The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1900-06-23

! think all the time Of the questions. ~
While he is saying this the assistant is
| busy writing down the question on a lit
tie tablet ia his pocket, using short
| pencil and a sort of chirography that is
understood by the people under the stage
| At a convenient time he will go to his
regular station down by the runway, and
put his hand over the crack and the Wig
liant boy down below will have the ques-
| -tion in possession Of the performer in less
time than 1t takes to write, it.
But" it will be objected by some
| one who saw the show, II didn't write
my question out at all. wanted to ask
one, but didn't. She called my name and
gave the question. wanted to ask, and
gave it correctly. How do you account
for that?'' g.. - =
| This is one Of the easiest and most
! mystifying tricks of the entire mind
reading profession. The company has
private detective in the lobby, taking
down the names of people as they go in.
The advance agent when with company
and some Of the other employees of the
show mingle with the people, often sit
ting down behind groups Of vivacious wo-
men and listening to their chatter A lady
Will say, II am just dying to ask what
became Of my diamond pin, but don't
Ike to make myself conspicuous" The
man who overhears this remark will slip
around to the detective and ask for the
name or that woman in the red dress
Just two seats on the other side of that
post. The detective will know the name.
or he will get it, and the rest is plain
sailing.
An effective method of securing private
Information concerning people in the au-
dience is through the bundles of letters
that go to every one Of these mind read
ers' at the hotel every day. Women will
pour out their inmost hearts to the
seer in letters. When they make par
ticularly valuable disclosures the man.
ager sends a printed letter saying that
tt" mail is so heavy that it cannot all
be answered, but that if the lady will &C
cept the enclosed complimentary pass to
the theater that, evening her questions
may be answered. These passes bear pri-
vate marks. and the performer knows
when her correspondents are in the house.
She calls their names, tells what their
questions are, and answers them in the
usual fortune teller STYLE These letters
contain not only personal j information
deal Of information about other people
which can be used with the greatest sue
cess in mTstifying them and their friends.
One Of these performers struck a bon
ANA in this line in Providence, r. r, ,
not long ago. She received letters from
young man, his sweetheart, and another
young lady, all in one day. These three
letters dovetailed together in the most
complete manner, and it was possible to
do some wonderful work after reading
them.
Confederates are occasionally used in
the audience to ask important questions
One Of the ladies employed behind the
stage will have quarter of an hour with
nothing to do. She will slip on hat and
cloak and enter the theater from the
street. Her duty is to answer to GER
tain name and say YES" to everything
that is asked. The name agreed upon is
called and she raises her hand
you want to know If you will see
your husband soon?"
Yes. mas am
"Your husband robbed a bank, and is
in jail for fifteen years."
Eyes, ma am
not be pardoned'
Burying her face in her handkerchief
the poor woman goes out apparently
overcome by grief, but in reality because
she is needed under the stage
There are dozens of ways of getting
knowledge of the questions and data
|enough for intelligent answers. An easy
way to get hold of a slip of paper con-
fof inc Sc, ~
who is deep in thought and say: III
your question has not been answered.
let me hold it and help you to think
In nearly all cases the paper Is handed
over, only to be sent down under the
stage way Of the boy under the runway.
1t would require columns to explain
devices that are resorted to In these en-
tertainments to mystify the public. If the
GORDON pads are exposed, the questions
may be struggled down under the stage as
already described. If the runway is in
vestigated, the questions can be copied
in the pocket and sent around to the
stage entrance by quick messenger. If
the tube is talked about the performer may
load her little book full Of enough ques
lions from carbon pads or her correspond
ence to last her full evening, and she
will have the committee move her chair
around on the stage, thus showing that no
speaking tube comes up from below. Some
times the performe= sits in the chair
without a sheet, and with her eyes
handased. In this case the Information is
whispered to her from behind through the
hollow leg and back of the cnalr' tse
sound coming from a hole at her ear 1t
is impossible to give a good entertainment
with only one of these accessories In use
at single time. In the course Of week
the members of the company will he able
| to pick up an astonishing amount OF IN
| formation about the people of a city and
| they use every scrap of 1t to GOOD al
vantage. They have been known to make
friends with fortune tellers and mediums
| in order to get Information from them
about the private affairs of their patrons
! Success in giving this sort of show de-
| ponds upon knowledge Of all these means
| of foolfng the people and the possession
/ of a cast iron nerve when before the
| public. To manipulate the carbon boards
| and to send the questions down under the
i stage requires an enormous amount OF
| GOODNESS and self-assurance. When ar
| obstreperous person cuts open a board ano
exposes the carbon paper, the usual thing
to do is for the performers assistant
to slide the injured board under his coat
/ slip out another that has no carbon il
\ it, and loudly call upon the audience te
witness that there is no deception there
whatever. One Of these 'Mahatmas'
could come to Lincoln Tomorrow and con
vince half the people in the theater tina
nothing printed in this article as to thei
methods is true. even though it all comes
from people who have actually been In tn
business.
The statement Of one Of these men a
II a.. - - -. :. . ~ . ,,,,.,t II