Claude Alexander Conlin's Thought Control Turban | |
---|---|
Conlin's Turban in David Copperfield's International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts | |
Origin |
Claude Alexander Conlin, aka Alexander the Man Who Knows |
Type |
Feathered turban |
Effects |
Minor thought control |
Downsides |
Potential for eventual indirect action manipulation |
Activation |
Wearing, focusing |
Collected by |
Warehouse 13 |
Section |
|
Aisle |
TBA |
Shelf |
TBA |
Date of Collection |
March 7, 2014 |
[Source] |
Origin[]
Claude Alexander Conlin (June 30, 1880 – August 5, 1954), also known as Alexander, C. Alexander, Alexander the Crystal Seer, and Alexander the Man Who Knows, was an American spiritual author, vaudeville magician who specialized in mentalism and psychic reading acts, dressed in Oriental style robes and a feathered turban, and often used a crystal ball as a prop. In addition to performing, he also worked privately for clients, giving readings. He was the author of several pitch books, New Thought pamphlets, and psychology books, as well as texts for stage performers.
Between 1915 and 1924, Conlin, under the stage name "Alexander, The Man Who Knows," was a popular and highly paid stage mentalist. Alexander promoted his psychic act as a form of mental telepathy or mind reading. Audience members gave him sealed questions, which he answered from the stage. His techniques were not revealed during his lifetime.
In truth, Conlin used this turban to perform his mind-reading tricks by making an audience member think of a question of his choosing and that he knew the answer to. Once he had that person's envelope, he would be able to answer the question without needing to open the envelope, as he already knew the answer.
Effects[]
When worn, the wearer of the turban can focus on an individual and manipulate their thoughts on a minor scale, typically by making them think specific thoughts. However, this can culminate in the manipulated person's actions changing to fit the implanted thoughts, which if used in the wrong hands could become disastrous.
Trivia[]
- This artifact was seen on a digital poster screen behind Pete and Myka in "The Sky's the Limit."