The Lock and Key Library: The Most Interesting Stories of All Nations: Real Life
Science
The Lock and Key Library: The Most Interesting Stories of All Nations: Real Life
Detective and mystery stories; Fiction; Parapsychology
"WILL J----: In regard to the medium, Mrs. Piper, of whom we
conversed on your last visit, I would ask if she be genuine, and if
the tests she gave Professor Hyslop and others were genuine. Give
me a test."
This was all nicely done, and I am sure would have greatly
impressed nearly everyone. Being a performer myself, I could of
course follow the performance in minute detail, and I am thus
enabled to give to the readers of this paper a detailed account of
the method used by the doctor. I will state that since that time I
have very successfully operated this same test, minus the bowl of
water and flame of fire; and that I can assure all that it is very
practicable and that it is very deceptive.
HOW THE TRICKS SUCCEEDED
When the medium picked up the envelope in which to place my paper,
there was within it a duplicate piece of paper folded the same, and
of the same size (one inch and a quarter by two inches) as the one
I had folded. He kept the face of this envelope opposite me so I
could not see that side of it. On the face of it was a horizontal
slit cut with a knife. This slit was about two inches long and was
situated about halfway down the face of the envelope. The
duplicate folded paper was placed vertically in the envelope at its
center, so that its center was located against the slit. This
piece of paper was held in position by a touch of paste at a point
opposite the slit, which caused it to adhere to the inside of the
back of the envelope.
When he picked up this prepared envelope with his left hand, he did
so with the slit side or face in his palm next to the fingers of
his left hand. This envelope lay slit side down before he picked
it up; so that I did not see the face of the envelope at all, and
he kept that side of the envelope from me during the entire trick.
The paper within the envelope had been placed far enough down so
that its top part was not exposed to my view. The envelope thus
appeared perfectly natural, as an ordinary one with nothing in it.
He thus held the envelope in his left hand, flap open wide, with
the back side of the envelope later to be sealed, facing me. Now
he really inserted my paper in this envelope with his right hand as
he took it from me; but in fact, he pushed it down just behind the
hidden slip of paper within the envelope. I mean that he inserted
it between the concealed slip and the face or slit side of the
envelope; and as he did this he caused the lower end of my slip of
paper to pass through the slit in the center of the front of the
envelope. The lower portion of my slip was thus out of the
envelope on its rear side, between the front of the envelope and
the fingers of his left hand; although I could see nothing of this.
He pushed it down so that the top still remained in view with the
bent corner exposed, and then sealed the flap over it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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