SECOND SIGHT AND KINDRED PHENOMENA.
As far back in history as one cares to go he will find mention of
magicians and the works of magic which they performed. Even before the
building of the Pyramids in Egypt magic was a reputed art.
We read in the Bible of Aaron casting down his rod before Pharaoh and
his servants and its becoming a serpent. The magicians of Egypt then
being summoned by Pharaoh did likewise with their enchantments, turning
their rods into serpents. (Exodus, Chapter seven, Verses ten and
eleven.)
Magic was greatly in vogue in the middle ages, and we read weird tales
of ghosts and gnomes in literature of that time.
One of the earliest of the necromancers of whom we read was Joseph
Balsamo, known as Count Cagliostro. He married a very beautiful girl at
Rome, who proved of great assistance to him in his impostures, and with
her and a retinue of servants traveled all over Europe and scattered
money right and left. He, however, reaped an abundant harvest by his
impostures. He was very cordially received wherever he went, and was
believed in by serious-minded and educated men. In Paris he became
involved in some affair and was thrown into Bastille. Though eventually
liberated, he was compelled to leave Paris. Cagliostro was the last
to win any great fame as a pretender to occultism, although there
was a feeble attempt to revive thaumaturgy in the nineteenth century
by Madame Blavatsky. Science, however, has laughed away sorcery and
witchcraft.
In London, 1784, we read of Chevalier and Madame Pinetti, and his
wonderful experiments of new discovery. We read of Madame Pinetti being
seated in one of the front boxes of the theatre, blind-folded, and
guessing at everything imagined and proposed to her by any person in
the company. Here we have the first mention of the second sight trick
which, in the hands of latter-day artists, has become so popular.
Houdin rediscovered it, passed it on to Robert Heller, who improved it,
and at the present day Keller and others make it a feature of their
performances.
Heller’s performance was very remarkable and mystified the people for
years, even after his death; in fact, until Mr. Fred Hunt, Jr., who was
Heller’s assistant for many years, made an _exposé_ for the “London
Times.”
Heller used to perform with his sister, Haidee Heller. She was
introduced to the audience blind-folded and seated upon the stage.
Heller would then go among the audience and receive from them various
articles, which Miss Heller accurately described. Heller’s method
consisted of a very elaborate code of words, which system he so
simplified as to embrace every variety of article, classified in sets.
One question with a word or two added sufficed to give the desired
information to his sister, who had a thorough knowledge of the code,
and she could at once describe any desired article.
Heller also had a silent method of performing these tricks, in which
he did not speak a word, and this effect puzzled every one. It was
accomplished by means of electricity. A confederate sat among the
spectators, near the center aisle of the theatre, and the wires of an
electric battery connected with his chair, a small push button being
under front part of seat. The wires ran from the confederate’s chair
to the floor and under the carpet and underneath the stage, then up
to the floor of the stage, and connected to a small metal plate. The
chair on which Miss Heller sat had two little pins in one leg, and
these were placed upon the metal plate in the floor. In the chair was
a little mechanical contrivance connected with wires which ran through
the woodwork and down through the leg of the chair, and connected to
the two little pins before mentioned. When the chair was placed on the
plate the connection was made, and when the button was pressed by the
confederate the little contrivance used made a slight tapping upon
the chair which could be heard or easily felt by Miss Heller. In this
manner the code used by them could be telegraphed by the assistant.
Heller would bring the article to be described down near where the
assistant sat so that he could see it, and he would then telegraph in
their code a description of what the article might be to Miss Heller,
who sat blind-folded on the stage, and she, to the wonderment of all,
would accurately describe the article.
This method of telegraphing information to an assistant has been used
by later performers in a slightly different manner. The assistant
is concealed at the side of stage where he can see the audience
and performer. The medium is blind-folded, and a committee of
gentlemen come upon the stage and write numbers on a blackboard. The
blind-folded medium adds or subtracts, and tells whatever figure is
pointed to by any one in the committee; also tells the value of cards,
and gives other tests in numbers.
