How to Transfer Silent Thought Trick

Effect: The performer announces a few tests of telepathy and steps into audience with a pack of cards on a napkin-covered tray. Anyone cuts and deals 25 onto the tray and the performer pockets the rest. The tray is carried along and five spectators each select a card. The last selector takes the pack and shuffles back his card, handing it to one of the others who does likewise until all cards have been shuffled by the spectators themselves. The tray is handed off to assistant (later the medium) who gives the performer a pack of envelopes and pencils. Each envelope contains a slip of paper and these are distributed with the pencils. The shuffled cards are handed to a spectator, who is requested to take them up to the platform and spread them out in five rows of five cards each along five cleats which are attached to a sort of drawing board standing on a chair seat to right of the audience. The persons having envelopes are all asked to write the name of some living person except one, who is to write the name of someone deceased. A volunteer collects the sealed slips in a borrowed hat and holds it till later. The medium is now introduced and blindfolded. At the center of the platform, well forward, is a blackboard, and to its right, but a foot farther back, stands a small plain table on which various articles lay, as will be described later.

A committee of two leads the medium from the room to prevent communication. When she has left, the performer brings forward a slate and chalk. Three spectators each write a three digit number, and a fourth initials the slate. Without exchange, it is placed number side down on the table, and a glass with several pieces of colored chalk is brought forward. A color is chosen, the glass put back and a deck of cards is then produced. It is cut in half and the halves fanned before the spectators. A card is selected mentally from each half and their names are whispered to the performer. A spectator advances to the table and throws two dice. They are covered with a cup where they fall. Six half dollars are borrowed, carried to the table by a spectator and placed in a stack with dates down. The performer's watch is then set at any hour and minute and placed face down with the rest of the articles. A matchbox, or cigarette case, is borrowed and the number of its contents is noted. It is placed on the table. The performer now gives a resume of what has happened, and states that to start, he will have to perform a test or two with the medium in order that she will become 'attuned.' A trusted person goes after the medium and the committee. She is led to the blackboard and given a piece of chalk. The committee surrounds her. The performer shows a deck to be well mixed and has one selected, well back in the audience. The selector, himself, asks the medium to name it, whereupon she instantly draws its likeness on the blackboard. Borrowing a half-dollar, the performer passes it to another who asks the medium for the date and what he has. The medium draws a half dollar and dates it correctly.

From now on the performer says nothing. The medium divines everything that has taken place during her absence. When adding numbers on slate, the medium asks a committeeman to hold the glass of colored chalks near her. She picks out the chosen color and writes the total of the numbers on the back of the slate. She then locates and names the five cards chosen at the start, which are displayed with backs out on the board. Finally the person with the envelopes in the hat is asked to step forward and stand at the medium's left. With chalk in right hand she reaches into the hat, withdraws an envelope and throws it aside. This is repeated several times until finally she grows tense and instantly writes a name on the blackboard. The committee opens the envelope and the writer acknowledges it as the dead name. This makes a perfect climax to the act.

Explanation: The pack you bring down to the audience is really composed of but 50 cards. The last 25 are arranged in the same order as the first 25 and are duplicates. Wherever the pack is cut, the same 25 cards will be dealt off. You place the balance of the cards in your pocket to get them out of the way. On the tray is spread a napkin. It is folded so that its center forms a flap that will just reach either side of the tray (Fig. 1). Under this flap lies a packet of 20 (different from any of the first 25) cards. You walk up the aisle and have five cards chosen from the "25 packet" which lies face down on the side of the tray not covered with the flap. When the five cards have been drawn, you turn to go back to the front. As you do so, you turn over, or reverse the napkin flap, covering the exposed cards and revealing the other twenty. The spectators then return their cards to this heap. While they do so, you return to the platform and hand the tray to your assistant who, at the same time, hands you envelopes and pencils. The pencils you immediately place in your outer breast pocket. Unsuspected by the audience, UNDER the stack of envelopes, face up, is a packet of cards, duplicates of the "25 packet" from which spectators' cards were drawn, and arranged in some simple order known to your assistant. Hold the envelopes low so as to conceal the cards and distribute about three envelopes, together with pencils. At this point in the distribution you arrive at the person who has shuffled the 25 cards. Hand him an envelope, take the cards from him and carelessly place them upon the heap of envelopes which you turn over as you cross the aisle. Nonchalantly hand the arranged packet of cards, now on top of the envelopes, to a person and tell him to take them to the stage and spread them out in five rows on the board.

