An exceedingly clever location of two cards using the Free Cut Principle by the inventor of this beautiful principle.
Effect: The performer hands a deck of cards to one of two spectators with the request that he shuffle it, and then divide it equally with a second spectator. While this is being done, the performer turns his back.
Now each spectator is instructed to select a card from his respective half. Next they each exchange a number of cards so that the performer doesn't know how many cards each man holds, or which cards were selected (and he doesn't).
Now the performer tells them to assemble the deck and square it carefully. The performer turns around, takes the deck and gives it a cut.
The first spectator takes the deck, holds it face down in his left hand for dealing, and commences dealing the cards from the top of the deck onto the table face-up, one at a time. Suddenly the performer stops him and announces the name of the first selected card.
The deck is squared up once more and is given to the second spectator. Now, although the performer has neither seen nor has any way of telling what the second selected card may be, he causes the second spectator to "spell it out" correctly, one card at a time, from the bottom of the deck. Unbelievable as it may seem, the correct card turns up as the last letter of the spelling is reached.
There are no gimmicks, no preparation. A borrowed deck may be used. No confederates are employed, nor at any point are the spectators questioned about the identity of their chosen cards.
The trick is so automatic in method that it can, with only a slight change in presentation, be performed from start to finish over the telephone without the performer at any time seeing the deck or touching the cards.
1st edition 1948, PDF 4 pages.
word count: 1877 which is equivalent to 7 standard pages of text