The assistant at side of the stage can see all numbers on the
blackboard and can also see the cards. He communicates the answer to
the blind-folded medium by pulling a little string which runs under the
stage and which causes a little metal rod to come up through a small
hole in the stage floor. The medium sits with her foot directly over
this small hole, and also has a hole about one inch in diameter cut
in the sole of her shoe. Now, when the string is pulled the small rod
presses against the medium’s foot, and when the string is released the
rod, which is fastened to a spring or stout elastic band, again recedes
into the floor.
Suppose the sum of several columns of figures on the blackboard is
5037. The assistant at the side of stage quickly adds them up himself,
and then pulls the string seven times, and the medium calls out in slow
tones, as if under great mental pressure, (not foot pressure) “Put down
number seven.” The assistant now pulls the cord three times and pauses.
“The next figure is number three,” says the medium. To telegraph the
cipher the assistant now gives a long steady pull. The medium now calls
for cipher, and then on receiving five pulls calls out the last number
five. She is thus able to tell any number pointed to by any one. When
vacant space is pointed to the assistant does not pull the string, and,
there being a long pause, the medium knows that no figure is being
pointed to, and says: “You are not pointing to any figure.” The signal
to stop is a series of two pulls in rapid succession.
It sometimes happens that the assistant cannot see what number is
required, say, for instance, the number on a watch or the date on a
coin. In this case the performer communicates with the assistant by
sign language, and the assistant now telegraphs the desired number or
numbers to the medium. The signs may be gotten up as in the following
table:
Closing right hand, sign for number 1.
Frowning, sign for number 2.
Smiling, sign for number 3.
Right hand on hip, sign for number 4.
Raising eyebrows, sign for number 5.
Rubbing chin, sign for number 6.
Drawing mouth to right, sign for number 7.
Rubbing ear, sign for number 8.
Hand to brow, sign for number 9.
Looking to floor, sign for 0.
A great many signs can be used, and most performers have their own.
The telegraphic method is very good for tests in numbers, but for
the communication of words or questions is too slow, and it is also
difficult for medium to get the question, if it be a long one, as she
cannot write it down, and, therefore, this method is not often used in
anything but number tests.
Some of the performers in magic around the country are now giving very
mysterious exhibitions in thought transmission. Notably among these are
the Baldwins, known as the “White Mahatmas,” and the Fays in their act
called “Thaumaturgy.” Their performances are remarkable, and I will now
describe the effect, and offer some solutions to the mystery. I do not
say that the methods I suggest are the only ones used, for there are so
many methods that it would be impossible to describe them all. I will
merely tell the principal methods employed for producing these effects
by purely mechanical means. Now, for a description of the tricks
performed by some of the present conjurors.
The performer announces that his assistant, who is usually a woman,
and whom I choose to call a medium in the following description, will
read and answer questions written by the people in the audience, which
they may have written at home on their own paper or at the theatre. He
instructs them to write a short question and sign their name if they
wish an answer, then to fold the question up and place same in their
pocket or pocketbook. For the convenience of those who have not written
their questions at home the performer and the ushers distribute slips
of paper and pencils among the audience. They also pass out pieces of
millboard to act as a rest on which to write the question. They (the
performer and ushers) disclaim any preparation of these millboards
and they are only passed out to obviate the inconvenience of writing
on the knee. A number of these boards are torn in two and given to
the audience to examine, and keep as souvenirs, if they so wish. This
is done to show that there is no preparation about the boards. After
the questions are written the boards are brought back by the ushers
and laid upon the stage in view of all. A little vaudeville show
now usually takes place, which occupies a half-hour or so, the star
performance or that of thought transmission or telepathy being held
until last.
Before commencing this last part the performer makes a few remarks
and impresses it upon the audience that if they wish their questions
answered they must concentrate their minds upon them, for if they
oppose “the one with attributes not usually utilized by man” or think
that the medium cannot read their questions then she cannot, and they
will not be answered. He instructs the audience that if any person’s
name be called, whether he or she has written a question or not, to
promptly respond by raising his hand so as to put himself in direct
communication with the medium. Why the raising of the hand, which is
somewhat embarrassing to a person, places him into closer or more
direct communication with the medium the performer fails to explain.
To assist the audience to concentrate their thoughts on the questions
he bids them take out their questions from their pockets or purses
or wherever they may be concealed, and occasionally read them over.
