TIE AllIE ESTATI A'f'

InUit ItIOGE. W.VA.

Tel. 3()4.947·7730P.O. Box 155G....t cacapon, WV 25422

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THE AIU ESTATI A'r

JUV..ER JUDGE, W.VA.

Tel. 304-947·7730P.O. Box 155Great Cacapon, WV 25422

Cop y rig h t (1 9 9 7 ) byAl Mann Exclusives

- the foolishness of yestedayhas become the wisdom of tomorrow."

Sir William Osler (1919)

So what is Advanced Billet technique? A lady wrotesecretly a word on a slip of paper and rolled it up into a balland clenched it in her closed fist. Bert Reese, standing severalfeet away told the lady what was written on the paper she held.-- A man wrote his thought on a slip of paper and stuffed it intohis shoe. Again Bert Reese told the man what the written toughtwas.

Was Reese a mind reader? NO!. Both him and Charles Foster,his mentor, used a simple technique. The one-ahead-method. But itwas the impressive presentation that created the awesomemiracle-like effect that dazzled the intelligent minds of theworld. Bert Reese, like Foster, was resorting to some advancedbillet technique that apparently only they could perform.

It was the challenge posted before the audience thatshattered all reasoning. The impossible made possible. Thepccsibility that perhaps Bert Reeses had a power not known orU~ erstood . by anyone but him. "They believe in me." said BertR:c s e to Houdini. "And I heal them just by talking to them."

Acidus Two presents a similar imposible and unbelievabletest. The mind of the audience can not believe what they see.Therefore their reasoning is shattered. - Many are convincedthat there is in this world hidden mysteries. What the Mentalistdoes is proof that mortals do not know every thing.

1

So whatpresentationperson wr i te athen fold thefolded card isclip, as shown

does the audience see? In theof Acidus II, your audience see a

word on a piece of card secretly andcard twice into quarters and the

further secured by a trombone paperin Fig. 1.

.

The Mentalisttips of his fingersof the audience.

holds the folded card at thewhere it remains in full sight

Fig. 1

No one in your audience can believe that the Mentalistactually has access to the secretly written word. No one canbelieve that under the conditions imposed. The Mentalist cana~tual1y apparently remove the paper clip, open out the card,read the message and refold the card and replace the paper clip,while standing motionless before his audience. Actually that iswhat happens. The Mentlist does all with one hand. The fingersof the hand that holds the folded card do not move once the billetin in his hand!

In11!lJducin f)

To perform ACIDUS 2, you will need the following:

CARDSTOCK FOR THE BILLETS. I use 80-1b. paperboard (vellumBristol). I use flesh-color stock. The stock is cut into billetsize cards about 2-1/4 inch by 3-1/8th inch. This size fits mypalm well. The reader may make the cards bigger or smaller. Thepaperboard is about the same texture as an index card, BUT awhite index card is not recommended for the novice. If youaccidently expose 1/8 inch of the:white index card, it can beseen clear across the room. Once you have mastered the techniqueyou may use any cards.

2

Plus two trombone paper clips 1-1/4 inch long. Pencils,preferably with a jet black lead or a good black lead or greaselead. Actually as an impromptu test Acidus can be done with anypencil or pen.

Optional: A slate and chalk to write the thought on.

THE PREPARATION BEFORE THE SHOW:

The dummy and the billet proper must be prepared before thehow. ALTHOUGH THE DUMMY AND THE BILLET LOOK ALIKE, EASH IS'REPARED AND PREFOLDED SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY. NOTE: All.nstructions given here must be followed exactly otherwise the:est will fail.

Fig. 2 Fig. 2A

THE DUMMY

)~ .

( .Fig. 2B

.

THE DUMMY: Fold the dummy once about 1/4 inch short as shownin Fig. 2. Then fold it a second time, into quarters with the 1/4inch step inside the fold as in Fig.2A. The reason for thisfold, is th~t the Dummy will now be, after folding it, a hairtaller than the billet. The dummy will then stick up higherabove your fingers. You want your audience to see the foldedbillet (Dummy) at all times, so the taller the dummy the better.

