A New or Improved Method of Performing Thought Reading Tricks.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 29th June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 7th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 29th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method of Performing Thought Reading
Tricks.
I WILLIAM HENRY MCLAUGHLIN Conjuror of No. 5 Green Road Waterside
Colne Lancashire do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is the reproduction of pictures that have been drawn
on a blackboard by members of the audience without the originals being seen by
the person who draws the reproductions.
To accomplish the trick-requires two persons A and B who have each before
them a blackboard, on the blackboard opposite A the audience draw pictures of
animals, houses, trees, fruit, trains, ships pottery furniture human beings and
B reproduces on the blackboard opposite himself sketches of the pictures so drawn
without seeing the originals, the trick is accomplished without A making use of
verbal language, whispers, coming in personal contact, or brushing past B, without
the aid of confederates or mirrors, and while A and B stand on glass that has been
examined by the audience, the trick is also accomplished without the slightest
observable movement on the part of A. and while A and B stand on any part of
the stage in full gas light. But the reproductions are seldom identically like the
originals, if the original drawing be a lion, B will draw a lion, if the original be a
human being B will not draw an animal but the sketch of a human being.
I accomplish the trick by employing electricity in such a very novel and
mysterious manner that it seems to the audience utterly impossible to use it under
the conditions which consists in A and B publicly holding between them, an article
that appears to the audience to be a long piece of common cord, two flexible
insulated wires pass through this cord, and are so arranged at the end B holds,
that he will receive a current of electricity if the other two ends are connected
with a battery and coil, the other end of the coil is held by A and the two wires
that pass through it are so arranged that he can quickly connect them with two
wires that are brought to the palm of his right hand, from a battery and coil
concealed under his clothing, the pictures that the audience draw on the black-
board opposite A, are chosen from a book full of different drawings, A and B get
this book off by heart, and A by a pre-arrangement of a code of signals with B
can indicate to him any picture chosen from the book, the signals are given by
electricity but may be given by other means, and under the above conditions, the
signals are given to B, by A pressing on an electric button concealed in his left
hand, the electric current then passes down the two wires and B feels the electric
shock in the hand he is holding the cord, the trick may also be performed under
the above conditions without signals, but I prefer to perform it with signals.
Dated this 27th day of June 1892.
WILLIAM HENRY MCLAUGHLIN.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method of Performing Thought Reading
Tricks.
I WILLIAM HENRY MCLAUGHLIN of No. 5 Green Road Waterside Colne
Lancashire Conjuror do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement ;-
The object of my invention is the reproduction of pictures that have been

page_text: drawn on a blackboard by members of the audience, without the originals being
seen by the person who draws the reproductions, to accomplish the trick requires
two persons, A and B who have each before them a blackboard on the one
opposite A, the audience draw pictures, and B reproduces sketches of the pictures
so drawn, without seeing the originals, the trick is accomplished without A making
use of verbal language whispers coming in personal contact or brushing past B,
without the aid of confederates or mirrors and while A and B stand on glass
that has been examined by the audience, the trick is also accomplished without
the slightest observable movement on the part of A and while A. and B stand
on any part of the stage in full gas light but the reproductions are seldom
identical like the originals if the original be the drawing of a lion B will draw
a lion, if the original be a human being B will not draw an animal but the
picture of a human being.
accomplish the trick by employing electricity in such a very novel and
mysterious manner, that it seems to the audience and even to practical electricians
utterly impossible to use it under the conditions which consists in A publicly
handing to B one end of what appears to the audience to be a peace of common
cord, A retaining the other end himself. B then gives a book to one of the
audience containing pictures of animals, houses, trees, fruit, trains, ships, pottery,
and many other pictures all being different to each other, the gentleman receiving
the book is requested to concentrate his mind on any picture in the book then
to draw a sketch of it on the blackboard opposite A, after the picture has been
drawn A who is holding one end of the cord fixes his attention upon the picture
for a short time, then B who is holding the other end of the cord takes up a
piece of chalk and reproduces on the Blackboard opposite himself a sketch of
the picture so drawn, the following explanation will show how I accomplish the
above mysterious performances. A has concealed under his clothing a battery
connected by two wires with a medical or shocking coil one of the wires runs
direct from the battery to the coil the other wire is brought down the left arm
of A to the palm of his left hand and is here connected to one side of what is
called a connecting stud or electric button, being a circular disc of wood or
porcelain with a movable stud or button in the centre, another wire is connected
with the stud and brought up the left arm of A and connected with the coil.
