The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-06-04

care was taken to bring these obse:-
vations together afterward with those
of the sitters.
The truth is, you cannot take a
large step forward without unobser-
ed observers. with Eusapia. When
you go to see her she sees you to bet
ter purpose. When you want to con
troll" her-that is, make sure where
her hands and feet are-she controls
you. That is, she gets you to sit in
the circle at the table, touching your
neighbor's hands, and thus forming
what she calls ''the chain.'It is well
called the chain, for by it the sitter is
bound. BY dint of substitution" her
own hand is soon free and you do not
know where it is, but she knows very
well that your hands are in full view
on the table. You cannot be explor-
ing in awkward places. The reason
she gives for the chain, of course,
is that it allows the current to FLOW
around the circle.
How She Eludes Detection
..her greatest accomplishment OF all
is this. that she knows where every
one is putting his attention. If yoa
should look at the critical place moth
ing would happen there. But she is
mistress of all arts to
direct your attention away from the
critical place. If she wants to DO
with the hands, she bids
you be careful that you have good
control of the feet. If she wants to
slip her foot on yours so as to get
the heel where the toe has been and
mt the toe on another foot, she will
make mystic passes in the air in front
of your eyes, and at each stroke OF
her hand slip goes the foot-a slight
motion, which it is virtually certain |
that you will not notice. A jerk in one |
olace covers a lesser jerk in another.
She is a supreme eluder. Give all |
your attention to holding her hands |
and no hand phenomenon will come
the feet can do kuite enough in the
interval. Then she will tell you to |
give UP the control and get under the !
table and hold her feet. Then the
phenomena that follow are done by |
the hand, though you do not know 1t.
Ten to one you say after that she |
ioes not do it with her hands or feet.
or have held them both and am alb
3olutely sure that they did not get |
away.
What did we obtain?
First of all we made close Observa- !
ion trick" l confess | was crestfallen |
ion trick" Iconfess l was crestfallen |
when l discovered that this old ruse |
vas still her grand strategy. ! had |
,een expecting that after its discov-
Try in Cambridge, England, long ago,
he would have elaborated some new
masterpiece l was playing with the
dea of a false arm of fine French
a spring reel in her
under her arm, worked by
he abdominal muscles.
But the human race has proved it.
elf patiently gullible enough to let
Gusapia keep camly on with her first
rick She persaudes the two holders
IN her right and left that they are
folding two hands or two feet, when,
II fact, they have hold of one at diff
erent points. 1t is done, of course,
nut of sight. With the feet it can be
asily done, as the feet of the hold
rs and the medium are all together
Inder cover of the curtain, which
ften elbows out" over the table and
emains there.
Policy of Detection.
Our policy in general was not to
otice fraud or suggest suspicion. We
er her on purpose just as she wished
t several sittings in order to watch
he substitution trick at work and
ote the coming and going of the
ands and feet. The English report
avs; "Of substitution of feet we dis
oyered no instance in eleven sit
ngs. In point of fact, substitution of
eet is the basis of somewhat more
nan half Eusapia's performances.
Our situation was this. 1t we should
old Eusapia eXpertly and prevent
there would be no phe
omena. Then her adherent would
ay that the force" had simply failed