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.

He soon grew nervous and walked away giving a test as he walked.  He now paused in a certain position for a moment, placing his hand to his head as if somewhat dazed and tapping his bell.  In this position his feet were again over two concealed tacks, and he again secured information for another test, which he gave as he walked about.  He now paused in a third position and gave another test, after which he returned to the chair, continuing his work.  This maneuvering he kept up until all the tests were given; after which he fell upon a couch exhausted, but with his feet from the spectators.

The manager now stepped to the rear of the stage and took the basket, which was now in place containing the original (?) envelopes behind the flaps; and stepping to the small table he scooped in the dummy envelopes; then taking the basket by the handles, he stepped down the runway and rapidly returned the unopened (?) envelopes to their writers.  The assistant had, of course, sealed the questions in duplicate envelopes previously numbered by the manager.  He had placed these behind the flaps, and shoved the basket into view on a table at the rear of the stage.

I use a variation of these tricks in my double parlors.  I have made a “billet changing basket” as above described, and have also made a similar basket except that it contains no mechanism.

I pass cards and envelopes to the spectators in the front parlor.  When the questions are written and sealed in the envelopes, I gather them up in the mechanical basket; I step to a table in the rear parlor and apparently empty them upon it.  In reality, I have just raised the handle so that the originals are retained, and the dummy envelopes are emptied on the table instead.

I now step to an adjoining room for an instant, to get a small decorated screen.  I secretly leave the basket containing the original envelopes in this room and return with the other basket in my hand in its place.  I place the small ornamental screen on the table back of the envelopes, but leave the envelopes in view and request the spectators to notice that I do not go near them until I get ready to give the tests.  I now carelessly lay the non-mechanical basket on a table in the room where the spectators are and proceed with some other tricks.

Usually I give the series of experiments described in the chapter entitled “Mediumistic Reading of Sealed Writings.”  I state to the spectators that I will not give the tests for the sealed envelopes until later in the evening.