Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-03-27
TRICKS OF MIND READING
They Depend on a Memorized
Code of Signals.
OId-iime Enkcr Tells How lie Gaye n
NystifyinG Entcrtninmcnt--Som
OF the Hardest TO Solve Have
Simplest Explanations.

"What is ths?" THAT is walking
handkerchief" And what's this?" "a
cigarette case" Md this?" That is a
program
No doubt you have been in a hall
when an act Of this kind has been per
formed. lady is seate, in a chair
IN the center Of the stage, with a hand
kcrchicf tied round her head Perfect
~ "blindfolded," she describes various
articles collected from the audience.
states the numbers written on a black
board by a member of the audience. adds
the numbers up and gives the total before
the gentleman himself can add tho first
row Of figures. She may also tell the
color of handkerchief and name any
Kind Of a nag which had been chosen.
II have performed the sccond-sight ac:
with lady assistant hundreds of times. b"
said an old-timc falicr. and my methods
have never ben solved 7 always found
that could gull the public with the
simplest trick
when ! was performing the second
sight act my lady assistant would name
. dozen articles which I picked M in
tho audience while she was blindfoldcd
OF cour 3" W. had arranged before the
show 20 pick up a walking stick first
a handkerchief second. a cigarette case
third and so on. until we had picked n
dozen, and we took particular notice TO
select common articles which We could
always 0nd in an audience. This was
our opening trick.
Another successful trick was known as
mental telepathy."
| would call for member Of the audi
cncc to come up before me on the stage.
would then explain to the audience that
! should come down among them and
transmit my thoughts TO the lady on the
stage. thus enabling her TO name any
number or word the gentleman put on
the blackboard The lady would be
olindfolded and / undertook not to utter
word or sound or make any sign what
ever ,hat would assist her
The gentleman would write numbers on
the board, and she would call them out
as fast rs h" coud put them down while
sometimes she would even tell him which
numb, he had crossed out.
Ii was really quite easy for tho lady
t. perform these mysteries. The chair
She sat upon was made with a hollow
leg, fitted to a tube, which led to the
center OF the chairback. where the lady
could rest hor head
A speaking tube. which was connected
to the bottom of tho hollow leg, ran IN
der tn" stage floor TO the wings, where
an assistant was concealed, 50 as to be
Invisible to the audience or the person
on the stage At the same time ne could
cor III Iat yt.u- tlRa
tlcman put all the figures on tho board,
the assistant would call them softly TO
the lady through the speaking tube.
An interesting trick / used 30 per
form I called Thought transmission"
Three pieces of card We're handed round
to three members of tho audience. also
three envelopes, each recipient being re-
quostod 10 write thrc" figures on mis- card.
He then put # in tho envelope to pre-
vent me- seeing what the numbers were.
After this was done the cards, still IN
their envelopes, were handed to a fourth
gentleman
Then stepped onto tho stage again
and instructed this gentleman to place
tho numbers OF the cards together TO
form sum and add il Up. When this
was don ! asked tho gentleman to tiX
a steady rae ai III" lady, forehead
for few seconds and ta.n.. of the to-
tai of tn" sum. Thou Thought trans
mission would take place ana the lady
would read the thoughts mat were work
ing in his mind
After reasonable period my assist
ant called ont 1873" / then asked the
gentleman If this Wa the correct total
to the sum, and To- the astonishmont Of
all, it was found to bc correct.
This trick was really ;,b> Irdly simple
had concealed under my waiStcoat three
envelopes, each containing a card, and
upon which were written the numbers 122
30 and 35S respectively in different hand
writings After | had handed the plain
cards round and the figures Were WI.,len
upon them and the cards placed in the
envelopes / gathered them up and. and in
the act of stepping on the stage, /
changed them for the three / had con
ccaled under my waistcoat.
1t was the latter ! then handed to the
fourth gentleman To- add up the sum
OF course he thought these had been
written by the members o. the audience
as they were in different handwritincs
" hilc the other three gentlemen, each not
put ON the card, thought the total was
correct. They did not guess had changed
the cards for a sum OF my own; but that
IF course was why the answer to the
sum Wae correct ( 'icVclnl Plain Dealer