A on pressing the stud with the finger the two wires are brought in contact and
the circuit is completed but as soon as the pressure is removed the stud rises by
the action of a spring and the circuit is again broken, if two wires were now
connected with the coil and a brass or steel handle soldered at the end of each
wire, any person takeing hold of the handles one in each hand or even holding
the two in one hand but not allowing them to toch each other would receive an
electric shock every time A pressed the button. Now instead of soldering a large
brass handle to each end of the 2 wires I solder 2 very small steel sockets one
on to each wire, the sockets are about 1 inch long insulated from each other and
bound together by thread and wax, the wires being first soldered on the outside of
the sockets, the sockets are held in the palm of the right hand of A unknown to
the audience, the 2 insulated wires connected with thein are brought up under the
coat sleeve to the shoulder then down and under the waistcoat on the right side
and connected to the 2 binding screws of the coil that give the electric shock the
article that is public held between A & B and which the audience believe to be a
common piece of cord has running through it 2 fine insulated flexible wires which
protrude out about half an inch at each end of the cord, to each wire at the end
of the cord that A has to hold I solder a solid steel stud 13 inches long, these are
kept one sixteenth of an inch apart and are firmly bound together by wax and
thread for of an inch at the end where they are soldered to the wires, it will
thus be seen that the studs for one inch are left entirely bare, so as to fit into the
one inch steel sockets that are held in the palm of the right hand of A, when A
wishes to connect the 2 insulated wires that pass through the cord, to the 2 insulated
wires that are brought from the coil to his right shoulder under his coat sleeve and

page_text: down his right arm to the 2 small steel sockets held secretly in the palm of his
right hand he takes hold of that end of the cord that the studs are soldered to
and slip the studs with his left hand into the 2 sockets that are held in the palm
of his right hand, the sockets are made just wide enough to allow the studs to slip
in and out very easily the 2 wires at the end of the cord that has to be held
by B in his left hand are soldered to 2 Hat pieces of brass about 2 inches long and
1 wide and as thick as a hair pin these are cach connected by wax to the opposite
sides of a flat piece of wood 2 inches long and 1 wide and about a of an inch
thick.
to the
In commencing the trick A & B come on the stage without the cord. A then
takes hold of the cord and quickly and undetected by the audience connects the 2 studs
(that are soldered to the ends of the insulated wires that pass through the cord),
sockets that are held in the palm of his right hand he then closes his hand
and appears to the audience to be simple holding the cord, he then publicly hands
the other end of the cord to B who receives it in his left hand, and produces the
drawings with his right, those two pieces of brass that are soldered to the ends of
the wires that protrude out at the end of the cord that B has to hold, are left bare
so as to come in direct contact with the fingers and the palm of the hand when
being held in the hand, they then in a sense act the part of 2 brass handles-if A
now presses the button (which he does unseen by the audience as he sits with his.
back to them during the performances so that he may face the drawings the same
as the audience) B will feel the electric shock in the one hand he is holding the
cord almost as plain as if he were holding two brass or steel handles connected
direct with a medical or shocking coil, if A now presses 10 20 or 40 consecutive
times on the electric button or stud concealed in his left hand B would instantly
receive 10 20 or 40 electric shocks, it will now be readily seen that A by a pre-
arrangement of a code of signals with B can indicate to him any picture chosen
by members of the audience from the book already referred to which A and B
have got off by heart, for instance suppose the first picture in the book (which is.
the drawing of a house) was chosen by a member of the audience then drawn on
the blackboard opposite A.
