Hanussen Proof

THE BLURB:
The premise of Hanussen's Proof, and Bob's search for an
effective method, were inspired by an event that took place
in the spring of 1930. The mentalist/psychic Eric Jan
Hanussen was indicted and tried on charges of criminal fraud
arising from a public demonstration of alleged
"clairvoyance". As the trial neared its conclusion and the
evidence against Hanussen grew, he concluded that his only
chance of acquittal would be to demonstrate his ability to
the court. His offer of proof was accepted, and, under the
watchful eyes of the judge and prosecutor, the demonstration
proceeded.

Hanussen asked his inquisitors to concentrate on an event in
their lives, and then to tell him the location and place
where the event took place. It was the same test the
mentalist performed the night he was arrested, except on
that occasion Hanussen obtained the details of the events
via secret signals from an assistant posing as a member of
the audience.

This time, however, neither his assistant nor associates
were present. They had been removed from the courtroom, and
placed under police guard. But despite these precautions,
Hanussen provided detailed descriptions of the mentally
selected events.

The charges against him were dismissed.

The sensational publicity that followed his acquittal, his
subsequent rise to fame as "The Prophet of the Third Reich",
and his execution by the Gestapo in 1933, is described in
Mel Gordon's fascinating biography, Erik Jan Hanussen,
Hitler's Jewish Clairvoyant. The author's primary sources
were news reports, court records, historical materials,
Hanussen's own writings, and the published recollections of
his contemporaries and critics. But nowhere in any of the
voluminous materials written by and about the German seer is
there a clue to the method he used at the trial. How was it
possible for him to reveal events that occurred in people's
lives merely by knowing the dates and places?

You are about to learn a secret that has been shrouded in
secrecy for nearly seventy-five years. Use it well.

1st edition 2003; revised 2005; 28 pages

MY COMMENTS:
Most mentalists familiar with Cassidy's recent material have
pointed at this release as one of Cassidy's best routines.
I wholeheartedly agree. It's a terrific routine.
Basically, five people write down on a business card a
specific event that only they know. The cards are
collected. Then they write on another card. This time they
write only the date and location of the event. Each of
these cards is then picked up and read aloud to be written
down. After this is done, the performer reveals the details
of each event.

The routine requires index cards, pencils, a pad of paper,
and greeting card-size envelopes. Cassidy explains the
whole routine in detail. He also includes the historical
anecdote that inspired this sensational routine. Highly
recommended.