'FORETS OF TRIP' TELEPATHY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 14371, 14 May 1907, Page 4

'FORETS OF TRIP' TELEPATHY.

Tho performances of tho Zancigs, “ thought-readers,” at the Alhambra Music Hall, in London, have attracted great attention for oome time, and given rise to interesting discussions on the question whether or .not they have supernatural powers. Everyone who paused to think, of course realised that they are but new players of old tricks, cleverer, perhaps, than their predecessors, but that is all. Mr J. N. Maskelyne, who has been long in the conjuring trade, and has often done public service by exposing spiritualistic and kindred trickery, in the “ Pall Mall Magazine ” for March gives what he describes as a ‘‘peep behind the scones,” with a view to applying a sedative to those suffering from unwholesome excitement aa a result of the Zancig boom. Pie explains tho methods of several similar performers, including Heller and the Baldwins, who will be remembered by “old time” theatregoers in Australia. “ Heller,” he says, “ by arranging many sets or classes of objects, made it impossible for anyone to produce anytiling that he could not secretly describe to his assistant. Including the words for tho numerals, materials, metals, and so forth, Pleller had over two hundred words coded. They wore arranged in about twenty classes. His assistant used to recline on a condh, which, it is said, was fitted with a battery and wires, which ran down under tho stage to one of the stalls, where a second assistant eat, and interpreted Heller’s silent signals, worked” by natural movements of the hands. I am inclined to think, however, that communication was made by means of a speaking tube to the couch. This method was employed by a performer whose name I forget, but I know that it was very simple and effective. “ After the death of Heller, his code was given away by hie assistant. His first class of objects was arranged in the following way;—(l) Handkerchief, (2), Neckerchief, (3) Bag, (I) Glove, (5) Purse, (6) Basket, (7) Boot, (S) Comforter, (9) Head-dress, (10) Fan. The complete code may be seen in a book entitled ‘Leaves From Conjurors’ Scrap Books,’ by H. J. Burlinghame. The sentence used by Heller to signal that he was dealing with an article in Class 1 was/' What article is this?’ The assistant immediately knew that the article given to Heller was one of the ten mentioned above. Tho first word in the next question asked by Heller would tell the assistant the number of the article in the class. The word ‘ what ’ meant ‘6,’ and therefore, if Heller asked quickly, ‘ What article is this? What is it, please?’ the assistant would know at once that it was a basket.

“This example will show exactly how tlio whole trick was accomplished, out amateurs who wish to puzzle their friends may be reminded that an immense amount of practice is required before an. interesting performance can be given; indeed, I know of no trick that requires more rehearsals. Both performers must know the codes backwards and forwards by heart, so that one may give and the other respond to the signals instantly. Not all the second-sight performances, however, are given with quite the rapidity that they appear to be. A clever conjuror ‘ gets ahead ’ of his audience —that is to say, he looks about him and sees what articles are about to be presented to him, and bo signals their names before the audience known what articles he is going to handle. THE TRICK BANDAGE. “'When the system of silent signalling was invented it became necessary to havo trick bandages. The first trick bandage was used, I believe, by Blondin, tho tight-rope walker. Bis bandage was genuine enough, but ‘ to make quite sure that he could not see 5 ho used to draw a muslin bag over bis head. In drawing down the bag he used to push the bandage away from his eyes, and thus was able to seo through the bag. Another trick bandage was made with two very small holes in it. Two pin-holes arc almost large enough for the ‘ blindfold ’ assistant to see. As a matter of fact, it is a very difficult matter to blindfold a person in such a way that he or sho shall not bo able to see something, and experiment will show that the blindfolded person is generally able to sec downwards, tho bridge of tho nose keeping the handkerchief just clear of the eyes. There is only one way of making sure that tho blindfolded person cannot see —let the eyes first be covered with email pads of cotton-wool. “ SVnen the code is to bo a silent one tho assistant has to recognise certain Signs from tho performer. It io a very easy matter to signal tho numerals. A slight movement, of the head on tho rignt will signal Number 1, raising the head will mean Number 2, moving the head to the left will mean Number 3. The remaining figures can be signalled by different movements of tho hands. SUPERNATURAL CLAIMS. “ Among modern trick telepathy performers lew have attracted more attention than tho Baldwins; and, as they laid claim to genuine thought transference and the possession of occult powers, I had much pleasure in exposing their methods. Their plan of campaign was very ingenious, and they so worked on the minds of simple and impressionable people that they did an immense amount of harm. In the first part of their performance some inno-cent-looking pieces of millboard, pieces of thin paper, and hard pencils would bo distributed. People were asked to write questions on tne papers and retain them. Tlio pieces of millboard were collected. Later in tho evening Mrs Baldwin would appear on the stage, answer tho questions, and describe the people who had asked them. Tile questions related to such tilings as the secrets of missing money and relatives, secrete of murders, and other matters wuu which only pm-ons with ,