A after seeing the complete drawing would know it was the first picture in the
book, he would then give B one electric shock only, that one shock would indicate
to B that the first picture in the book which he would know was the drawing of a
house had been chosen. B would then reproduce on the blackboard opposite
himself a sketch of the house, furthermore suppose another member of the
audiences was to fix his mind upon say the 20th picture in the book (which is the
drawing of a ship) and was to draw it on the blackboard opposite A. A after
seeing it the complete drawing on the blackboard opposite himself would know
that it was the 20th picture in the book that had been drawn, he would then press
the button 20 times, that would indicate to B that the 20th picture in the book had
been drawn by the second gentleman B would then reproduce on the blackboard
opposite himself a sketch of the identical picture A was concentrating his mind
upon, from the above full and complete explanation it will be seen that one shock
represents the first picture, two shocks the second picture, three shocks the third.
picture, and so on all through the book.
Two persons by performing the trick while publicly holding between them any
article or even an animated object would naturally lead the public to believe that.
a mental picture actually passes from the brain of A, down the article or object to
the brain of B who reproduces the brain picture in the blackboard opposite
himself.
To perform the trick while holding between then any article or even an animated
object requires the assistance of a third person who distributes among the
audience about 12 blank cards about one inch square and invites them to draw
thereon any kind of a drawing, these cards he collects and. pretends to throw
them into a borrowed bat, but really throws into the hat in place of then, 12 of
his own cards containing drawings all alike he then hands the hat to a gentleman

page_text: and requests him to shake it so as to mix the cards, he then invites the gentleman
to close his eyes put his hand into the hat and take out one of the cards, and to
reproduce on the blackboard opposite A a sketch of the picture that is on the
card he has drawn from the hat, the spectators will of course imagine
this card to be one of the 12 that has been collected from the audience,
and will think it simply wonderful that a mental picture should mysteriously pass
from the brain of A down any article such as a borrowed walking stick a pocket
handkerchief or even an animated object held between A. and B.
The above is what is meant where I say at the close of my Provisional
Specification, that the trick may also be performed without signals.
The accompanying drawings will more fully explain the working of the trick.
A is a dry battery, B is the wire that passes direct from the battery to the
coil C. DD are 2 wires that are brought one from the battery and one from the
coil. Both wires pass down the left arin of A under the coat sleeve-to the electric
button which is concealed in the palm of the left hand of A during the
performances. By pressing cn the electric button E, it completes the circuit
between the battery & coil a current of electricity then passes from the coil down
the 2 insulated wires F F to the 2 insulated steel sockets GG, if the solid steel
studs which are also insulated are now pressed into the steel sockets GG,
the current will pass down the studs along the cord I, to the 2 insulated pieces of
Hat brass JJ, and B, while holding that end of the cord JJ in his left hand will
receive an electric shock every time A presses on the electric button E, I is the
article which the audience imagine to be a long piece of common cord it is the
article that has running through it 2 fine flexible insulated wires that are soldered
to the 2 insulated solid steel studs H H at one end, and to the 2 pieces of flat
brass J J at the other end the audience are never for a moment, permitted to see
distinctly the ends of the cord H H & J J.
The 2 pieces of brass JJ are about 2 inches long and I wide, these are cemented
to the wood K which is also two inches long and 1 wide and about a of an inch
thick.
L, L, L, is wax & thread for insulating and holding firmly together the solid
steel studs 1 H, which are made just large enough to easily fit into the 2 hollow
steel sockets GG, M M M is wax & thread which insulates & firmly holds together
the steel sockets G G, these sockets are concealed in the right hand of A unknown
to the audience.
O are 2 insulated flexible wires laced together these pass from the 2 steel
sockets to the brass terminals of the coil PP one terminal being the positive the
other the negative if a person was to touch each of these terminals with finger
and thumb of his right hand then press the electric button with the left he would
at once feel an electric shock in the finger and thumb of the right hand the moment
he pressed the electric button with the left.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
The idea of two or more persons (that are known to the audience to be working
in collusion with each other) performing thought reading tricks while publicly
holding between them any article or object inanimate or animate whether the
article or object can be used to give signals or not.
Dated this 6th day of March 1893.
WILLIAM HENRY MCLAUGHLIN.