Next place a trombone paper clip around the dummy. The dummyis now ready. Fig. 2B shows how the dummy looks from both sides.That is the way your audience visualizes the billet. Actualy youraudience will see the Dummy billet from only one side but commonsense dictates that the paper clip shows from both sides. YET ifsomeone accidentally sees the dummy from behind they will see theother half of the paper clip!

THE BILLET

Fig. 3A

3

Fig •.3B

ACIDUS 2PRE-SHOW PREPARATION cont.

THE BILLET PROPER: The billet to be used for the test isfolded once about 1/8 in~h short as seen in Fig. 3. Next it isfolded into quarters, WITH THE 1/8 INCH STEP ON THE OUTSIDE, asseen in Fig. 3A. The reason for the 1/8 inch step is to avoid thecorner of the billet from digging into the flesh of the hand andinterrupting the smooth handling of the billet.

The correct position for both the billet and the Dummy forexcecu t ing Ac idu s 2, in shown in Fig. 3B. The Dummy and thebillet must always be taken in that position, with the foldedcenter on the upper left and the loose 4 corners of the card onthe lower right.

Fig. 4 Fig. 4A

, /, '/

" I _.I~__, ~ /

"/-~--I--

III

Fig. 4B

Take the billet in your hands in the position shown in Fig.3b and open out half of it upwards and PUSH THE FOLDED TOP HALF OFTHE FOLDED BILLET WITH YOUT THUMB IN THE DIRECTION OF THE ARROW.this opens up , the billet as shown in Fig. 4. Push hard on thebillet to break th creases so that the billet will then look likein Fig. 4A.

Next open out the billet fully like shown in Fig. 4B and drawthe black line. (dash lines shows the creases of the fold). Theblack line is where the VIP will be asked to write a name or word.

CURTAIN TIME: When you walk onstage, you have in your right hand(or left) the dummy in finger-palmposition.See Fig. 5. PLEASE NOTEthe the bi lle tis in-.correc t worki ngposition. The folded center of theDummy is on your upper left and thefour loose corners are to the lowerright. Both the billet and theDummy must always be handled in thatpopsition.

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Fig. 5

ACIDUS 2

CURTAIN TIME cont.

Please Note Fig. 5. Through many handlings of the Acidusbillet, I have discovered that the billet can be anchored moresecurely in the finger-palm position by applying pressure with thetip of the third finger against the base of the fingers.

Amazingly, each one of your fingers of the palming hand dotheir part. After some practice you will discover thet eachfinger acquires an Ln t e Ll.Lg e nc e (or memory>, and . each . fingerdoes its part astexpected.· In 'Fig. 5, the first finger c ov e r s thebillet from the top. The ring finger covers the bottom of thebillet from exposure. Both the thumb and the little finger inFig. 5 have been removed for clarity. The little finger usuallycurls up u~der the billet to keep it from falling to the flooraccidentally.

Theto ge therfree tonature.

four fingers of the palming hand must be held tightlyas if these were glued together. The thumb will then bedo the work. With time all these things become second

In your rightpaper clip.

hand you should also have a trombone

ALWAYS KEEP YOUR RIGHT HAND WITH THE DUMMY CLOSE TO YOURBODY. YOUR HAND AND ARM LOOK NATURAL WHEN HELD CLOSE TO YOURBODY. GET IN THE HABIT OF DOING ALL YOUR BILLET WORK CLOSE TO THEBODY AT ABOUT CHEST LEVEL. Avoid arm swinging gestures or raisingyour hand high in the air. Remain as motionless as you can. Youraudience will love you for your serenity and lack of comicalgyrations.

In your left hand, you should have the billet proper and apencil which you give to the VIP telling him where to write andinstructing him to place the card writing side down on the tablewhen finished. Don't allow the VIP to refold the card as he mightdo it wrong.