Meanwhile the left hand holding the envelopes goes to side pocket and leaves the cards. You have now distributed four envelopes without intimating your purpose. Hand out another making five. The next envelope, the sixth, you open and extract from it a slip of paper. Placing this on the plain side of envelope (so spectator will unconsciously use envelope for a "pad") you hand it to an obliging person together with a hard pencil. "Will each of you who have an envelope please open it and use the slip of paper inside on which to write the name of some living person, with the exception of you, sir (this to person to whom you handed sixth envelope), you will please write the name of a deceased person. Let no one see what you write."

The sixth envelope is prepared by cutting out the address side of another envelope together with the flap. It is pasted by the corners to a good piece of carbon paper (carbon side down). The flap of another envelope is moistened and this prepared front slipped inside, the flaps laying coincident and stuck together. It seems entirely unprepared, but anything written on the slip of paper held against its address side will be transferred to the inside envelope front by the carbon.

When all have written the names, you address them, "I want the slips folded like this. Let me see—Oh yes, let me have your envelope a minute please, no, keep the paper. I don't want to see the paper or the name you have written on it." You take the envelope from the party who has written the dead name, and remove a second slip of paper previously placed there purposely. "I want you to fold the paper like this," you direct. You naturally lay the prepared envelope on top of the stack and place the entire stack under the arm. You now show how to fold the paper, and then take the stack from under your arm, but reverse side up! The prepared envelope is now on the bottom of the stack, and the former bottom envelope on top is unprepared except that beforehand you have pressed a needle point into each of its corners. No matter what corner is grasped by the medium, she'll know the dead envelope. This envelope you hand the person in which to seal the dead name.

Everyone is now directed to seal their envelopes and someone asked to collect them in a hat, which he is to hold until later. You gather up the pencils and return to the front, handing them, together with the unused envelopes to your assistant who carries them off and returns a moment later with a handkerchief. The medium is then blindfolded (but still can see under the handkerchief) and a committee leads her to another room. The assistant has employed her time well. When she first carried off the tray, she lifted the napkin flap and learned what cards were missing from the 25 by comparing these with the 20 left, using a list. As she knows the order of the 25 cards now on the cleats of the board, she either memorizes the names or the positions of each card chosen. When you handed her the stack of envelopes and pencils, she seized the chance to open the faked envelope and learn the name of the dead person whose name was written on the sixth slip.

You now bring down into the audience the slate and chalk. On the slate someone writes a number of three figures. You read the figures as you hand the slate to a second person a few seats removed. When you pass the slate from the second person to the third, you add the first person's number to that of the second and keep the total in your head. As you hand the slate to a fourth person for his initials, you add in the last person's number.

This adding of three digit numbers is extremely easy, or if you prefer do it with two figure numbers. Return to the platform with the slate and confirm your total as you do so. Place the slate and chalk on the table and immediately bring forward the tumbler containing the six pieces of colored chalk. "But," you ask, "how are you going to get the slate total to the medium." YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE SO. Before going further, it may be well to explain the principle employed, and in detail. The information for the next few tests as well as this one depends upon HOW and WHERE you place the various articles on the table. But don't be disgusted and say that would be "raw". It will, if you stand with the article in your hand and figure around as to where and how you should place it. But, if you do your figuring on your way back to the table and nonchalantly place the article down, at the same time picking up another article for the next test or asking for the loan of an article for the next test, and keeping your eyes anywhere but on your hands, it will never be suspected. And I know from practical experience. The tests following are the finest I know for impromptu demonstrations. Any square or oblong table may be used, about two by three feet being a most practical size. Fig. 2 represents the table top. It is well, at first, to practice with a diagrammed piece of paper just covering the table. Fig. 2 shows the scheme.

There are 30 squares, each row of 5 numbered vertically, and if you wish to convey initials, etc., they are lettered in the same manner. Also 1-13 and 16-28 represent the 13 denominations of playing cards. The top row horizontally represents colors, numbers, etc., and when this is all laid out practice setting things naturally on the proper numbers and colors. Then remove the diagram and practice the same thing with the bare table top. The medium's reading of the signals set is simplicity itself, as she stands at the blackboard and can look down sidewise at the table from under her blindfold. What takes practice in this act is naturalness (without stalling or straining) in placing the various articles in position.

However, many of the signals do not depend upon placing, and the mixing up of these tests is what makes the method so misdirecting. The slate is ordinary but one corner on the side that will be up is marked so as to be readily recognized. The slate is mentally divided into ten parts, each signifying a digit as shown in Fig. 3. X is the marked comer. The total of the three 3-digit numbers cannot possibly be over 3,000 so the first two figures of the answer can be indicated by someone square on the table top. The first two figures of the sum are therefore communicated to the medium by placing the marked corner of the slate on the proper imaginary square. The chalk should be tapering but short. The third digit of the answer should be indicated by placing the chalk on the slate, so it lays in the proper imaginary square number. The last figure of the number is shown by considering the chalk (small) end as a clock hand (Fig. 4), and having it point to the proper number. This imaginary clock dial is square with the table, and the position of the slate on the table has nothing to do with it. The procedure is to figure the thing out on your way to the table and, with your left hand, place the slate on the proper spot. The right hand, a second later, lays the chalk on the slate in the proper square and pointing in the right direction. It would be best to have one side of the chalk flat so that it cannot roll accidentally.

At the same time the right hand does this, the left hand should be picking up the tumbler of colored chalk. The color is selected and indicated by placing the tumbler, as carelessly as possible, on the correct color square, and picking up the pack of cards with free hand at the same time. The pack is cut in half and one card in each half pointed out to you. Advance to the table and place the halves, one in each hand, face down in their proper squares. Suits are indicated by their positions as per Fig. 5.

A spectator advances to the table and throws a pair of dice. You cover them with a cup where they fall. The handle on the cup is placed clock fashion to tell the total thrown. If using a dice cup, a mark has been placed on the edge of the bottom which is used as an indicator the same way. The medium should note if the number thrown is 2-3-11-12. In these cases she can apparently read the dice singly, saying, "Two Aces, An Ace and a Deuce, Two Sixes, or a Six and a Five."

In the left hand trouser pocket you have a stack of six half-dollars, dates facing one way and their order memorized by the medium. They will remain stacked well. Don't announce that dates are to be read. Borrow six half-dollars from as many spectators, with the right hand. The left hand, which carelessly has been in left pocket comes forth with the coins. Apparently transfer the coins from the right hand to the left, immediately handing the stacked coins in your left hand to someone to place on the table. The right hand disposes of its coins in your left vest pocket as it removes the watch, which should not be running. The spectator sets it at any hour and minute, showing it to you. You put it on the table with the stem indicating the hour (Fig. 6) and the square in which watch goes tells the minute. If under 30 minutes, bow is turned UNDER as in Fig. 7. If watch is set 48 minutes after the hour, turn bow up and place on square 18. Medium knows by bow that she must add 30 min. to 18. The number of matches or cigarettes in a box or case can be indicated by the square on which you place the container. With a little practice, a match box can be tossed to the proper square. At the very start, when the medium returns and you present the card and coin tests to "attune" yourselves, a single card is forced, and the borrowed coin is switched for one of known date and value in passing it to a person across the aisle.