At this point a rustle of paper is usually heard all over the house,
showing what faith the audience have in the performance.
The performer now presents the medium. She is very carefully
blind-folded, and then mesmerized by the performer. A large sheet is
now usually thrown over the medium, ostensibly to shut out material
vision and to retain the personal magnetism, which cannot escape
through the white sheet, provided it be a very white one. The performer
and ushers now distribute themselves about the theatre, and the medium
now starts in something after the following:—
“Sitting down stairs and to my right there comes to me the name of
Smith. I believe it is Clarence R. Smith.”
Now the performer requests Mr. Smith to raise his hand, which he does,
and the medium continues:—
“He is sending me a thought about himself. Now, concentrate your
thoughts, Mr. Smith, and think very hard, and I will see if I can get
your question. Yes! He says: ‘Will I be successful?’”
Mr. Smith now states that this is the question which he has written,
and the medium now proceeds to answer him in something of this manner:—
“I see no reason, Mr. Smith, why you will not be successful, and I
think you will. However, you will make a change in a short time and
will leave your present position as bookkeeper for Brown & Jones.
“You wrote that question out at home, Mr. Smith, and on a card, didn’t
you?
“Yes,—I thought so. It is written in ink, and you wrote it at your
home, No. 734 Main Street. Am I not right?”
Mr. Smith now states that everything the medium has told him is correct
as far as he knows.
The performer now collects the card from Mr. Smith and brings it down
to the front of the house, and calls attention to the fact that it is
not written on his paper. If there is some printed matter on the card
he may ask the medium to read what is there, and she, after a little
hesitation, does so.
This test which I have described would be known as a star test, as the
question was written outside of the theatre and besides reading and
answering the question she describes the card on which it is written.
I will now enter into an explanation of a variety of methods used, or
that may be used, to perform these seemingly remarkable experiments, by
the pure aid of science and trickery.
The very innocent-looking little millboards play a very important
part in performances of this character. Out of a lot of about fifty
boards there are twelve to fifteen that are “faked” in a manner which I
will presently describe. The rest of the boards are, however, without
any preparation, and can be broken open and examined by any one. The
“fake” boards are prepared by inserting under the top thin layer of the
board a piece of white paper and over this a sheet of carbon paper.
The thin layer or face of the board, really a piece of brown paper,
is now pasted down around the edges, which, when sandpapered off,
bears casual inspection without disclosing the secret. Both sides of
the board may be prepared if desired, but one side is usually deemed
sufficient, for the ushers who pass out the boards know which is the
“fake” side. They place a piece of paper on this side and pass it to
the person to write on, and not one person in a hundred will turn the
board over to write on the other side. Any question written on the
paper, using this board as a rest, will be transferred by means of the
carbon paper to the sheet of white paper underneath. The ushers armed
with a handful of good solid boards and four or five “fake” boards now
pass among the audience. By a little practice they are able to pick out
a skeptic or any one whom they think may cause trouble by stealing a
board or tearing it open for the purpose of discovering the secret in
the board. To those they give the genuine boards, and if that person
should now break it open for the purpose of exposing the performer he
feels very cheap on finding no preparation about it. As before stated,
to all of those of whom the ushers are suspicious they pass genuine
boards, and to others they pass the “fake” boards with paper and
pencil, and they are very careful to get all of these boards back.
They may occasionally break open a good board to show that there is no
preparation. Several questions can be written on each prepared board,
as the questions, being brief, are not apt to be written on the same
part of the board, and even if they are can easily be read.
The ushers, after they have collected all the boards, retire to the
back of the house, where they slip the “fake” boards under their coats
or vests, and then bring down the genuine ones with some little show,
holding them above their heads and throwing them carelessly down upon
the stage, where they remain during the entire performance.
The performer also passes out some boards to be written on, but as all
eyes are on him he has no opportunity to slip any of these boards under
his vest, so he uses only genuine boards, and is not very particular
whether they are returned or not. Questions written on these boards are
not answered, that is, not by any assistance of the boards, but they
may be answered by some of the other methods, which I will describe
later.