THE TEST. Give your lecture and disclaimer or whatever andthen propose a test with a single word or name in the Englishlanguage. Ask a person to come forward and tell him/her to writeany word or name secretly of, say, 5 or 6 letters, on the card andthen to turn the card writing side down. You ask theaudience to watch carefully as you make some passes with yourleft hand over the card and then place your hand flat on the cardand fold the card in half.

5

Pick up thefo1ded-in-ha1f card andshow the audience that thewriting is in the insideof the card. Fold the carda second time into quarters ~.and tell the audience.While talking (this isvery importatant) maneuverthe folded card with thefingers of the left handuntil the card is in itsworking position, that is,the folded center on yourupper left. Then turn thecard in azimuth 90 degrees,as shown in Fig. 6. andsecure the card with thepaper clip you have in yourright hand, BUT the paperclip only pinches half ofthe folded card!

Fig. 6

NOTE: Due to the special folding of the card, it ispossible for you to clip only one half of the folded card. Youraudience is not aware of this. They simply assume that the paperclip surrounds the whole card. And they also assume that if theylook at the other side of the billet they will see the other halfof the paper clip.

A Figs. 7c:

-

D

As you put on the paper clip, the billet to your view lookslike in Figs. 7A and B, But tothe audience the billet looks like in Figs. C and D.

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ACIDUS 2THE TEST cont.

After you have the paper clip inplace (make sure it is placed oncorrectly so that oly half of the foldedbillet is clipped.) Place the clippedbillet at the tips of your right handfingers. but make sure the billet goesunder ·the Dummy as in Fig. 8.

Tell your audience that the folded cardwill remain in full sight at the tips of yourfingers. Challenge tha audience to tell youwhat is written on the card. "No one knowsbut the person who did the writing." You say."I get vibrations and emotions by holding thefolded card. If I touch my temple wi th thefolded card I get stronger vibrations." Yousay. Fig. 8

Fi~. 9 shows what the audience sees.Do not underestimate the effect that thistest cadses. I have seen peoplecompletely dumbfounded after witnessingthe test. Your lay audience simply cannot penetrate mentally your cleverchicanery.

Fig. 9

~~

When you show your audience how you place the folded card toyour temple, you acuta11y do that and in a fraction of a secondyou excecute the 'Temple Switch."

7

THE TEMPLE SWITCH. A mostbeautiful and easy move, invented bythe mediums. This test was exposed in"The Revelations of a Spirit Medium"by A. Me diu m•

As you hold the billet and Dummyin your right hand fingertips as shownin Figs. 8 and 9, You raise your handto touch your temple and the billet ispushed into palm position while theright thumb pushes out the Dummy.

Fig. 10 shows; lOA billet as seen by theaudience and the Dummy in palm position •• Fig.lOB, both the billet and the dummy have beenpushed flush. Fig. laC, The thumb has pushedthe dummy into sight and the hand again lookslike in Figs. 8 and 9.

ACIDUS 2

THE TEST.

In Figs. lOA to lOC, the black line represents the billet andthe white line the Dummy.

,After you have excecuted the Temple Switch you will be

holding the billets at your finger tips as shoewn in Figs. 8 and9.

The thumb has been removed for clarity in Fig. 8.

Believe me, the move is so deceiving that your audience seesthe Dummy as the true billet. Right away, as you patter, maneuverthe Dummy with your right thumb and fingers into first-finger grippoisition.

(The billet proper is secured in palm positon and is beingheld securely by pressure of the tips of the middle and ringfingsrs agaisnt the base of the fingers.)

THE FIRST-FINGER GRIP:This has been borrowed from thecigarette manipulators. Ourbillet is wider than acigarette so it is easier tohandle. The Dummy billet asseen in Figs. 11 and 12 isgripped between the thirdjoint, joint "C"," of thefirst finger and the firstphalange of the same finger.And due to its extra length, its tan ds high in the air, sotheaudience can see it at alltimes.

