The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-16
MAGICIAN TELLS
HOW He USED TO
FOOL THE PUBLIC
Reveals 'Mysteries" of Cab
met Trick and Making
Spirits Move
ALSO EXPLAINS HOW
TO ESCAPE THE ROPE
Performer Must Have Much Practice
Before 1t Can Be Accomplished.
Much Digital Dexterity
Necessary

purpose TO explain the most common
OF the tricks used by fake mediums, most
of which have been shown before scien-
lists. says a writer in the Chicago Rec
ord-Herald, who have found it impossi-
bic to explain them along plain common
sense lines;
Trick 1.-The naturalization Of spirits.
The medium operates in semi-darkened
room with the aid of cobinet. The
cabinet may have been examined in detail
by the spectators, but they found moth
Ing The reason they found nothing Is
that the piece of property with which
the Spirits are produced Is minute
piece of silken gauze covered with lumi-
nous paint, which the operator has con-
cealed upon his person. This gauge and
the luminous paint may be obtained from
any one of several black art supply
houses in New York or Chicago.
The operator talks his audience into the
proper frame of mind, enters or stands
in front of the cabinet and then produces
his silken gauze spirit at the proper mo-
ment. He whispers or speaks the mes
sages supposed to come from the lips of
the spirit in a low voice. while he moves
the spirit about, draped over his hand
and arm The most cIever feature of the
naturalization trick, however, lies in the
fact that it is possible to make the spirit
disappear through the door before the
very eyes of the wondering audience.
This is made possible by the fact that the
gauze spirit is lined with equally
filmy black goods. When the time comes
for the spirit to depart the operator by
d graceful move of his hand gradually
turns it inside out, from the top down.
The result is that the white is seen to
slowly disappear, seemingly through the
floor, since the black cloth cannot be
seen against the black curtains of the
cabinet. At convenient moment the
operator then stocks the cloth back into
his pocket.
Trick 2-Trumpet talking by spirits.
This probably is the most battling of all
the frauds worked upon a gullible pub
lie. The medium seats himself in the
center of circles of believers who have
gathered about a little table. In the
center of the table stands trumpet. In
order to guard against possible fraud
by the medium he caused the man or
woman seated either side of him to
hold out their hands. He takes a firm
hold of the end of their fingers, thus
making it plain that both of his hands
are occupied.
Then the lights are extnguished. I'm
der cover of darkness he quickly trans
fers the hands OF the two spectators to
one of his own. this being possible be-
cause he was holding only the tips OF
their fingers. With the other hand free
he can grasp the trumpet. toot into ii
and deliver all the messages that occur
to his IMAGINATIVE mind.
The Moving Spirits
Trick 3-SpiritS that move about a room.
In this trick the operator as in the above,
seats himself at a table about which are
his dupes. The men on each side of him
him from leaving his seat. Then he pre-
tends to go into trance. Just before
going into the trance, with all its moan
ings and other sounds supposed to ae-
company departure from the physical
body, he asks those holding his hands
if they will let go but a moment. They
do So Then he says: Take hold of
them again." They take mold of hands,
but not his.
They take possession of each others
hands in the darkness believing that
they have again grasped the hand of the
medium. Having possession of his free
dom, the medium goes about the room
moving furniture. playing a piano and
overturning stands at will When through
he returns, asks his neighbors at the
table to release his hands a moment
''comes out of the trance and asks that
the lights be turned up. The sitters
whose duty it was to hold his hands are
certain that they held them throughout
the test.
Trick 4-Table tipping. This is one Of
the old stand-bys that never tails to i'm
press the gullibe. 1t is just as simple