The ushers now carry their boards around to the back of the stage to
the medium, where they are arranged in piles. The usher who distributes
the boards on the right side of the house places his in one pile; a
pile is also made by the usher from the left of the house, another by
the usher from the center of the house, and still another by the usher
from the gallery. In this way it is known in what part of the house the
questioner sits.
A paper knife is now inserted under the top sheet of board and the top
sheet removed and the white sheet with the copy of the questions on
it is taken out. The medium and her assistants now either cut these
questions out, making little slips of them, or copy them into a little
book, making notes regarding the answers under each question where it
is necessary. Of course, the sensational part of the performance is in
the answers the medium gives, and the quicker and cleverer she is in
her answers determines the success of the performance.
The medium and assistants now, while the vaudeville show is taking
place on the stage, work up the answers. They are provided with recent
issues of local papers from which they can get information about local
affairs, and also are able to post themselves on the latest stock
quotations, if any question is asked about them, and there usually
are a number. They also have a directory of the town they are in,
which contains a great deal of useful information for their business.
Suppose the medium only has the name of some man in the audience. She
can look that person up in the directory, find out his business and
his home address, and, by consulting the street directory, can find
out his next-door neighbors. If, in her performance, she calls out
this man’s name, telling him she cannot seem to catch his question,
as he does not concentrate his thoughts upon it, she may bring in, in
a very clever manner, the information which she has obtained from the
directory, telling him where he lives and naming his neighbors, also
telling him where he is employed. This makes a very good impression
on the audience, especially if the man is well-known in the town and
one who all would know was not in collusion with the performer. The
directory also gives a list of all city and town officials, names of
all physicians, clergymen and lawyers, names of men in the different
departments, such as the police and fire departments, besides giving
a list of all stores and manufactories in the town, their owners and
officers, and it is all in a very convenient form for reference.
I will now describe a similar method of gaining possession of questions
by the aid of the boards, but in this case the boards are free of
preparation, but not so with the small slips of paper distributed, on
which the questions are written. One side of these slips of paper is
prepared by rubbing it over with a piece of hard soap of good quality.
Nothing will be noticed about the paper except that one side seems to
be glazed. The cardboards used have a hard smooth face. In passing out
the slips of paper and boards the soaped side of the paper is placed
down upon the face of the board and passed to members of the audience.
They write their questions upon these papers, naturally using the side
uppermost. The pencils provided have a rather blunt point.
These boards being collected they are carried back of stage as in the
former method. Here the boards are dusted over with some pigment,
such as bronze powder or lamp black. This is now shaken off, and the
questions written will now show up plainly on the boards, the particles
of lamp black or whatever is used sticking to the outline of the soap,
which adhered to the board in the act of writing the question, and
which was not visible until dusted with this fine powdered pigment.
The medium now having a list of questions on which she has made up
suitable answers conceals these in her dress and comes forward onto the
stage, where she is blind-folded. As soon as the large sheet is thrown
over her, however, she pushes this bandage up from her eyes, and the
sheet being of thin material or having a number of threads drawn out
in that portion which covers her face, she is enabled to read her
questions and answers under the sheet.
I think this will fully describe the methods employed where the
questions are written upon the performer’s boards.
I will now describe a number of methods by which she obtains questions
which are written outside of the theatre, and upon the people’s own
paper.
Besides the ushers and assistants we see with the performer at his
exhibition he also employs a number of men and women of whom the
audience know nothing. They act as assistants to the performer in many
ways. Usually one or two of them make a systematic canvass of the
town to be played in a week or so in advance of the performer in the
ostensible occupation of book-agent or peddler of some sort. Their real
mission is, however, to keep their eyes and ears open and gain all the
knowledge possible that may be of assistance to their employer. They
mail a list made up with index to the performer before they leave the
town for the next. On this list they have described subjects of local
interest in the town which they have canvassed. The list may contain a
description of some local mystery, such as a robbery, murder, fire or
wreck, together with a list of names of those persons who are, or are
thought to be, implicated in any way. If an election of any sort is
soon to take place they send the performer a list of the candidates,
with the probable successful candidates, and about how many votes each
is expected to carry. If some race or athletic event is soon to occur
the favorites are mentioned.
