Faked envelopes all run along the same basic principles but I think that I have a new variation and also a very practical improvement on the old style. I’ve never considered such envelopes as sound magic when used to obviously change an article. We know they do, but if an audience sees the Four of Spades go in, and the Ace of Clubs come out, they at once consider the envelope as the medium of exchange and center their interest upon it. However, if a card is freely chosen and sealed without being shown, and later removed to be revealed as the correct pasteboard, there is no outward evidence of it as having been changed. The same applies to something you may write and subsequently have read. This new envelope has three compartments. Two can be loaded at the start. Writing something on a slip of paper, it is sealed. Upon opening the envelope, a paper is dumped into the spectator’s hand, not pulled out by the performer with fumbling, and it can be either the original or one of the other two.

.img-center {
display: block;
margin: 0 auto;
max-width: 100%;
max-height: 400px;
height: auto;
}

Have three letter envelopes before you and a small pair of scissors of the one sharp point type. Envelope N°1 is left alone. Trim the sides top and bottom of envelope 2 and 3, keeping only the address sides. Lay these two inserts in front of you and follow. Library paste is applied as shown in the sketches. The shaded sections have paste, while the dotted section on N°2 indicates paste on the under side.

This pasted surface in each case should only be a quarter-inch wide and a quarter-inch from the upper corners. I find it best to lay a ruler down and apply paste then to the edge revealed which gives you a uniform and clean piece of work. N°3 goes on to N°2 and these are inserted into N°1. The whole thing goes under a good weight to dry. As you look at the sketches, the two loaded papers go into the back and middle compartments. Put them between the papers and into the envelopes as you assemble.

Study this for a minute and you’ll see what we have made. Now insert a paper or card into the envelope as you would normally. Seal. Now open the envelope by trimming an eighth of an inch from the left end. Pinch the envelope at the top and bottom as you always do and blow a little to open it. Only the rear compartment can open, and the contents dumped out. If you trim at the other end, only the center compartment can open. If you want the original paper, stick the point of the scissors under the flap and rip open the top. In every case nothing can come out except what you want, and there can be no fumbling. Just do it naturally and the envelope does the rest. This pasting ideas applied to the old style improves it a lot, as it has been necessary always to insert a finger to be sure the right side was open.

Using this recently I made the most of a local election where an independent was running against the two parties. I stopped in the news office, wrote a prediction on a slip, folded it once and sealed it. Then I asked the editor to sign his name across the face. As I blotted it I stopped, crumpled it, said I was sorry but I had just had a flash that there would be an upset, and scribbled on another slip. Sealing this, it was signed and put into the safe. The crumpled envelope stayed in my pocket. As soon as I had the results, I cut open the end of the crumpled envelope which would give me the correct name had it been faked (which it wasn’t), crumpled it up again and put it in my side coat pocket. Back to the office I went, the signature was verified, I cut it open and dumped out the correct prophecy, crumpled the envelope and dropped it in my pocket while the paper was being read. Then I left, but pulled out the unprepared envelope (with signature !) and left it on the table. Naturally, the faked envelope contained two of the names and I put in the third. The first apparent false start gave me an unprepared and signed envelope. Some will at once say that it can be done four ways by another insert and opening at the bottom. I don’t care for this, however, simply because opening at the top and sides is natural and opening at the bottom isn’t.