| Please, means | 1 |
| Tell, means | 2 |
| Can, means | 3 |
| We, means | 4 |
| Hurry, means | 5 |
| Give, means | 6 |
| Quick, means | 7 |
| I, means | 8 |
| Speak, means | 9 |
| What, means | 0 |
Suppose the performer wishes to communicate the number 68,401. He says to the medium:—
“Give us an answer. I wish it. We all do. What is the number of so and so? Please tell me.”
By making short sentences or questions, using the code word first in each sentence, the number is conveyed to medium. It may also be done by making up one sentence and slightly emphasizing the code word; for example:—
“Give Mr. Blank an answer, for I wish it and we all do; what is it, please?”
There is another clever way of getting questions directly to medium. On the medium’s first coming on the stage she takes a seat on a chair that is upon a table, and is then covered over with the sheet. This is done to show there is no connection from underneath the stage, as the audience can see under the table.
She now calls off a number of questions and answers same. These are the questions, however, she has concealed on her person, which she obtained from the boards or from the “cappers” before going on.
She becomes restless after a while, however, and requests to be taken down from the table. The performer and one of the ushers go upon the stage and lift her, chair and all, on to the floor. The performer and usher have in their hands a quantity of questions they have collected from the audience, or copied, rolled up in little balls, and in lifting medium down from the table place their hands under the sheet in a perfectly natural way to take hold of the chair. Under cover of the sheet, however, the medium takes the questions from their hands, and now has ammunition for a lot more mystery.
It will be seen that there are any quantity of ways to get questions to the medium.
Regarding the part of performance where the medium describes a card or envelope which the performer holds in his hand on which some person has written his question, she is not only reading the question but the printed matter on the card or envelope as well. This is often done by holding the article to be described so that the concealed assistant at the side or under the stage or in a lower box can see it through a small peep-hole, either with his naked eye, or with the assistance of a powerful spy-glass, with which he is able to read fine print, the information being immediately telephoned to medium.