Kansas City daily journal., 1897-02-06
HOW cLArRvoyANTs WORK.
Retiring Medium Explains Easy Meth
DDS of Fooiing the Public.


From the Indianapolis Journal
A medium who is about to retire from the
business because it doesn't pay talked
to a reporter about the methods used by
the Baldwins. who recently appeared in
milwaukee,. He said:
"Ciairyoyaucc and cIairaudience before a
large company or in a public hall 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,
sravestones. confederates and sitters dur
ing the week who tell you they will surely
como TO your public SeanceS, all give you
exact information. AS an instance of the
wonderful results you can get by these
methods, l want TO describe to you the
act which the BaldwinS have used through
out the country with extraordinary effect.
During the first part of the performance
number of slips of paper are distributed
among the audience, with the request that
they write questions on them, such as
Who stole my watch?' etc. They are then
asked TO fold them UP and place them in
their pockets and to keep their mind on
them. They are also requested TO sign
their full names to them During the lat
teE 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 comes from the
oenter of the house: it is from James
Brown; he wishes to know who stole his
stolen and the amount of money it contain
ed. In this manner she answers three or
four questions when she appears to feel
chilled. y piece OF cheese cloth is now
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
placed four or five 'cappers' who take
slips of paper, but instead of writing their
name give description of the questions
that are written by those around them,
rf,Nar fHe. f1tttr OF fE=s
seat, if they cannot make out the address.
These slips are passed to the attendants
when they collect the pencils and the small
tablet from which the slips are torn. They
are taken to Mrs. Baldwin and list is
made of them, with such answers as may
seem fit. When possible information of
lost friends is obtained from twenty to
thirty directions, which Mr.. Baldwin car
ries in his trunk. Additional information
is also obtained by taking into confidence
the manager or treasurer of the house.
For instance, if some person, when buy
ing a 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 the seat the
person buys. In her act Mrs. Baldwin
uses this information. If the party does
not happen TO write the question she will
tell them that they thought of it, and so
make the act all the stronger. Before Mrs
Baldwin goes on the stage she conceals IN
her dress the list of questions. but she
commits four or five of them TO memory,
which she gives first. When these are
exhausted she has the cheese cloth thrown
over her, which gives her an opportunity
to consult the list. For each performance
one or two good questions are worked up
by the 'cappers' for the star test of the
evening. These usually relate to some
great local sensation. such as q murder or
a railroad accident, etc.
BY this method You can see that an
unlimited amount of sensat alton can be pro-
duced. limited only by the skill of the
performers and still further information
can be obtained by having a lady and gen.
tleman confederate make Il systematic can
vaSs of the towns you wish to play, with
the oStenSible purpose of diSpoSe1ng or
in some manner merchandise, such as
books. Bibles. photograph albums, patent
me dicines and household utensils. 1t is.
however, well If these confederateS keep
their real business TO themselves. keep
their eyes and ears open and learn all they
possibly 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
letter record every name and date which
they imagine may be of future service to
the professor. BY the exercise of a little
shrewdueSs the confederates can soon learn
at the postofiice and principal news stands
of the town who are the greatest readers
of spiritualistic papers, while the local
cemetery will furnish much desirable in
formation concerning those who have pass
ed into spiritual life. With the names and
dates thus secured the confederateS Will
be able in most instances to make briet
histories, which they mail to the professor,
who travels eight or ten days behind.