Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-04-21
SLATE WRITING.
Famous Spiriftst Trick Can BE Done
With Little Practice.

A. Famous Spiriftst Trick Can BE Done
With a Little Practice.
Two ordinary wooden framed states
ase present. ID to the specta tors and ex-
aazined In sucs. ession by them. A small
pieeeof chalk IS Introduced between the
two states, which axe then united by
rubber band and held :sloft in the pres
idigitator's right hand.
Then In. the general si1en4e is heard
the scratching OF the chalk which is
writing between the two states tie an
swer to qaestion asked By one of the
spectators name of a card thought
OF or the number of spots detained by
throwing two dice The rubber band
having been removed and the slstes
separated, one Of them Sseen To be COW
cred with writing
This prodigy, which at first seems to-
be so mysterious, is very easily realized.
The writing was done in advance, but
upon the written side OF the slate A
there has been placed thin sheet of
black cardboard, which hid the charsc-
tiers writtenlwith chalk. The two sides
OF this slate thus appeared absolutely
clean.
The slate Bis given out for examine
ton, and, after'it has been returned to
AAAAAAs eiAO OHO4 aOOi LIZ NOI& SdAt
to examine the other one also?' And
then without any haste he makes
pass analogous to that. employed in
shutting cards. The slate A being held
by the thumb and; forefnger of the left
hand and the slate B between the fore
and middle finger of the right hand. the
two hands are brought together. But
at the moment at which the states
are superposed the thumb and
forefnger of the right hand grasp
the slate A, while at the same time
the fore and middle finger of the left
| hand take the slate B. Then the two
hands separate anew and the slate that
has already been examined, instead OF
| the second one, is put into the hands of
| the spectators. This shifting, done
| with deliberation, is entirely-invisible.
During the second examination the
| slate A is laid fiat upon the table, the
written face turned upward and covered
with a black cardboard. The slate hav-
| ing been sufficiently examined and been
returned to the operator the latter lays
it upon the first and both are then sur
rounded by the rubber band.
1t is then that the operator holds up
the states with the lefthand, of which
one sees bun the thumb, while upon the
posterior face of the second slate the
: nail of the middle finger makes a sound
resembling that produced by chalk when
written with. When the operator
| judges that this little comedy has last
led quite long enough he lays the two
states horizontally upon. his table, TAX
ing care this time that the non-prepared
slate shall be beneath 1t is upon it
that then rests the black cardboard and
the other side on being raised shows the
characters that it bears and that are
stated to have been written by an invis-
IDLE spirit that slippedin between the
two states.
Our readers will no6 ask us how we
manage to know in advance what should
be written upon the slate. 1t is useless
to say that deceit is allowable in pres
tidigitation. Loaded dice always turn
up the same number and nothing is
easier than to know the name of the
card that a: spectator will draw from a
pack composed of thirty-two similar
cards, if not skillful enough to cause
| him to take the forced card-La Nature