T
H E mentalist states that he has discovered such a force as metallic sympathy which arises between any metal objects that must of necessity come into repeated contact with each other. W ith rapidly m oving parts, this has been more or less catalogued as static electricity and produced through friction. But w ith articles that merely come into close contact through handling there exists a sympathy, even though they be inanimate. In this case, the experiment shall be illustrated by a padlock and key.A genuine Yale, Corbin, or other well known make of padlock is shown and a reward offered if anyone can prove or show that the lock is not just as it left the factory or has ever been tampered w ith. W ith the lock is a key on which has been tied a piece o f colored ribbon to identify it from six other keys that are lying at hand.
Announcing that the tagged key is the only one that can open the lock, the other six being odd keys, a spectator is asked to take the lock and try them one by one. As he tries each key and it fails to work, he drops it into a small bag and upon the last one actually fitting and opening the lock, the ribbon is removed and that dropped in also among the others.
Shaking the bag and mixing the keys well inside, the per former steps to each o f seven people and they reach in and take one key from the bag in their closed fist. Absolutely no one
sees the key removed by each until all seven are out.
Taking the wrist o f the party who is still holding the padlock, the performer passes to each closed fist in turn and merely holds his free hand near it. Suddenly he stops at one outstretched hand. "This hand holds the key that fits the lock,” he exclaims. The spectator hands the key directly to the party w ith the lock and holding the lock in fu ll view the key is tried. The lock snaps open! And immediately the performer reoffers his reward i f any o f the other keys which are still being held, w ill open the lock.
This can be built into a real astonishing effect for any audience and it is far from being hard.
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The necessaries are one lock, six odd keys that w ill not fit and seven that will. The bag is a changing bag and the illustration is of the new P & L Spirit Bag which is the daintiest and nicest bit of such work ever produced. I have found no bag better for this effect. It looks rather silly to drop seven keys in to a bag big enough to change a rabbit and this new type just fills the bill.
N o w follow this routine closely: Prepare by dropping six of the duplicates into one side of the bag and then change over so the bag is now empty. You are ready. H ave a ribbon tied to the other correct key to prevent its being mixed among the six odd ones.
Show the lock and explain about the keys. The spectator comes up. Ask him to try the six odd keys one by one and as he finds they w ont work he drops them singly into the empty side o f the bag you are holding. H e now tries the seventh and the lock opens. Just at the moment the lock opens you change hands w ith the bag and switch sides bringing the six duplicates up. The spectator then removes the ribbon and drops the key in among the others. As he drops it in, ask him to scoop them out and count them in aloud again. Seven. And one o f them fits the lock. Really all seven do that very thing!
The performer now passes among the spectators and asks a man to reach in and to take any one he wishes and keep it in his closed fist. Your telling this first man w hat to do serves as a slight pause and the bag is switched side for side again. N o w the performer passes to six other people in turn and each remove a key until the last is taken.
I advise doing this haphazardly and not in a straight row. This is simply because the first selected key is always the right one and you should be able to eventually pass one or two duds before stopping at the correct one.
The selecting done, the tricky work is done and the finish is played up as strongly as desired to a climax as o f course, the right party is known and the other six won’t fit the lock.
Thus you start w ith seven unprepared keys and a lock and end the same way. The use of the bag is merely incidental and is never mentioned but just used and that’s all.
It m ight be a good plan when passing from hand to hand at the finish in search o f the key, to pass two duds and hit it the third time. Too much play is boresome. When you touch the first hand, shake your head and say, "N o, there isn’t a thing there. It can’t be the key. Try it.” The party with the lock tries it and it doesn’t fit. This occurs w ith the second in the same manner. But with the third one the performer becomes elated and declares that this must be the key itself. It is tried— and works.
Various strong presentation points are in this and w ill be worked up by the enterprising performer. One is that during the entire effect from start to finish you need never so much as touch a key or the lock. They are laying in full view and are first picked up by the spectator. Throughout the routine you only carry them and mix them. The trying o f the keys and the opening of the lock is done by your audience and what could be more fair? O f course, you can use five keys instead o f seven but then I wouldn’t have had such a good title for this real little mystery.
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