El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-18
Magicians, Mind Readers and
Mediums Quicker Than the Eye
v-SPIRITUALISM AND MAGIC.

q y OST OF the manifestations VIII
have originated with the ma
gician. This wonder worker frankly
admits that his whole art is based on
deception and merely challenges the I'm
initiated to discover the modes oper-
aDdi of his tricks. Many magicfans,
how ever, have turned mediums and have
made thousands to believe in spirit
ualism upon no other evidence than
they had to offer as magicians, the
only difference being in the matter of
pretensiOn and surroundings. Someone
has observed that the average COM
mercial medium is only a magician who
was a failure as such, and VINO has
succeeded in mis- later sphere by the aid
of darkness and mystic surroundings
MaGiciens Mind Readers.
Turning to specific tricks borrowed
by the medium from the magician we
find one in which a medium seated in
the darkness OF the seance room reads
messages as we'll as if in broad day
light. He first asks his sitters, while
the lights remain on, to &rite their
questions on cards which he hands
them, and to seal them up in envelopes
which they mark in any way they
choose. He then takes them all. seats
himself by a table at the side of the
room where there is nothing but a bare
wall and the push button to turn on
and off the electric lights. At a given
signal he turns off the lights and all
is in darkness. In moment he begins
to read the questions, one by one, with
never the slip of single word
AS soon as he has read every ques-
ton that has been asked, he turns on
the light again and asks the sitters
to come and get their messages, still
sealed. AS the doors to the room were
locked, the windows examined, and a
nd
every piece of furniture for the pos
sIbility of assistance by confederates,
the sitters feel that there is indeed an
unexplainable something about this per-
Torrance.
HOodwinks His Audience.
The explanation of this trick is sim
pie indeed. and may be found in a ma
gician's book published years ago
After the medium has collected the
sealed questions and turned out the
lights. he places over the upper part Of
his body large hood which is impervi-
Gus to all rays of light. He then takes
a pocket electric light and holds it
under each card in turn. This makes
the writing in the sealed envelope as
clear as If no obstacle interviewed at
all. After he has gone through the
list of messages he again secretes his
pocket lamp. hides his hood, and turns
on the lights in the room again OF
course the cards and envelopes provided
are very thin
The LevitatiOn Tests.
mystifying act OF the magician is
that of the levitation Of a human body.
The person to be suspended in the air
lies down upon a couch. In a moment
he seems to rise in a most uncanny way
without any effort on his own part and
Without any apparent connection with
any natural force. When suspended in
mid air, an iron hoop which has been
examined by the spectators, is passed
back and forth over his recumbent
body.
This trick has mystified its thou
sands of theater goers and seance fire.
quenters. In soother deviation act. the
person to be raised lies in a coffin
The coffin IS first raised some two
feet off the floor. and while suspended
there the body rises out of it and re-
mains suspended in the air about two
feet above the coffin
In both of these performances an
iron bar Of the goose neck variety
forms the connection, between an invis
ible hosting machine under the stage
or behind the curtain. In passing the
solid hoop from the foot of the coffin
to its head. and from the foot of the
body to its head, the goose neck per-
mits 1t to be done without coming in
contact with the supporting bar. If
the spectas ors were to demand that the
performer pass the hoop completely Over
the body and not back again. the trick
would be discovered. In many of the
levitation acts in spiritualistlc seances
the performance Is not as convincing
as those related here.
Tables Float Through Air.
deviation may be accomplished in a
great many ways. In some cases a
&c made -O riS in al
the magician or the medium having on
his wrist a hook which takes hold of
the under surface of the top of the ia
BILE while the hands are free above It.
In another case a heavy tack Is pressed
into the top Aof the table. and a secret
Notch In a ring on the FINGER engages
this and raises the table. Where there
are two performers their cuffs maybe
made to lift the table
SuIphuric Acid Ink.
Like the medium, the wonder worker
of the stage gives answers TO questions
that have been written and placed in
the pocket Of the writer, and he also
makes messages to appear instantane-
oCsly on paper which has hitherto been
blank. If he writes his message with
diluted sulphuric acid Il will be undis-
covered by any layman who casually
examines the paper. To make the mes
sage appear. he lays the paper on top
OF a table having a metal surface, I'M
der which is secreted a spirit lamp.
The heat serves to bring out the mes
sa ge.
TricI1sters Tricked.
Some years ago the two Davenports I
toured America and created a great !
furore through the mystery connected /
with their feats. until they encountered /
a man versed in the art of magic Onf /
of their tricks was to have flour placed !
on their hands while being tied with 1
rope as to make sure that they could !
not escape without being discovered. /
When their cabinet was reopened, after /
all the mysterious manifestations had |
occurred, the flour was still on their /
hands. The magician bethOught him /
self to substitute snuff for the flour in /
one Of the tying tests. When the lights /
were turned on the snuff had disap- !
peared and the flour was on the hands I
instead.
Later the Davenport brothers went /
70 Cornell university. and there again |
they met their matches in the art of \
They were tied with all /
the skill that a crowd of university 4
boys can summon. tine lights were put
out and musical Instruments a table