course, are thoroughly satisfied as to its genuineness. They now retire from the cabinet, which has been simply made by a curtain across one corner of the room, forming a triangular space. No sooner is the curtain closed than the usual manifestations occur, such as ringing of bells, tooting of horns, banging of tambourine, etc. Immediately the curtain is opened and the medium found securely bound and not a bandage disturbed. Finally a pocket knife is placed upon her lap, the curtain is closed, and in a few seconds the medium comes forward with her bonds cut, but only the wrists separated; this has been done, she claims, by the spirits, with the use of the knife which was placed in her lap. Now to explain away the mystery. In a convenient pocket in her belt she has concealed a small, sharp, open knife, with which she cuts through the bands between the wrists. She cuts this band between the knot on her right wrist and the knot in the middle made by tying the ends of the wrist bands together. She now slips the loop which was tied around off, leaving it whole and still tied around the ring. She is now free to use both hands, and, as the last strips around her arm were not tied, they are easily managed. She makes what manifestations she chooses, and by placing her wrists one each side of the ring, and clasping her hands together, pressing all tightly together, she is ready for examination. The ring being wound with muslin, one cannot see that anything has been changed; and this is the reason it is wound. Another thing to notice is that the spirit cutting is the last test. The reason of this is, if the investigators were to release her, they would discover the secret. Male performers use the same idea for rope ties from which they find it impossible to release themselves. They have a knife blade soldered firmly on to a brass plate, which is riveted or sewed on the back of the performer’s trousers, the edge of the knife blade being outward. He has simply to run the rope up and down over this contrivance, and he soon gains his liberty. [Illustration: Fig. 35.--The Davenport Tie.] I will next illustrate a tie made famous by the Davenport Brothers. (Fig. 35.) The rope used is what is known in trade as a sash rope. Silver Lake or Sampson brand is the best. This is a stiff, polished or smooth, hard finished rope. With this style of rope it is an almost utter impossibility to be tied but what you can free yourself. The Davenports, on first being secured, would try and induce or lead the committee who did the tying to do so in a way which would be advantageous to the medium. See Barnum’s “Humbugs of the World,” page 136: “The brothers saw they could not wriggle out of the knots. They therefore refused to let the tying be finished.” Of course, they did not make the request pointed, or apparent, but, in the coolest natural way, and not suggestive of any conceived plan. Their method was as follows: