Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-11
ny ROBERT A. HAZEL

The average person who goes to
he performs, and yet when they are
once explained one cannot help mar.
Yelling at his own credullty
From the simple way of giving spirit
answers to the naturalization of full
spirit forms, as Mrs. Elsie Reynolds
advertised until The Herald exposed
her methods, there are many steps OF
spirit taking, including raps, blood
writing, ballot reading slate writing,
spirit pictures and spirit painting. spir-
it typewriting and trumpet talking.
There are eight common ways of CIV
ing spirit answers. One of the most
frequently used is the pencil method.
An ordinary black pencil is given to the
audience for examination. Some one
is requested to write a question on a
piece of paper and this the medium
wraps around the pencil. In the medi-
un1's hand Is small tin cylinder, also
black. On this is written the answer.
To simplify matters the medium re-
quests that the question be one which
can be answered by yes or no. The
cylinder is slipped on the pencil and
removed again, the paper being ex-
changed in the lap.
The next most common is by means
of a rubber tube. A slender rubber
tube with small fiat bulb at one end
and a large bulb at the other is used.
The small bulb is placed under the ta-
blecloth and some light article is placed
upon it.
The victim asks the question and the
medium presses the large bulb between
his knees. If the article moves twice 1t
is no, three times, yes the spiritualist
code being two for no, three for yes,
and one for "I don't know"
Read Message on Glass
A third method involves a piece of
common window glass and piece OF
paper soaped on one side. The paper
is handed to tCE victim upon the glass,
soap side dowtf The victim writes the
question on the glass and the medium
removes the glass and permits the vic
tim to place the paper in his pocket.
The medium leaves the room for few
minutes places the glass over a black
cloth, and the impression of the soap
reveals the question clearly written.
The fourth is a switching of two
pieces of paper, a blank piece for one
upon which a question or name has
been written. This method is the most
common with Los Angeles mediums,
and it is by this that they are so often
able to tell the names of people who
call upon them. tt
One apparently marvellous trick of
the medium is the reading of sealed
messages. A card and an envelope are
presented to the victim, who writes q
message upon the card and incloses it
in the envelope. The envelope is then
sealed and the medium holds it in the
palm of his hand. In his hand is a
small sponge saturated with alcohol,
which he rubs over the envelope, maxi
ing 1t transparent. He holds 1t to the
light, reads the message and waves 1t
in the air two or three times in a mys-
tic manner and it is just as Opaque
as it was before receiving an alcohol
bath.
How to Make Rappings
Sometimes the letter is sealed and
burned, but in this case duplicate en-
velope is switched.
One of the tricks which is practiced
by the phenomenal takers, and one
which extracts all kinds of admiration
from the credulous, is the floating of
tables and chairs. The medium wears
a ring with a small slot in it, into
which pin is fitted. The pin is stuck
which is to be f1oated, the medium
presses his hand down, raises his arm,
and the article moves.
Spirit wrapplngs are produced in sew
eral ways. Sometimes the medium
stands at the side of the table and
slips the heel of his shoe downward on
the leg of the table. when very passable
spirit raps" are produced.
Some mediums have hollow heels
placed on their shoes, and the sound
produced is much the same as when an
empty sewing machine oil can is pressed
at the bottom.
Some rooms have a loose board under
the mediums foot and a gentle pres
sure on this board produces the raps.
The power of the spirits to protect
the medium from being burned Is one
of the greatest things in fake spiritual
ism, and yet for the medium it is abso-
lutely safe and perfectly deceptive. The
medium bathes his hands, arms, face
or any other part of the body that Is to
be exposed to fire, In a solution of
camphor, aquavitar, quicksilver and
liquid styrax. The longer the skin is
saturated in this solution the longer
the test may be applied without fear
of burns.
Fire Walkers Fake
Once in a while you find a medium
who will walk on hot stones or on a
hot iron bar, and in this case his feet
have been bathed in this mixtur with
the addition of some pulverized red
stone. Water Will not wash off this
preparation. This feat is performed by
East India fire walkers, and 1t is not
long since Los Angeles people had an
exhibition of 1t.
A cloth saturated with alum then
hung up until dry may be passed
through fire without injury. Sometimes
a medium saturates a necktie in mix
ture and then 1t is given to a con-
federate in the audience. The medium
asks some one to bring up an article Of
wearing apparel, and the confederate
produces the necktie 1t is returned to
him unburned, and the credulous be-
lieve that the spirits have protected the
tie from the fire.
Sometimes a medium palms a piece
OF platinum that looks like a half
burned coal, steps toward the crate and
pretends to take hot coal from the