The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-27
FINE WORK OF Spirits"
OLD TRICKS PALMED OFF On A TONI
LINsON HALL AUDIENCE.
Tears Brought to the Eyes Of Two
Women by "A Time-WOrn Dodge
The AndersOns.

An exhibition of "spiritualistic powers"
was given at Tomlinson Hall last night by
w. c.. Anderson and Miss Winnie Ander-
son. of London England. Miss Anderson
is said to be the spiritualistic medium and
her brother her assistant; but the latter
seems to do all the work before the specta-
tors and leaves the impression that he is
the principal actor. The exhibition con-
sisted of n series of alleged miraculous feats
by spirits acting through the medium. They
were such as have long become obsolete,
even among parlor amateurs in legerde-
main. Many of those present had expected
to be gulled. but. they had not expected it
to be done i'm such an inartistic way as it
was done by the Andersons.
The show began with a test" by which
the spirits got credit for being able 10 add
several numbers correctly. With the ma
jority of those present MIR. Anderson was
credited with lacking cleverness in intro
ducing such an old trick" and calling 1t
spiritualism. He took a v~est-pocket memo
randum book and had several men among
the spectators write numbers of three fig
ures in a column. Then another man added
the numbers and almost instantly the cab
met, in which Miss Anderson was sitting,
bound hand and foot. was opened. and the
sum OF the numbers was found written up
on a slate. This trick is done by the most
sleight-of-hand performers, in a manner
hereafter described. The notebook is ex-
actly alike front and back. On the first
page the person performing the trick writes
down a given series OF numbers containing
three figures each. The sum of these num-
hers is ascertained and is made known TO
the accomplice. This part of the trick can
be done before the people who are TO be
deceived have gathered. 1t may be done
a month in advance. Then when the trick
is to be done. the operator passes the DOCK
- -, -, nr Ear n rn m ~ hDrN writ
ten on the first page and has them write
numbers on the back page, reversing the
book so as TO make the pack or the book
the front. Then when he hands the book 10
the next man, who is 10 add the numbers
he again reverses il. throwing the numbers
which he himself wrote in the front of the
book. The numbers are added and the re-
suit. which is already known to the
operator and accomplice. is obtained. The
confederate i'm the cabinet has already
written the sum Ca the slate-perhaps be-
fore all the numbers TO be added have been
written.
Of people in the crowd and brought tears
TO the eyes of one or two women was the
simplest one of all. Miss Anderson was
inclosed i'm a box, made To fit around her
body as she sat i'm the position she occupied
in the cabinet. the cabinet having been
pushed back away from her. Her head
only was visible. At her knees there was a
small aperture in the box. covered with a
green cloth. a handkerchief placed about
her neck was pulled into the box and passed
out through the lower opening. The princi-
pal feat performed III this position WAS the
answering of questions written by people
anxious 10 communicate with their dead
friends. Early in the evening Anderson
passed blank sheets of note paper around
and requested that questions be asked upon
them and that the writers keep the papers
in their pockets. This was done. and i'm no
instance. so far as known. did Anderson
see what anybody wrote. When II came 10
getting the answers Anderson passed a
number of blank sheets of paper under
the green cloth in the box inclosing Miss
Anderson. When he handed the papers out
to the men who composed the mmit
10 see that everything went off fairly there
was writing upon them. Nearly all the
questions asked by the spectators were re-
| peated exactly and were answered.
This exhibition puzzled many. and people
were heard to say that they We're con-
WINGED. One woman said she knew that
spirits had answered her question. for she
had written it herself and put the paper in
her pocket. and she knew no one had seen
it. She began 10 cry as she thought of her
question. The kind old lady and others did
not think a second time of the cardboard
whlch Mr.. ANDERSON had SO kindly loaned
the writers 20 lay the paper on when they
wrote their questions. These cardboards
each contained a correct impression of the
question asked. and when carried off the
stage TO a confederate i'm an ante-room il
was an easy matter for copies to be made
upon note paper and some sort of an an
swer 10 be written under II. Anderson left
the stage. for no apparent reason, just be-
fore he had the spirits write the ques-
tlons and
The one interesting feature of the per-
Torrance was the intermission.
The second part OF the entertainment was.
i'm the language OF the street. IA frost. >"
Miss Anderson. who is beautiful of face
and form. changed her black gown TO r
white satin and appeared from the recesses
of an ante-room. The cabinet. which had
been closed when ii was pushed back away
from Miss Anderson before. was rolled up
i'm front and three chairs placed in front of
ii. ON these sat Miss Anderson and the
two members of the committee. To add To
the mystery they were told to hold each
others hands and were covered over with
a black cloth. their heads only appearing.
Then the man inside" rang a few bells,