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
In the present instance, the assistant behind the scenes, after
reading and placing the questions in duplicate envelopes which the
manager had previously numbered, sealed them and placed them in the
sides of the basket, bent up the flaps into position, and lowered
the handle locking them in place. He now pushed this basket into
view on a table at the rear of the stage; and when the manager was
ready to return the envelopes, he scooped the dummy envelopes from
the table (where they lay after the bag was emptied) into this
basket. He then lifted the handle which released the flaps,
covered up the dummy envelopes and dropped the originals into view.
These he took down and quickly distributed to the writers. Being
numbered, this could be quickly done.
. . . . .
I will now describe the method employed on the third evening. This
time dummy envelopes were placed in the sides of the basket, and
the handle left in a lowered position while the operator gathered
up the envelopes. As the manager returned to the stage he took the
basket by the handle. This released the dummy envelopes, and
covered up the originals retaining them. He emptied the dummy
envelopes upon the small table and then laid the basket on a table
near the flies in the rear, and rather out of view. An assistant
behind the scenes took out the original envelopes, opened them, and
as he read the questions repeated them into a small telephone. The
wires from this telephone ran under the stage carpet to a pair of
metal plates with a tack in the center of each plate which pointed
upward. These plates were located under certain spots in the
carpet and directly in front of the medium's chair. There were
also two other pairs of wires leading to two other positions on the
stage. The medium was dressed as a "Mahatma" on this evening,
wearing a large turban. A large tassel dangled by his left ear,
completely concealing a small "watch-case receiver" which was
attached to this ear. Two tiny wires led from this receiver,
inside his collar, down his person, and were connected inside his
shoes to other wires which penetrated the soles of his shoes.
These latter wires were soldered to copper plates which were tacked
into position on his shoe soles. He now took his position in the
chair and placed his feet over the hidden tacks, which now
contacted his shoe plates, completing the circuit, so that anything
whispered into the telephone on the stage was repeated in his ear.
He then gave a few tests, tapping his spirit bell, which was a
signal for more information from the assistant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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