Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-01-09
FOSTER, THE MEDIUM.
An Easy Solution or Some Of His Most
FaaaCus Tricks.

From the Philadelphia News.
Some years ago when Foster was giving sit-
tings on Girard street at So sit, he was visited
oy friend Of mine, q man of intellect and
common sense, and yc: when he came away he
| was In a completely dazed condition OF mind,
not knowing what to think about what he had
witnessed. Lot me relate one thing that amazed
| him. He was ushered into a small reception
room and told to write his name on piece of
paper and with his own hand seal 1t In an enve-
| iope. He sat down before the only table in the
room and wrote his name-we will assume it to
be John Smith-as directed, taking care to so
conceal the writing that it could not be seen
from above or from any other direction. He
placed it In an envelope, sealed II, and held 1t in
one hand. The attendant then withdrew. In
visitor with a piercing glance, as though read
Ing his lnnermost thoughts. suddenly extend
mhg ms ob rght hand he Calculated "How are you
The visitor started back in surprise, as he
was certain Foster had never seen him before.
~ inquired. In deep tones Foster replied at
is written in my blood" With that he barred
his left arm to the elbow, and, seizng, the still
crunbled 1t vigorously over the under and
tender part of his arm. Over that member
spread nss glow through which bright crimson
blazoned on the arm in fiery letters OF blood
was the name Of John smith The amazed
visitor, at Fosters in vitation tried to wash the
letters out with water, but the more he rubbed
the brighter they became, until he was con-
vlnced-which was the fact-that the letters
were beneath the SKIN and were caused by the
mans own blood. Wonderful! you say, and
That Is what | said when I first heard of it..
very simple reason that if disemoodied spirits
are roaming around us they have certainly
something better to do than to be writing
scoundrel TO put So note in his swelling purse.
Now that know how the trick was done am
surprised only at its simplicity:
IN had tn nnrfo fr1h ic
Visitors name. This he did by simple device.
When Mr.. Smith sat at the only table in the
PAD was what Is called copying paper" an
oiled aud blackened sheet, which, when placed
beneath the paper one is writing upon, conveys
Inc impression to another piece OF paper be-
meath it. The same kind of paper is used in
making duplicate copies in type-writing. A
hard pencil was placed where Mr.. Smith would
pick 1t up, and In order to write his name he
nnconsciously bore down upon the copy paper.
me attendant expert.y withdrew the copy aud
the blood act.
Bare your arm to the elbow. In the right
hand mold thin piece of steel, but with a
! slightly rounded edge that will not cut. AS you
probably do not possess sucn an instrument,
take a portion of very stiff visiting or BUSH
ness card, and bearing its ed G rather hard
upon the under portion of your arm follow the
outlines OF any letters you choose. The result
will he barely dscernibe white lines that soon
pass away. Five minutes later with your
hand on a cruInpled piece of paper, rub that
portion OF your arm as vigorously as you can,
and you will be surprised when you see the let
teis you have outlined appearing beneath the
skin In the full vividne.;s of your own blood.
Now you see what Foster did. He marked the
name John Smith on his arm, drew down
his shirt sleeve, put on his coat and walk ed in
the reception room. His rubbing the envelope
over his arm was simply Intended to delude
John Smith with the belief that his name was
conveyed from the enclosed paper to Fosters
blood. Simple, isn't it? Yet it is far more
complex than most of the mediumistic tricks.
There are endless varieties OF Tie deception.
am familiar with many similar instances in
which Foster figured, most of which could be
traced To natural source and explained on
non-spiritual grounds. Part OF his niodus OPP
erandi, for instance, was to go to town liAe
Haverstraw, n. :, aud closely study the tomb
stones In a graveyard, and al ter that he picked
up all the town gossip possible about prOni-
nent families and their antecedents. Then he
would travel, say to Ionkers and put up al the
best hotel, where ne would watch tue register
for arrivals from Haverstraw. He managed
that it was brought TO the attention of all
Haverstraw men that 1.-The great Foster was
in the hotel. Frequently he became familiar
in advance with the faces of his victims, and
startled them when they entered his apartment
by greeting t1em by name.
The visitor would be requested to secretly
write the name OF u deceased friend on a piece
manner and place on table. When this had
been done Foster would exclaim, "Not folded
quite right, my dear SIR aud, stepping for
ward, he would make a slight Change in the
arrangement of the bit OF paper In that
brief moment and before the eyes of the vi,i-
tor, Foster, by his wonderful sleight-of-hand
poNcTs WoQlu paper con TAIN
ing the name piece similarly folded. Then,
returning to the corner oil the room, reading
the written name as ne walked, he would bare
one arm. and ny rapid movement of a sharp
styluS-the ancient Instrument OF writIug-he
wound outline tue Letters ash b avelareauy de-
scribed. Turning and rubbing his ann or
holding it tightly at the wrist until it became
ensorged with blood, he would star:le his visi-
tor with the dead mans name displayed in
letters of blood. Having thus proved spirit
control and presence, he would sit down and
write message SO full OF the tombstone lore
and town gossip he had acquired that the visi-
tor became Iully convinced that the commu-
nicati0us were from another world.