"Phantasma" -- A Mental Card Feat

This is an effect that depends mostly upon PRESENTATION--as most of the secret magical operation is practically completed before the trick is really started. To the performer, it is very simple both in preparation and working, but it is highly inexplicable to the audience.

Although smoking material is used, it is not necessary to smoke for the effect. Very little material is needed for it, as a cigarette case With cigarettes, a deck of cards in the case and an empty side pocket and five or six letter envelopes are all that is used.

The performer starts by announcing that by combining mind-reading with sleight of hand (!} he has been able to perform the most astonishing and weird problems. This forming a good topic, he goes into the effect wherein a thought of card vanishes and appears in another practically unapproachable spot.

PREPARATION: First is needed a deck of cards and five duplicate cards, all different. These five extra cards are planted as follows: ONE is rolled up tightly and inserted into 1 cigarette in lieu of tobacco; ONE is inserted in one side of the cigarette case and covered with cigarettes, the last of which is the PREPARED CIGARETTE. The case is then dropped into left side coat pocket, with a THIRD CARD lying loose in pocket. The FOURTH CARD is placed about fifteen from the bottom of pack and FACE UP in deck. The FIFTH CARD is placed on bottom of pack -- and the pack is then inserted into case.

Previous to this the five cards of the pack of which you have duplicates, were removed and placed on top. Four other indifferent cards are removed. Five or six ordinary letter envelopes are taken. The flap is cut off from one (See Fig. 1). They are all faced one way. The flap sides are up, and the flapless one placed on top (See Fig. 2). The flap of the second envelope is turned down over the top of the flapless one. Thus the flap of the second envelope APPEARS TO BE THAT OF THE FIRST ENVELOPE. The four extra cards taken from deck are placed in this SECOND envelope from the top.

The packet of envelopes so arranged is then placed in the inside coat pocket. You are now ready!

Ask a gentleman up on your LEFT. Take deck from case,--(secretly leaving the bottom or fifth card behind in case), which you close and drop on table. Riffle-shuffle deck, NOT DISTURBING TOP FIVE CARDS,--and NOT REVEALING FACE UP CARD near center.

Deal five cards face down on hand of man. Ask him to turn his back, look the cards over and to merely THINK of any one he pleases. Lay the remainder of deck face down on table. Ask another gentleman up on your RIGHT.

Take out the stack of envelopes in your LEFT HAND, flap sides up and pointed toward right.

When first man tums around with cards, after his selection, take cards in your RIGHT HAND--and apparently insert them into TOP ENVELOPE, the flap of which is partly open. They really go into top FLAPLESS ENVELOPE (See Fig. 3). At the same time, the LEFT HAND TIPS UP towards body--and RIGHT FINGERS pull second envelope UP ABOUT AN INCH, by the FLAP (See Fig. 4).

The left hand raises the stack of envelopes up to the lips to wet the flap. After this, the right fingers press flap down and seal it, the envelope being drawn high enough out of the pocket for this. The audience can only see the ADDRESS side of envelopes and all looks fair. After sealing flap down, the RIGHT FINGERS pull envelope away and hand to man on fight--while the left returns stack of envelopes to pocket.

The man on your right side now initials the envelope to identify and holds it. The performer meanwhile CARELESSLY and NATURALLY brings out cigarette case and extracts the PREPARED CIGARETTE, holding it as if ready to light it. The case is shut and dropped onto table.

The performer mentions what has been done and how the first man is thinking of ONE of the five cards in envelope.

Then he further explains that by mind-reading he has learned the identity of be card--and by sleight of band he did something with it, while right in front of them.

Performer then asks the second man to open the envelope and count the cards. "ONLY FOUR!" AND THE ENVELOPE IS UNPREPARED!

The man on left is now asked to name FOR THE FIRST TIME the card he was THINKING OF, "so that the rest of the audience may appreciate the surprising climax of this experiment!" He does so and the man on right declares it is the VERY CARD MISSING FROM THE ENVELOPE HE HOLDS!

Then the performer deliberately explains what he did with the card and the first man finds his thought of card HIMSELF!

BECAUSE NO MATTER WHICH OF THE FIVE CARDS WAS THOUGHT OF, THE PERFORMER CAN TELL HIM WHERE TO FIND IT! For example:--

1. If the card named is in the cigarette case or card ease, the performer calls attention to that article WHICH HE PLACED ON THE TABLE IN FULL VIEW BEFORE the thought of card was named. He asks first man to open the case before all, and upon doing so the card is found there.

2. If the card named is in the cigarette, attention is called to fact it has been in full view all the time, and now upon breaking it open, the card is extracted, unrolled and handed to owner.

3. If card named is in pack, the performer calls attention to the pack he placed on table and states that when hiding a card, the best place is among other cards. But to make it easily found, he has placed it in pack FACE UP! There it is found.

4. And lastly, if the card named is the one in your pocket--you can defy anyone to have seen you go to your pocket any time after taking cigarette case out, WHICH WAS BEFORE CARD WAS NAMED. The man is allowed to reach in and find the card there.

The effect is nearly foolproof, as it is mostly over beforehand. The fact that you have FIVE CARDS READY is never suspected.

Of course, attention is only drawn to the one place. All others appear perfectly natural and innocent articles by themselves, which are pocketed after effect.

With proper presentation, this is a wonderful drawing room or club feat.