This information the performer’s “advance guard” find out from local
papers and by overhearing conversations in the hotels, on the streets,
and at the houses and offices at which they call. By using a little
diplomacy, they can “pump” a whole lot of local gossip and useful
information from the unsuspecting citizens whom they run across,
all of which is sent to the performer, who follows along a week or
two afterwards. This preliminary work is known by professionals as
“planting a town,” and the performer usually reaps the harvest.
Another use of the confederates is to have them scattered through the
audience at the performances. They make it their business to see and
learn what questions those around them write or have written. They
can often overhear one person telling another what question he has
written. The confederates or “cappers,” as they are known, make copies
of these questions they learn of by spying on those around them and
by hearing them talked of. Sometimes they cannot get the person’s
name, and in this case they give the number of the seat the person is
sitting in or a description of the person. In other cases a person’s
name is all they can see or overhear. They write this down, however,
for all information, no matter how trivial, can be made use of in
the performance. The “cappers” also write down a description of the
question, whether written in ink or pencil and the color of same, and a
description of what it is written on, whether a large, small or narrow
piece of paper, card or envelope.
When the boards and papers are passed around the “cappers” write down
all the information they have gathered. This writing by the “cappers”
is not noticed by those sitting around them, for they write the
questions on one of the boards distributed and at the same time all
are writing. When the “cappers” return the boards and pencils to the
ushers they pass the slips, containing the information which they have
gathered, rolled up in little balls to the ushers, who take them in
back of stage to the medium.
A star test is usually worked up by aid of the “cappers,” the medium
answering some question which they are supposed to have written, about
the past or present, describing the details of what they inquire about
in a very tragic manner, the “cappers” announcing that all she tells
them is absolutely correct.
The treasurer or ticket seller of the theatre or hall is usually taken
into the confidence of the performer, and he can furnish additional
information, as he knows the people in town well and by name, and
is able to tell the performer what seats they are sitting in. He is
also able to draw out from those buying tickets what questions they
intend to ask, or they will often volunteer the information, telling
the treasurer that they are coming to see the performance to find out
who stole their watch or who will be the next mayor, or whatever they
may wish to know. The treasurer makes a note of all this, and this
information is used in the act. The person, however, who tells the
treasurer what he would like to know may not write the question at all.
In this case, the medium calling on him and being informed that he has
written no question states that he is thinking of such or such a thing,
and this adds greatly to the act and makes a number of converts to
occultism.
It will be seen now that if at every performance the four or five
“cappers” sitting among the audience are all successful in finding out
two or three questions which are written at home or outside of the
theatre and a description of what they are written upon, together with
what information is obtained from the treasurer of the house, and also
the questions which the medium obtains from the “fake” boards, the
medium has now obtained abundant ammunition of mystery to fire at the
audience for about an hour, the solution of which passes over their
heads.
This method of employing confederates to find out questions written
outside of the theatre is, of course, expensive, and some performers
do not like to use it, not only on account of the expense, but because
often-times “cappers” or “planters” leave the performers and start a
show of their own or give away some of the secrets, so some resort to
another method, which is simple and worked very openly, the working of
which I will now describe.
When the medium is covered with the sheet an assistant under the stage
passes up through a small hole or trap in the floor either a rubber
speaking-tube or a small telephone receiver connected by wires. This is
either connected to the medium’s ear by a band which passes around her
head or is held to her ear by her hand. The rubber speaking-tube or the
wires from the telephone, whichever is used, run under the stage to an
assistant. The arrangement of theatres being very different, there is
no fixed place for the assistant to conceal him or herself, but it is
always in the most advantageous position—sometimes at the side of the
platform, sometimes in one of the lower boxes, but usually underneath
the stage, directly under the footlights or under the runway which runs
from the stage out to the auditorium. The sides of this runway being
boarded up or covered with rugs or carpets, the assistant is concealed
from view of the audience. In one of the steps leading from the runway
down to the floor of the auditorium there is a secret opening, by means
of which the performer is able to pass, unobserved, slips of paper
containing questions and suggestions, which are read by assistant and
telephoned to medium sitting under sheet.
The performer usually stands near these steps and walks back and forth,
while his assistants or ushers wander over the theatre locating the
people whose names are called.
