The Saint Paul globe., 1896-12-21
ST. PAUL FEofLE spEerLATIyG
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCES OF
ANNA EVA FAY
AND THE WHITE MAHATMAS.
SOME THINK c6sFEDERATEs ARE
USED, OTHERS EXPRESSION
SLATEE, OTHERS
DO NOT TRY TO SOLVE THE WORK.
Two Artic1esr From Eastern Papers
Showing How Curtain Mystify-
ing Work Is Done.

81. Paul people have been led into
a great deal of speculation recently by
the performance, wonderful to many
and more. or less mystifying to all, Of
Anna Eva Fay and the Baldwins, or
self-called white Mahatmas." While
Miss Fay had the start by two weeks.
and made the first impression, it is but
fair to say that people generally have
taken more interest In her work than
/ in, the performance, which has been
here but one week
Many people are skeptical as to the
genuineness of the methods by which
answers to questions are given in the
SHOWS. Confederates are believed by
many to be the basis Of the hoax, as
they insist 1t is. 1t Is pretty well es-
tablished that on Sunday night last
there were in box at the Metropolitan
handsomely dressed couple, the man
OF whom asked where he had seen the
Baldwins before. The question was an
swered, several cities being named,
and the gentleman assented. The cou-
pie came to the Windsor hotel few
Gays before the performance, and both
after and before it, it is said, ate at
the same table with the Baldwins
Impression States, by which the uues-
ton would be transcribed on a second
sheet, which would be passed back to
the so-called medium, have been sug-
geSted as a solution.
Some believe that the mystifying
questions which are not prearranged
are the result of general assertions
which could be construed to have some
bearing on the, question, the success of
this part Of the entertainment depend
ing largely on the highly developed
memory of the actors. Incidentally. it
may be remarked that Mr. Pingree.
VINO Is Miss F,ay's partner SO to speak,
III this scene, has something of a mem
ory himself In a recent visit to the
q 10 be office he talked glibly, as it
We're but yesterday, of newspaper men
and buildings long since disappeared.
existing in the Twin Cities from ten to
twenty years ago.
The Boston Herald recently printed
ar alleged expose of the methods used
by the Baldwins. This was shown to a
gentleman last night, who was former
ly interested in one Of these mystifying
shows, and he said that SO far as the
BaldWins are concerned it was not true
Those are not the Baldwins' meth
ods," said he ""Those are the methods
OF some man who has given away his
own business. He has had spiritual
istic show of some kind, and simply
tells his way of doing business. The
Baldwins. :. are different" The Boston
Herald's article, is as follows: sxc ~
Il do not need to tell you that clafrvoyance
and clalraudIence before a large company or
a public hah are the easiest Of all. You
have plenty of time beforehand to select
names and incidents that will be 'recognized'
without fail The directory, public records.
monuments, grave stones confederates and
your sitters during the week who tell you
that they viii surely come to your public
seances, all give you exact information. AS
an instance of the wonderful results YOU can
get by these methods. | want to describe to
you the act which the Baldwins have used
throughout. the country with extraordinary
ehect. during the first part Of the per-
Iormance number of slips of paper are dis
tributed among the audience. with the re-
quest that they write questions on them
such as Who stole my watch? etc. They are
Ihen asked to fold them UP and place them
IN their pockets ana to keep their mind on
them They are alse. requested to sign their
full name to them. During the latter part
OF the performance Mrs. Baldwin is brought
on the stage in a supposed hypnotic state
She starts by saying I have an impression
1t come from the center of the house; it is
stole his pocketboek.- Mrs. Baldwin now
asks for the slip. and Mrs. Baldwin either
describes or gives the initial of who stole
the poeketbo9k. probably telling when 1t was
stolen, and the aniount Of money it contained.
In this manner she answers three or four
questions, when she appears to feel chilled
piece OF cheese cloth is thrown. over her.
and she answers the rest. Of the questions
and probably describes some recent murder.
The secret is this; In the audience are
o paper but ea9 of Writing ase eaeetans
tney give eopjeS, Of the questions that are
Written writ n, by thoSs around them, giving the
row and the number Of. the seat, and If they
cannot make out the name give a degcription
OF the writer's dress. These slips are passed
TO the attendants when they collect the pen
ellis and the small tablet from which the
BALDWIN, a list i5 made of them with such
answers as they See fit When possible
information ito Of l8st friends is obtained from
twenty to thirty directions, which Mr. Bail
WIN carries In his trunk. Additional infor-
nation IS also obtained by taking
INTO into confidence the manager or the
treasurer of the house. For instance If
some person when buying d ticket tells The
treasurer that he has some lost article and
that he is going to ask Baldwin about it, the
treasurer makes a note Of this and also OF fbe
seat the person buys In her, act Mrs Bald
win uses this Information. If the party does
not happen to write the question: she viii
tel tnem that they, thought of it. aud so
make the act all the stronger. Before Mrs
baldwin goes on the stage she conceals il,
her dress the, list of question:. but she com
mlts four or five of them to memory, which
sne gives first When these exhausted
she has the cheese cloth thrown over her.
Wmch gives her an opportunity. to consult the
questions are worked up by the "cappers" for
the star test Of the evening These usually
relate TO some great local sensation, such as
murder or railroad accident, etc.
by this method you can see that an un-
limited amount of sensation can be produced
i limited. lyAby the skill of the performers
ana stlii further Information can be obtained
looy naying a lady and gentleman confederate
make a systematic canvass of the towns you
b wish 70 play. with the ostensihle- purpose of
olsposing OF In some manner merchandise,
a ks nh nh,
patent medicines and household utensils 1t
is, however. well .ifsthese sconfederates keep
their real business. to4themselyes, keep their
eyes and, ears open and learn all they pos
sibly can both Of the living and the dead
among prominent spiritualists They should
also provide themselves with a blank book
suitable for the pocket, which contains an
index. Under the proper letter record every
name and date which they imagine. may be
OF future service to, the professor. By the
exercise Of little, sbrewdness, the confeder-
ates can soon learn at the postoffice and
principal news stands of the town who are
the greatest readers Of spiritual papers while
the local cemetery will furnish much desr-
able Information concerning those who have
passed into spiritual life. With the names
and dates thus secured, the confederates will
be able in most instances to make brief his
tories, which they mail to the professor, who
travels eight or ten days behind"
Judge James Bartlett, in a paper
which recently appeared in the Popular
Science News, entitled Second Sight
explains how q certain trick that is
claimed to be performed by preternat-
ural means by occultists who profess to
| have studied magic in India is done.
He writes:
The trick is performed as follows: Each
person In the audience is presented with a
slip of paper upon which to write anything
he or she may choose. The paper written
upon is Immediately seereted by the writer,
as much care possible being taken that ne
one sesse sees what Is written upon It. The