Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-04-10
at,isesllaneous Rsaaina.
TRICKS OF THE MIND READER
Methods of the People Who Reveal
Contents of Sealed Envelope.

Contents OF Sealed Envelope.
If one were a modern sorcerer a fake
clairvoyant or medium, or were engag-
ed in any of the modern magic prac-
tices whereby the public is deceived
and cajoled out of its goods and chat
tells, such a person would be pardoned
for nursing a we'll developed crouch,
if not a positive dislike, for one David
P. Abbott.
This man Abbott for 20 years prac-
ticed the occult sciences himself. Now
he has gone systematically into the
business of exposing how they are per-
ofrmed He has proved to be one Of
our most enthusiastic exposers. His
mathematical symbol should be: The
square of the converts zeal multiplied
by the cube of the reformer's energy,
plus the nth power of the scientists
devotion equals Abbott.
Without attempting to controvert
the slightest, Abbott has spent many
years studying so-called materializa-
tion and looking for manifestations OF
the presence of spirits. In letter to
| friend he declares: No one would be
more happy than l were it possible to
prove personal immortality in this
manner; yet 1 do not wish to be de-
ceived and to believe that which is not
true. Therefore, 1 always look for
fraud and trickery in manifestations OF
,,;l har aAl hot n
all my life l have been looking for
things of this kind, and have never yet
been able to see one little thing that
was genuine. Always, when / have
been present, ! have found trick"
Readers of the Sunday Post-Dis-
patch Magazine will recall the account
of how Abbott explained the Laffling
mystery of spirit portrait painting.
Some of his other disclosures as pub
lished by him have been no less start
ling for their revelations of the Won
derful ingenuity that has been devoted
to the business Of deceiving humanity.
Not the least interesting is his ac-
count Of the undoing Of stage mind
reader who was practicing some OF
those feats which often have bewilder-
ed theater-goers. A friend, who was
skeptic, had written to Abbott that
this performer had an act which defied
explanation and appeared enough to
convince one that if the man had no
occult powers he at least had master
ed the secrets of telepathy. None OF
the ordinary explanations for these
feats would do, the friend said. Abb
bott got on train at once and went to
the city where the performances were
taking place.
On each Of three nights when Abbott
was watching him at work, the seer
used a new method and the methods
seemed to have nothing in common.
Abbott, in his Behind the Scenes With
slender parsonage, with long hair and
particularly ghostly look. The first
night, he took his seat quietly on the
stage, after his manager, who made a
short speech, had a boy pass through
the audience with cards and envelopes.
The spectators were asked to write
questions on the cards and seal them
up in the envelopes.
The boy was we'll known in the city
and was not a confederate. He collect
ed the sealed envelopes in hat. A
committee from the audience then
| blindfolded the medium, first tying a
woman's kid glove over the eyes, to
make certain the bandage was imper-
led him to table back stage, on which
| were some flowers and a music box,
but he was never for minute out of
sight of the audience, which could see
that the bandage was not molested.
When the boy came on the stage di-
rectly from in front, the manager plac-
ed a handkerchief over the hat and
asked the boy to take a seat on the
stage, facing the audience, some ten
| feet in front Of the medium. The man.
which the boy was asked to take an
envelope from the hat and hold it high
| in his hand. He obeyed and to the
amazement of everybody. the medium
| began answering a question which
man in the audience admitted was his.
Every question was answered and ev-
cry person who had written it was
compelled to admit he was satisfied
After the show the envelopes, still
sealed, were returned to the writers.
The next night the method was
changed. This time the manager col
lected the envelopes and cards in a
small bag with a drawstring. AS he
collected each he gave the writer a
number and placed the number in the
envelope When all had been collected
he held the bag between the tips Of his
| fingers, above his head, so that 1t
should be in view all the time. Taking
it to the stage he hung it upon a cord
dangling from a screw eye above,
where sight of it could not be lost for
/ a second.
| While he was doing this the medium
was walking about on the stage read
| ing n Bible. When the bag had been
hung in place he put the Bible on a
L
table and then walked forward to the
managers side, where he stood while
the latter delivered brief lecture. At
the conclusion Of the address he took a
seat and picked up the book again.
| He turned through it deliberately,
occasionally pausing to read text.
After each verse of Scripture he would
answer one Of the numbered questions.
Each writer admitted the question was
his. When he had finished the mana
ger took down the bag poured the en-
velopes at of it into a basket so the
audience could see. Then they were
distributed to the writer's, the envel-
opes still sealed.
The third evening the medium was
dressed as Buddhist priest. wearing a
large turban. The questions were
written as before and collected by the
manager in a wicker basket, from
which they were emptied on table on
the stage. This time the lecture lasted
only few minutes. The medium then
hegan tanning n small hell as if to