As the performer has requested the audience to take out their questions
and read them over, they are usually held in their hands. The ushers
often on seeing a person holding a question ask to see it for the
purpose of assisting him in thinking about it. The ushers experience
very little difficulty in collecting these questions, as the majority
of the people in the audience believe that the performance is one in
pure thought reading, and think the reason their questions are not
answered is due to their being unable to concentrate their thoughts
upon them, and as they are usually anxious for an answer are very
willing to accept the proffered assistance of the ushers and give them
their questions outright. The usher usually makes a few inquiries about
the question. The usher, if he does not retain the question or slip, on
walking down the aisle makes a copy of it on a little slip of paper,
either in longhand or in some code understood by the assistant, and
furthermore adds what information he has obtained about it.
Suppose the question be:—
“Where is my sister, Mary,” signed, “Annie Laurie.” The usher asks
Miss Laurie when and where her sister was last heard from, and may be
informed that it was a year ago, from Germany.
On the questioner’s slip or copy of same he writes: “last heard from in
Germany a year ago.”
This slip and many others which he has obtained he rolls up into small
balls, and on passing the performer, or under cover of talking to him,
secretly passes him these slips. The performer in turn passes them
through trap opening in the step to the assistant concealed under
same, or possibly drops them over the railing of the lower box, if the
assistant is concealed there, where they are gathered in from the floor
of the box by the assistant and telephoned to medium.
The medium is now able to answer the person’s inquiry about their
missing sister. She utilizes as much dramatic power as possible in her
answers and works them up cleverly, often-times giving information
in her answers which she gains from the written question alone. For
instance, she will probably answer the “lost sister” question as
follows:—
“Some one is sending me a thought from down stairs. It is a lady and I
think her name is Annie Laurie.”
“I see the lady right here!” exclaims an usher, and a connection being
now established between the medium and Miss Laurie, she is able to read
the question. She proceeds.
“Miss Laurie is sending me a thought about her sister, and wants to
know where she is.
“I think I can tell you your sister’s name, Miss Laurie. It is Mary.
Isn’t that right? Yes,—I thought so, and you have not heard from her
for over a year.
“It seems to me she is in a foreign land, and I seem to see the flag of
Germany.
“Your sister is well, Miss Laurie. She has written you a letter and it
is now on its way, and you will receive it next Tuesday.”
“Wonderful!” exclaim the audience, and Miss Laurie goes home a firm
believer in the supernatural, wondering, possibly, if there will be
money in “Mary’s” letter.
The majority of questions written pertain to lost or stolen articles
and questions regarding the future. This is natural, for most people
are not interested in the past or present. It, of course, makes the
answering of the questions very much easier for the medium, for where
the questioner is in ignorance about the answer she can tell him
anything, and the success of her answers is limited only by her skill
and dramatic ability.
There are, however, always a number of skeptics at the performances,
who try and test the value of the medium’s answers by asking questions,
the answers of which they know, such as:—“What is the number of my
watch?” “What was the score of such and such a game?” “What is the date
of the coin in my hand?” etc. The answers to these have to be worked
out with more care, and is usually performed in this way. The medium
has gained knowledge of the question in some of the preceding methods
I have described, and when she answers this question she calls out the
questioner’s name, and states that he or she is thinking about a watch,
about a game, or coin, or whatever the question may be about. She
states she cannot seem to see more, asking the person to think intently
about it and she may get it.
She now proceeds to answer some other questioner, but she has given the
performer a cue that she desires more information about the question
she left unanswered.
The performer now goes to the person, asks for his question (we will in
this case consider the questioner a man) and reads it. He also asks for
the answer, which is usually told him. (If it is not the question will
not be answered.) He now tells the person to think about it intently
and he may be answered.
The performer now leaves the person and walks down to the stage. On his
way, secretly or openly, the latter is usually the better method of
disarming the suspicious, he writes down the answer to the question,
such as the number of the watch, score of the game or date of the coin,
on a slip of paper. He now passes this through trap to assistant, who
reads it off to medium, and she returns to the questioner, stating that
she can now see his question, reads it and answers it. Questions of
this kind always make a decided hit.