real supernatural powers could possibly be acquainted. “ Tii at trick caused immense sensation. In another trick the Baldwins would answer letters sent to them by members of the public and describe the writers, auuough they had apparently no knowledge of them. Some of the pieces of millboard had slips of carbon paper under the outer covering of paper. These prepared pieces of millboard were given to persons who appeared to bo particularly innocent and unsuspecting. When they wore collected, the assistants who took them would secretly mark them iu such a way that they could toll to whom they had been given. By means of the carbon paper an. impression of the questions was given, and thus all the assistants had to do behind the scenes was to tell Mrs Baldwin where each questioner was sitting. The Baldwins did not profess to reply to all the questions asked, and, as a matter of fact, they replied only to those that had been written down on the prepared pieces of millboard. The answers to these questions wore given by Mrs Baldwin with duo dramatic effect, and a number of people believed that she was really possessed of supernatural powers. “ PLANTING ” THIS QUEST!OXERS. “ The second trick was quite as simple. The ualdwins were in the habit of asking people to vrrito to them and ask questions on any subjects, and the requests were responded to by hundreds ■of people. Ail the letters would bo carefully read and numbered. The Baldwins would reply to each writer that it was necessary that he or she should bo present at the performance iu order that Mrs Baldwin might be in close touch with them. It would be also necessary for them to fix their minds closely on the questions asked. Complimentary tickets would be sent to all tlie writers of letters, and each letter would be marked vrfbh the number of the ticket given, so that directly the person presented the ticket at the hall, the check-taker, who was in the

secret, would know that it was one of the ‘planted’ tickets. He would convey the information behind the scenes, and the file of letters would be consulted. By the time that Mrs Baldwin was ready to appear, she knew where each questioner was sitting and what she was wearing. People used to think it wondcirful that sho could know where they were sitting iu the audience, and '[ helped to enlighten them by exposinss the whole proceeding as a fraud/ ITIF. TELNET TRICK. “Baldwin himself used to perform the ‘pellet-reading’ test, invented by I'oster, a spirit medium. I gave, at Mr Labouchero’s request., an explanation of the trick in ‘ Truth ’ of November 2, 1893. The thing is so eimnle that it seems incredible that anyone could bo taken in by it, but the trick was so successful that it was performed at tha Egyptian Hall some years ago by the late Dr Lynn: and though, of course, that celebrated conjuror made no claim to any occult powers, he succeeded in mystifying many thousands of people. The secret, like that of many tricks, is very simple—when you know' it. Baldwin would invite people to write questions on pieces of paper and fold the papers up. Ho would then pick up a piece of paper, hold if to Ins forehead, and give a sensible answer to tho question. “ The trick was performed in this way. Baldwin had one dummy piece of paper. The first paper w'liich he returned to the table was not the pape? that ho picked no; it was his own ‘ dummy paper. Tho paper which ho picked up ho unfolded secretly and read, and folded up again. He would then pick up another paper, hold it to his forehead, and give an answer to the naper he had already read. In this way ho always had one panel hidden in hie hand, and so the trick was done.”

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