packets, 7 times 12 make 84; take
40, as above found (the number of cards), and the remainder is 44, the
number of pips as found by the first method explained,--the process
being as follows:--
52 - 5 = 47 - 7 = 40.
Then, 7 X 12 = 84 - 40 = 44.
In general, however, the first method, being the easiest of performance,
should be adopted. The second is in many respects very objectionable.
18. To get a card into a pack firmly held by a party.
This trick strikingly shows how easily we may all be deceived by
appearances.
Select the five or seven of any suit, say the seven of hearts, and
handing the remainder of the pack to a party, show him the card, with
your thumb on the seventh pip, so as to conceal it, saying:--'Now, hold
the pack as firmly as you can, and keep your eye upon it to see that
there is no trickery, and yet I undertake to get into it this six of
hearts.' This injunction rivets his attention, and doubtless, like other
wise people destined to be deceived, he feels quite sure that nobody can
'take him in.' In this satisfactory condition for the operation on both
sides, you flourish the card so as just to reach the level of the top
of your hat (if you wear an Alpine scolloped, so much the better),
and then, bringing down the card, rapidly strike it on the pack twice,
uttering the words one, two, at each stroke; but, on the third raising
of the card, leave it on the top of your hat, striking the pack with
your hand--with the word three. Then request the party to look for the
six of hearts in the pack, and he will surely find it, to his amazement.
This trick may be performed in a drawing-room, if the operator be
seated, dropping the card behind his back, especially in an easy-chair.