To Cause A Card Selected By A Spectator To Be Named By The Audience
A card is selected by a spectator and laid on the table without its face being seen. The performer now states that it is impossible for any one to know the name of the card, but
that he will cause the audience themselves to name it.
The modus operandi employed for this experiment is not absolutely new, but fits in well with the series of tricks in my system, and I, therefore, include it.
Supposing the card selected was the eight of hearts, the performer secretly ascertains its name in the same manner as explained on page 53, and forthwith addresses the audience as
follows :
"Ladies and gentlemen, there are four suits in the pack : hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs. I shall ask some gentleman to name either two of them. Thank you, sir. The gentleman
says hearts and spades, therefore it must be a heart or a spade. Now, will some one kindly name one of these. A spade! Thank you, sir; that leaves a heart, therefore it must be a
heart."
To explain the above. The artiste knows, in the first place, that the card is a heart, and he interprets the ,answers from the audience to suit his own purpose, in the following
manner: Had the audience said diamonds and clubs in place of spades and hearts, the performer would have said: "Very well, sir; that leaves hearts and spades." Now, with regard to
the heart and the spade, had the audience said hearts instead of spades, the reply would have been: "Very well; it must be a heart."
Example: There are two cards left-hearts and spades. The performer wants the audience to name hearts. Suppose the audience names spades, the reply is: "Very well; that leaves a
heart."
Should they have named a heart, the reply is: "Thank you; we will make it a heart," and thus the performer practically forces the card on the audience.
Now, to continue the trick and cause the exact name of the card to be called, which is carried out on the same principle, the performer continues:" The suit is a heart, there are
thirteen cards in a suit, and it must be one of the thirteen. We will divide the thirteen into odd and even numbers. Will some one kindly say either odd or even? Odd! Thank you; that
leaves even. The even numbers are two, four, six, eight, ten, queen. We will divide them into two parts, above or below seven. Will some one kindly name above or be-low seven? Above
seven! Thank you, sir. It, therefore, must be either the eight, ten, or queen. Will some gentleman kindly name two of these three? Eight and queen! Thank you. Now, will some one
select either the eight or the queen? Queen! Thank you. That leaves the eight of hearts. Will the gentleman kindly turn up this card? "
A suggestion as to the tone of voice in naming these cards will be of great advantage. For in-stance, suppose the queen and eight are left, the performer, wishing the audience to
name the eight, says : "Will some one name the eight or the queen? "with a strong accent on the eight, and nine times out of ten, if the words are properly spoken, the desired card
will be selected.
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