The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-02-19
An Automaton Card PLAYER.
A Machine Which Plays GOnd Game
of Whist and Generally wins.

| A Machine which Plays a GOnd Game
OF Whist and Generally Wins.
The new automa'on, invented by Mr..
John Nevil Maskelyne ard Mr.. John
Algernon Clarke, and now exhibited
twice daily ia london, is not decep-
ton like Baron Kempeler's TeDoUned
chess player. That. though it aston
ished all Europe late in the last and
early in The present century, vas but in
part mechanical, and the chess, playing
was really performed by man on the
| inside-a polish patriot named Wa
rouskv, who, having lost both his legs
! in battle, Was able to conceal himself in
very small spaces within the figure and
| the box table at which the figure was
! seated. Neither is the new aut9maton
of the same class with Vauconson's
/ flute p aver, which was exhibited and
explained to the French academy of
science in 1873. That superb piece of
| mechanism initiated the movements of
the body, the fingers, the lips, the
tongue, and the management of the
breath of an expert performer on the
flute. Sir David Brewster has recorded
the fact that "for many years it con-
timed to delight and astonish the phil
osophers and musicians OF Europe"
but, like the barrel-organ, the machine
executed only those particular airs
which it was arranged to play.
The marvel of tine new invention OF
Mr.. Maskelyne and Mr.. Clarke consists
in these distinctive features-the figure
has no living being within it /; it is per-
fectly isolated from any connection
mechanical, electrical, ma9netical or
III
ator at distance ana yet, Deverthe-
less, it plays the game Of whist with no
little skill De rfOrms arIthmetical calcu-
lations, obeys by its movements the di-
reetions of any person in the audience,
and accC mplishes a number of very sur
prising feats with cards chosen and
names written by the audience. "Psy-
cho," as the automaton has been nPmed,
is figure in Oriental costume, sitting
crOss-legged upon a small box, or pedes-
tai, ard besides being too small to con-
tain even a dwarf or mu'ilated man, is
inspected through openings in the box
and Ia the body of the figure. Mr..
Maskelyne, moreover, allows any person
from the audience to ascertain Tor him
self that no spaces whatever are hidden
by mirrors or any other contrivances.
"Psyeho" is Just what he appears to
be-a piece of mechanism, with the
wheels, weights strings ard levers
visible, without trick OF cOncealment.
He is fret seen upon a table but to
isolate him from external control, he is
then placed upon a stand Of thin,
transparent glass-this consisting OF
one single epieoe-thorougbly examined |
by the audience before being set, clear
away from the back or side scenes, and,
in fact, in the center of the stage. |
There is no attachment of any kind, |
the automaton resting loosely on the |
glass support, and in any position and |
persons from the audience are allowed |
to watch az closely as possible round |
the figure while it is at work, and to re
examine the interior when they please
Onder these searching guarantees that
Psyche" p, r ecily self acting, what
he is seen to do? If any person gives
him a sum to calculate in addition,
multiplication or division
he shows the answer, one figure at q
time, by opening little door and
sliding the figure in front of the aper-
ture with movement of his left hand. |
There is no Encouragement or collu- |
sion in this ; for he proceeds to exhibit |
any numbers which anybody may call
for.
He plays a game at whist with any
three gentlemen who may like to take a
hand with him. The three players seat |
themselves at a side table snd cut to
decide which shall be Psycho's" part
ner: aad, after dealing, the thirteen
cards for the automaton are placed on
a quadrant holder under the radial
sweep of the figures right hand, the
ards standing upright, so that he can
seize any one of them with his thumb |
ard finger. "Psycho" turns his head
aud looks up or down, apparently |
studying the hand of cards on his quad
rant, and when his turn comes to play |
he finds the best card available to him,
raises it, holds it up in full view of the |
spectators $50 that there is no trickery |
or substitution, and then puts it down |
in front of the quadrant. He will hold