Some performers, when they wish to convey a number to their assistant,
do so by sign language, the assistant keeping his eye on the performer
through a peep-hole from his place of concealment.
By the aid of a verbal code the number may be conveyed directly to
medium by a question or sentence spoken by performer. I will explain an
example of this code. For instance, we will say
Please, means 1
Tell, means 2
Can, means 3
We, means 4
Hurry, means 5
Give, means 6
Quick, means 7
I, means 8
Speak, means 9
What, means 0
Suppose the performer wishes to communicate the number 68,401. He says
to the medium:—
“Give us an answer. I wish it. We all do. What is the number of so and
so? Please tell me.”
By making short sentences or questions, using the code word first in
each sentence, the number is conveyed to medium. It may also be done
by making up one sentence and slightly emphasizing the code word; for
example:—
“_Give_ Mr. Blank an answer, for _I_ wish it and _we_ all do; _what_ is
it, _please_?”
There is another clever way of getting questions directly to medium.
On the medium’s first coming on the stage she takes a seat on a chair
that is upon a table, and is then covered over with the sheet. This is
done to show there is no connection from underneath the stage, as the
audience can see under the table.
She now calls off a number of questions and answers same. These are the
questions, however, she has concealed on her person, which she obtained
from the boards or from the “cappers” before going on.
She becomes restless after a while, however, and requests to be taken
down from the table. The performer and one of the ushers go upon the
stage and lift her, chair and all, on to the floor. The performer and
usher have in their hands a quantity of questions they have collected
from the audience, or copied, rolled up in little balls, and in lifting
medium down from the table place their hands under the sheet in a
perfectly natural way to take hold of the chair. Under cover of the
sheet, however, the medium takes the questions from their hands, and
now has ammunition for a lot more mystery.
It will be seen that there are any quantity of ways to get questions to
the medium.
Regarding the part of performance where the medium describes a card or
envelope which the performer holds in his hand on which some person
has written his question, she is not only reading the question but the
printed matter on the card or envelope as well. This is often done by
holding the article to be described so that the concealed assistant
at the side or under the stage or in a lower box can see it through a
small peep-hole, either with his naked eye, or with the assistance of
a powerful spy-glass, with which he is able to read fine print, the
information being immediately telephoned to medium.
Some performers do not cover the medium with a sheet. In this case one
of the rear legs of the chair, in which she sits, comes directly over
a small hole in the stage. The leg of the chair is hollow and this
opening extends up the back of the chair, the chair being one of the
bent-wood variety.
The medium has a small rubber tube, one end connected to her ear,
the other end running around her head and down the back of her neck.
This tube is concealed by her hair and dress. The performer, in
blind-folding the medium, slips the free end of this tube into a small
hole in the back of the chair which opens into the hollow back and leg.
One end of another tube is passed up through the hole in the floor into
the hollow chair leg; the other end of this tube is in the hands of the
assistant where he has concealed himself. Anything whispered into this
end, to which is attached a mouth-piece, is distinctly heard by medium.
The rest is easy, for instead of medium having a list of questions to
read they are in possession of assistant, who reads them to her through
the speaking tube, together with notes regarding the answers and all
other information passed into him by performer. In my opinion, this is
a very much neater way of performing the trick, for there has never
been a good reason advanced for covering the medium with a sheet.
CLOSING REMARKS.
It must be remembered that in this little volume the author has not
been able to enumerate and discuss all the methods used by clairvoyants
or mind-readers on the public stage, or suggest what methods they will
next use, for they will surely plan and contrive new ones as soon as
the old methods are discovered. But I think, however, by the aid of the
preceding explanations and suggestions the reader will perceive how
most of the performances of this kind are now accomplished, and by the
knowledge of these secrets discover other methods and, possibly, those
to come in the future.
I hope I have been successful in removing my readers from the hazy
clouds of occultism and bringing them to earth, where we are all
predestined to remain, both body and soul, until death. The only mind
that any of us can read is that of our own, and that, many times, not
too well. If any of us could fathom the thoughts of others an interview
with financiers of Wall Street would enable us to own the world in a
short time, especially if we could also predict the future, which would
be, in my opinion, an easier and shorter way of gaining earthly riches
than two performances a day at popular prices.