Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-12-13
THE BALDWINS' PERFORMANCE.
An Analysis of the Apparent Mystery by
sEeptic-.rhe Functions OF the Tablets,
the "Super" and the Pianist.

An Analysis oil the Apparent Mystery W
Skeptic-.The Functions of the Tablets,
the "super" and the Pianist.
Editor Gazette: The influence OF the
Baldwins upon the people OF this
community is to be dcplored. There
are many poor and humble persons
who, not being ablo to fathom their
tricks, will be led to believe in clair
vsyancy, fortune-telling and the like;
thus wasting much anxiety and sub
stance upon their misguided and CHI
merical beliefs.
Tho writer is believer in hypnotism,
but secs no evidence of such force in the
performance Of the Baldwins. Their
performance is certainly mystifying,
but had we Poe or Conan Doyle to
analyze their actions l believe such
could be proven to be naught but clever
trickery.
Some thoughts have come to me,
which give TO you that your reporters
may take advantage and perhaps fur
nish q rational explanation and expose
OF this trickerY.
First. Papers and tablets are dis
tributed and collected 80 minutes before
the exhibition of "somnomancy," The
professor" says this is done to give
| Mrs. B. a rest. Blu: does Mrs. B. dis
tribute the cards? And might not the
paper and tablets be given out 30
minutes later, just previous to the
"seauce," and Mrs. b. obtain the same
amount of rest? Again, the super" in
distributing had particular portion of
the house to cover, and in giving out
tablets took them from the top and re-
turned them to the bottom of his pile.
Now, by doing thus, arguing that the
pencil made an impression upon the
tablets, the tablets were written upon
the least number of times, and it was
possible to locate the position of the
writer from the station of the 'super."
But, you say, the tablets afe left in
sight of the audience. Yes, some OF
them were. But l fancy that in those
80 minutes there was very little rest
back of those scenes Doubtless there
were busy fingers and brains decipher-
ing messages, preparing llsts-for the
pianist-and looking up addresses in the
directory. Why should person have
to write his own name to impress ii upon
his own mind? But by impressing il
upon the tablet he furnishes the name
and the directory gives the address, A
resident confederate could furnish loca
coloring, such as what the business o
Tom Culbert's brother was, and tn,
like.
Second. | mentioned the pianist a
Why was it necessary TO have the plan,
upon the stage, not its usual placer
OF what use was the performance o
= the pianist during the last part OF tn
programme ...
Answer-First. Itrequired trouble t
move that piano from the pit, its usua
place, to the stage. 1t must have bes
suited its purpose there.
Second. The position of the plan
sheltered the pianist from observatio
and gave him an opportunity to promr
"the madam" 1t also formed rack fo
} the list of questions and answers.
b. The performance of the pianist
upon the pianu-was of no Importance
r He struck few chords now and ther
: when the professor" came upon tn
} stage, to disarm suspicion. To one si
5 ting far up upon the right, the motto
} of the lips of the pianist was quite di:
cernable, especially when name wa
spelled; the correctness of enunciatio
depending upon the decision of lip mC
tlon.
Third. AS to the answers to question
/ Most of the questions required little ski
! in answering. Those who asked whel
/ certain persons were received the al
: swer of Minneapolis, Los Angeles {
8 New Zealand, all remote and not 500
veritiable. 70 future questions of whel
, the answers were likewise remote.
i Do you think, Mr.. Editor, that pc
t son having powers of foretelling futu
8 robberies, fires or marriages, would tai
!. up transforming (also coupon and Sol
q venir advertsing), when that gift
prophecy could be turned to account
q the stock market? Well, hardly!
/ thou eternal gullablel The Amcrica
IS publicl II. Z. II.
d WILMINGTON, Dec. sth, 1894.