Volition

The trick is ruthless, but effective. The audience sees four envelopes passed out, and four cards taken from the pack by those people. The cards are sealed, collected by a fifth person, mixed well, and laid, BY HIM, in a row on a table between performer and audience.

Now the magus speaks out. He wants to show that a sympathy exists between people and the objects they have touched. To emphasize that sympathy he will let each of the four people pass through a sieve of chance. Each of the four persons is given his chance. Each, in turn, keeps an envelope. Then they name their freely chosen cards and show what they have picked. Is it coincidence that ALL found their own cards ? It’s either factual evidence or accurate fancy !

The envelopes, handed out in a careless manner, are marked. It doesn’t matter how, but the containers are capable of being identified from each side as 1, 2, 3, 4. When the fifth person lays them down in a row, the performer’s first mental effort is to note how they lie. First he patters about leaving all to chance. He KNOWS the people as 1, 2, 3, 4. Therefore he KNOWS to whom each envelope belongs. First, he looks at the envelope second from HIS left. He motions, offhandedly, towards the person to whom he knows it belongs. “Give me a number between one and four – quickly.” If “three” is it, he asks that person to step forward, count to it, take it, and step back. If “two” is said, he looks down, counts deliberately to two and offers it. From each side of the row the same card has been “sold” to its owner.

You now push the three remaining envelopes together to close up the empty space. This action lets you see the mark on the middle envelope. Looking upward, after the arrangement, you ask another of the “four” to step forward. Naturally, it is he to whom the middle envelope belongs. Pick up your right hand envelope and give it to him. Say, “Just touch one of the others.” Should he touch his own (original center) you continue, “Keep it for yourself.” Should he touch the right end envelope you say, “That puts both out of the way. Pick up that envelope on the table and pocket it.”

No matter what happens, he gets his own. You put the two remaining envelopes side by side, and call either one of the two remaining people. And you KNOW which envelope belongs to he who comes up. Ask him outright to pick up one. AND AS YOU SAY IT, LOOK AT, AND MOTION FOR, THE LAST PERSON TO COME FORWARD, TOO. FOR THE MOMENT IGNORE THE ACTION OF THE PERSON BEFORE YOU, BUT YOU DO SEE WHICH ENVELOPE HE INDICATES.

As the fourth person steps up, you have two “outs”. Should the third man pick up the envelope belonging to the fourth man, and that man is coming forward, tell your selector, “Give it to him, that (indicating the last one) is for you, and will the other two gentlemen (or ladies) please come up to make it a magical quarter.” On the other hand, should the third man pick his own envelope, he naturally keeps it and the man (fourth) asked forward takes the one left, his own.

One thing must be imperative. The presentation MUST be deliberate, WITHOUT any show of hesitation. The patter must TIME with the actions, and be MATTER OF FACT, since you are not caring, apparently, how the envelopes are returned — it’s chance, and that’s that. You pass, blithely, but accurately, through this part. Save your showmanship for the opening and closing.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Four of my audience have selected cards, sealed them tightly that none but themselves could know their identity, the envelopes have been mixed, and, lastly, each of the four took back one envelope by chance lot as you have seen. I spoke before of coincidence. I ask you now to check, carefully, on an occurrence to be witnessed seldom. Mr —, the name of your card ? —- Open your envelope. Mr. —, you picked what card ? —- Open your envelope. etc.”

You haven’t done so much, to magicians, but the audience effect is terrific, provided, of course, that you present the stunt as an experiment to test an unknown but suspected quality in everyone to veer towards that which is his own. THEY DO THE TRICK — NOT YOU. That is your attitude.