Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-02-17

other means Of communication between
the figure ard the sides or ceiling u the
room: while the transparency ri the glass
cylinder, and the detached position Of the
platform above the floor, forbid the sup
position Of any mechanical connection in
q downward direction Altogether the
perfect isolation Of the figure Is guaran-
iced by the most UNREASONABLE evidence.
1.-The performance begins BY Mr.. Mas
kelyne declaring Psycho's ability TO Per-
form ariibmetical calculations. Two
numbers are chosen by the audience,
Psyche 10 requested TO multiply them
together, and he then by motion OF his
left hand causes 10 appear successfully ON
4 small tablet the several digits OF the
product Other arithnetical operations,
such as dividing, squaring and eubing,
are performed In similar way. / asked
him on one occasion for the cube Of IL,
and the figures ], z, 2, 8 were Immediately
shown.
Then comes the great feature OF the
evening. the hand at whist. A table Ia
prepared or the stage, three persons from
the audience are invited To play. and
psycEIo makes the fourth. After cutting
for partners the deal takes place, and
Pycho's cards are taken up by Mr.. Mas
keiyne, and placed upright one by one, in
frame forming the arc Of circle in
front Of the figure, the faces Of the cardss
being turned toward him and away from
the other players. When IL Is Psychic
turn TO play, his right hand passes with
horizontal circular motion over the frame
till it arrives at the right card: he then
takes this card between bis thumb and
fingers, and by new vertical movement
Of the hand and arm he extracts ii from
It's place, lifts IL high in the air, and ex-
poses il 10 the audience; after which, the
arm descending again, the card Ii taken
away from the fingers by Mr.. Maskelyne
and thrown on the table 10 be gathered
into the trick.
"The play Of one whist hand suffices TO
exhibit tho skill Of the aut0maDon; and
he concludes his performances by few
tricks Of eonjuring-such as extracting a
certain card from the pack when placed In
a box--striking on a hand bell TO answer
questions and 10 indicate drawn cards,
and 50 on.
"We may confne attention 10 the whist
play, and ii will be well at once 10 dissi-
pate any notions about confederacy,
packed cards and 80 on. There is con.
elusive evidence that the play IL perfectly
bona tIds. Any person may JOIN In IL, The
process 10 precisely Of the usual character,
and II Is certain that Psycho's hand Is
played under the same circumstances as
that Of any player at aclub or al domestic
Preside. He is said to play very well,
and 10 understand perfectly what / have
called In my little book The Modern Sci
entifc Game
"There can, repeat, bc no doubt
whatever Of the genuineBcss Of the play
and confess that 10 me, standing beside
this little wooden doll, apparently isolated
from any human agency, and seeing 1t not
only initiate human motions, but exert
human intelligence and skill, the effect
seemed weird and uncanny; and could
hardly wonder at the spiritualists who
seriously conjecture that Psyche may be
one Of the manifestations comprised in
their own psychological creed.
However, we may dismiss such fanci-
fuI notions, and may take II for granted
that the attenuation Is actuated by purely
mundane forces, and we come now to the
question, How is it doncs Mr. Maskelync
throws down the gauntlet 10 the world,
challenging them 10 discover his secret ii
they can, and confess il is a very pretty
scientific and mechanical problem"