El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-14

SLATE writing has deceived It's
q thousands, the tricks of the sealed
, letter and pellet writer have deceived
their tens of thousands The list of these
| tricks IS SO long, the variations Of each
| trick are so many, and the results so
! thoroughly mystifying TO the uninitiat-
ed, that it is small wonder that even
the highly intelligent at last are forced
to the conclusion that there is truth
in the work of the spiritualist. 1t is
of no use to trust ones eyes in these
things for seeing is not always .beiiev-
ing. The profits that grow out OF ex-
hibitions of sealed letter tricks are so
great that they can be arranged with
very elaborate settings.
One Almost Good Trick.
Here, FOR instance, = is an account or
a seance that has mystified every living
soul who has attended II, with the pos
sible exception of the few experts in
the arts of legerdemain who have come
to get ideas. Sitters are asked TO write
, their names and their questions. on pa
per brought by themselves. or even to
write and seal them before going to the
seance. Then the manager gives each
sitter a number, which is placed on the
sitter's envelope.
The medium is duly blindfolded on
the stage, a lady'S glove being placed
between the handkerchief and the eyes,
to make sure the blindfold is sightproof.
| Then a volunteer spectator is asked to
take the managers hat and collect the
envelopes and carry them TO the stage.
He does So The manager takes the hat,
covers 1t with cloth. hands ii back TO
the volunteer. who holds 1t in his own
lap during the whole performance.
Speeches to Allow Time.
Then the manager makes a fifteen
minute speech about the miracles of
ance is ready to begin. The medium,
seated behind a flower-covered table at
the rear of the stage announces that
he hears the call of some spirit, the son
of certain sitter present, who inquired
about this pirit. Silence reigns. No
one announces that he made the in
quiry.
Then the hand of the blindfolded me-
dunn points TO a sitter and declares
that he wrote the message. and pro-
ceeds to tell him the answer. The doubt
er winces and declares he no longer
doubts. Then the medium hears an
other spirit, which wishes 10 speak TO
Mrs. So and So. II is a son who was
drowned. The spirit answers her ques-
tions to her satisfaction, and she is
convinced. One after another hears his
questions answered, his location in the
crowd pointed out. After all the ques-
lions nave DeSn answered the writer's
are requested to call and get their let
tiers. They do so and find them intact
And they go away completely mysti-
fled.
That Substituted Hat.
II is impossible. you say. Certainly.
But when the manager received the hat
from the volunteer. he substituted an
other hat. The medium has a confed-
crate who secured the messages. opened
them. and sent them to the medium,
who, behind his flowers, read them one
by one. having worked the bandage over
his eyes up slightly by moving his
eyebrows. When be got through he re-
turned them TO the confederate, who
sealed them in duplicate numbered en-
velopes and placed them on the top OF
a little table in the wings. When the
volunteer was through with his hat
holding performance, the manager took
the hat, poured the dummy letters on
the table. and babe the sitters claim
their missives. In moving the table
from behind the wings the real letters
were substituted for the dummies, and
everybody got his message back accord
ing to its number
Wives Assist in Work.
There are a vast number of variations
TO this trick. In one the medium wears
a turban with a large tasseI over the
ear, which conceaIs a watch case tele-
phone receiver. His heels are covered
with a copper plate TO which the wire
leading from the heel TO the ear is sol
dered. The copper plate is placed in
contact with two secret tacks in the
floor, and confederate under the stage
opens the letters and reads them.
In still another variation the sitters
write their questions on tablets handed
them for the purpose. A lower sheer
has been treated with a coating of in
visible paraffine When the sitters tear
off their questions and fold them up
and place them in their pockets, the at
tendants take the pads down TO the front
and place them on a table. Here, while
the attention of the audience is at
tracted elsewhere, a confederate lowers
a trap door In the table and subst.-
tutes dummy pads for the real ones. a
little plumbago and charcoal makes
legible the impressions on the paraffine
and the confederate under the stage
communicates the questions through the
telephone to the medium
On other occasions the sitters write
their messages on their own paper and
put them in their pockets, after having !
shown them to the assistant on the !
floor. He passes the message by a tele- !
graph code to the medium on the stage !
Pellet Reading Is MyxtifyinE.
Another trick, very mystifying and !
seemingly conclusive. is that of reading !
sealed pellets by the dozen, every one 1
with absolute accuracy. This requires, !
for its best manipulation. confedar- |
ate among the spectators. though it of |
ten is practiced single-handed. Every |
person present is asked to SYrite a ques-
borhood. telephone at once to the Health
department.
J. Ev. Hernandez. editor of the FL |