Fig. 11

CHEER UP! The arcane forces we are dealing with want you tosucceed. Inert matter, supposedly has no life or movement. But thecard stock from which our billets are made has a memory! If youfold the card in half and place it on the table, the card opensout trying to get back to the flat condition of which it has amemory. Please NOTE Fig. 11. It shows the billet in palmposition opened out a bit, all by it own force, on the half thatis not pinched by the paper clip, That makes it easy for you tostick your thumb into it.

First, with your right thumb you open out the billet half wayas shown in Fig. 12. and then push on corner "A" as per thearrow. This opens out the folded billet more and allows you tostick your thumb into the billet and open it out enough foryou to glimpse the thought.

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ACIDUS 2

THE TEST

NOTE: The thumb has beenremoved for clarity in Figs. 11 and12. Never look at your hands whileworking with your thumb. All themoves are made while you patter. Fig.

After you feel that the billet is opened out enough, DO NOTLOOK at your hand with the billet. But turn to your far left andask one person on your left of the audience to please guess whatis written on the folded card. As you say that, you point to theDummy and at the same time you glimpse the thought. You look atthe· open billet only for a split second while you point to thedummy. The person of course does not know w~at the thought ~ soyou say, "Don't feel bad, I do not know myself." During tftispatter you have aligned the two billets as shown in Fig. 8 and 9.

Ask the writer to concentrate onbillet to your temple and excecuteRealigned the two billets again. YourFigs. 8, 9 and lOA and the true billet

hi s though r , You place thethe Temple Switch again.

hand will now look like inis again in sight.

To glimpse the written word, holdyour hand with the open billet as shownin Fig. 13, at about chest level. Sayabout 6 to 12 inches from your eyes.Hold your hand in the direction of theperson on your far left of the audienceAND TILT THE HAND TOWARDS YOU. When youpoint to the folded dummy, you should belooking right into the hole made by yourhand and the written thought should beplainly seen. Fig. 13

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I call your attention to the fact thatthe folded card is still folded and it is still held securely withthe paper clip. I have no further use for this card so I willreturn it to the writer." Remove the paper clip and return thecard still folded to the writer. "Please notice that the card isstill folded and no one can see the written thought." You are nowclean and in poseession of the thought! Reveal the thoughtdramatically.

Dear Reader. If you like to work with billets, Do not give upon this Acidus 2. A little practice every day for a week or two

will make you a billet master. I performed this test without aflaw allover Europe in 1984 while on tour. It has taken a lot of

~~~~e~~e1~~d time and effort to :ut t~;; paPjL:O make the

(];ft1~(p~ 97

eycclusives

P.O. Box 155 Great Cacapon. WV 25422 Phone 304 947-7730

'1'be Parts of the Rands.

The carpus is the bundle of foutbones to which are .jointed the fourfingers. -

The outside of the carpus is knownas the back of the hand and the in­side as the palm of the hand.

The metacarpus is the wrist.The thumb, popularly considered as

having two joints only, has threejoints since it is articulated directlywith the carpus as is plainly shownin the illustration.

The thenar is the raised fleshy por­tion of the carpus at the base of thethumb.

The hypothenar is the similar raisedportion below the base of the littlefinger.

The fingers, counting from thethumb side, are the first, second,third and fourth, popularly known asthe index or forefinger, the middle'finger. the ring finger and the littlefinger.

The phalange~ are the theee bonesin each finger and they are calledthe first, second and third, startingfrom the carpus, the first being theInnermost, the third the outermostand the second being the middlephalange.

The joints of the fingers are theplaces where the phalanges meet oneanother or the bones of the carpus.the first joint-.beinr. that made hy thejunction of the first phalange alldthe carpus. the second joint is tl-cone between the first and secondphalanges and the third is that be­tween the second and third phalanges.

The ball of the thumb or a finger isthe rounded mound of flesh at the topof the t,llird ohnlange opposite thenail.

NOTE OF CAUTION: Please refer back to page 2 and Fig. 1.This shows the Dummy billet secured with a paper clip. The paperclip must be placed always on the same end of the billet. That isthe end where the folded center is. IF you place the paper clipon the other end, it will interfere with the smooth working of theTemple Switch.