Undoubtedly, this is one of the neatest and most subtle of the flap slate methods for home seance work yet devised. I first saw it done by its originator several years ago, and its operation had me completely puzzled until the whole routine of actions was revealed.

Two slates and a flap are used, the flap being prepared at one end with a sharp spring steel hook. A flat piece of spring, about a quarter of an inch wide and one inch long is bent into a V shape. One prong is now filed to a sharp point. The V shaped piece is now put over the center of one end of the flap and the untouched prong is securely fastened to one side by glue and a small piece of black tape. The pointed prong sticks out over the other side as illustrated.

Use a small table, a card table being very nice, and have on it a loose cover or cloth of some sort. Write the message on one side of one slate and cover it with the flap, the hook sticking outward as per image 1. Put the unprepared slate underneath and place them to one side ready.

Pick up the two slates together as per image 2. Turn them over one so that both outside surfaces are clean. This leaves the flap side on the underside and the hook is at the right. Separate them, holding the top slate at left end with left thumb on top and fingers under, and the bottom slate is held at the right end in the same manner with the right hand. The flap is held in place on the under side of the right hand slate.

Both sides of both slates are shown by the turning of hands. Now they are placed back together WITH THE RIGHT HAND SLATE GOING ON TOP. The wooden edge is placed on the wooden edge of the left hand slate, and at this moment, the right fingers let up a bit with their pressure, and the weight of the flap allows it to drop about an inch as per illustration 3. Then the right hand slate is slid along on top and the flap is thus transferred to the underside of the bottom slate. The situation is now as pictured on image 4.

The left hand now slides off the top slate, on the underside of which is the message, and drops it on the table. The right hand grasps the remaining slate by the near to body side with thumb on top and fingers underneath keeping the flap in place. At this point, you apparently think of the table covering, and your left hand pushes the slate on the table to one side a bit, and pulls off the cloth by grasping it at the center of the side towards you. As this is pulled up, the action covers the right hand and slate for a second, and you’ll find the hook in a position to be caught in the cloth.

The left hand continues taking the cloth away, and the sides of it will fall down to hang around the flap. Turn a bit to your right and toss or drop the cloth out of the way.

Start to put the right hand slate on top of the other, BUT TURN IT AROUND AS YOU DO SO TO SHOW THE OTHER SIDE. This is the move that will fool any wise person who may have an idea of a flap. Drop it on top of the other, and explain that with the slates on a solid surface, a spirit message should appear on the inner surface if at all. As you say this, lift off the top slate to show the inside, and in replacing slide it underneath the other, pick up the slates together and tap the edges on the table, and then drop them down turned over. All is now ready for the finish. Gysel uses this continually as the opening to a series of mediumistic effects, and uses only the message “Good evening, friends”. Or one can further it by signing with the name of the control supposed to be guiding the seance.

The whole operation takes but a minute, and is done easily and almost carelessly. The writer has seen Gysel do this without the cloth get-away for flap, but it is not so easy unless one has established the appearance of being erratic and apt to do most anything at any time in the way of moving around. Using small slates, the handling was exactly the same to the point where top slate with message underneath was tossed to the table. At this time the other slate was held in right hand which dropped to the side for a second and the flap hooked onto clothes a little behind the right hip. When the message was revealed, he turned a bit more to the right, and the right hand merely grasped the flap by its sides, lifted it loose, and dropped it into the right side coat pocket from where he brought out a handkerchief to be used as a blindfold or something in the next test.

The action although bold, was done so easily that detection was very improbable.