The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-12-09

ting with the legs wide apart may mean
that, and so on without end. The blind
folding is never a perfect blindfold; the
mind-reader is always allowed enough
peeping space to see his way about.
AS TO WRITTEN QUESTIONS.
Another mystery Of mind reading
exhibitions continued 'Sevengala," sis
the pad act, a. they call it. The blind
folded mind reader sits on the plat
form. People in the audience are ask
I'd to write any questions they please
on a little pad, furnished them from
the platform. The mind reader is to
answer them. The questions, when
written, are torn of the pad by the
writer's, and put into their pockets SO
that the mind reader cannot possibly
read them. Then the ushers go around
and take back the pads, on which no
writing appears. They are taken
quickly downstairs, under the platform,
and there by a chemical treatment that
is very rapid, the impression left by
the writer on the pad is brought out
distinctly. The mind reader is seated
~ lAAC C1IdI1 81 t1ldI LIS CdA ! ClOSC "
a speaking tube. The questions, as fast
as brought out are repeated to him,
and he calls them out loud to the au-
dience and gives a witty reply. Thus,
for example, he calls out: "A lady sit
ting in row D asks me the question:
Where is my husband tonight?" I am
sure she would rather I didn't tell her
now, but 1 will write to her bou it,
1.-The audience roars and the mind
reading miracle is apparently proved
by the mere fact that the questions are
actually called out to n after an
other of the audience. Many Of the
questions, too, are readily answered
correctly, because they are like these:
What was ROosevelt's majority? WHO
is our most popular admiral? What
is our next great public holiday and
other dead easy things.
The reporter asked ~"Sevengaia' if he
could explain how the identification Of
articles, taken at hap-hazard from the
pockets of persons in a large a was
made by a blindfolded mind reader sit
ting at a distance on the platform.
THAT is just as simple as the other
feats,' he replied. 1.-The conductor Of
the exhibition goes around among the
audience and calls for articles. One
person hands him a gold watch. What
is this 1 have in my hand?' he calls out
to the mind reader. Emphasis is on the
word what Instantly the answer will
come, "A watch That word what is
an agreed signal.
What kind of a watch is it, The
answer comes at once "A gold watch
If it had been a silver one the question
would have been What sort of a
watch is it?'
Then the question is put: Describe
the watch further 1T is an op%en-faced
watch The word describe is the sig
nal. If it were a hunting case then the
question would have begun with a diff
ferent word.
The articles offered are always
about the same-watches, lockets, pen
knives. coins, handkerchiefs, pocket
books, etc. There is a simple code Of
signal words which the mind reader
understands. The first or last word
Of the question gives him the tip. II
a strange article should be offered by
any person the operator is clever
enough to pass it by. There is such a
lot of other things offered that it is
easy for him to do this without arous-
ing suspicion"
Bat I have heard a blindfolded mind
reader call out from the platform the
date on a fifty-cent piece" remarked
the reporter.
THAT trick is easier yet" replied
, t"Sevengala-" 1.-THE operator calls out:
Please tell me the date on this coin.
Be sure o get it right The date is
:. certainly IS, n the two other figures.
The word sure is Z and the word
right is 8. That gives it 1878. If it
were n other date the words empha-
sized in the question would be differ
ent. 1t is all done by a signal code
used in putting the question.
At the same time "Sevengala" claims
himself to be a hypnotist and gives
some very wonderful exhibitions of
2 his power through the medium Of a
youth named Paul Smith He throws
Ithis boy into a trance and Their goes
down among his audience and asks
any one to name something he would
2 like to see the boy do. One person may
8 whisper to "Sevengala'' thai he would
like the boy to come down from the
. platform. take a book he has with him