POST OFFICE BOX 1.... • FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY 07728

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M'ttDRI-AI>~R. I:XTRAtJRI>.HARY

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(201 ) 431-2429 POST OFFICE BOX 144 • FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY 07728

, . AXf"l I-IfLlST~O M

Copyright (1985) by Al Mann Exclusives

Towards the end of World War I, the German Army had in its ranks a multi-talented young sol­dier named Joseph Vogt.

Joseph's mundane trade was that of a baker, and he was so employed in the Army. His army bud­dies, however, noticed that he was also a master of an obscure science known as Mnemonics. Joseph had the ability to memorize instantly a long list of unrelated words or items dictated to him by any-one! But Joseph's display of Mne-

monics went far beyond the academic norm. He could also enterpret Psycho-Physi­cal impulses emited by the mind of anyone he came in contact with! In essence Joseph was also a mindreader!

His army buddies marveled and applauded his demonstrations and although Joseph was a good mixer and well liked by everyone, they looked at him strangely and wondered.

Other Mnemonics experts also marveled as not only could Joseph memorize up to 30 words thrown at him but he could also sense what particular word of the many someone was thinking of. These demonstrations were uncanny and most amazing, and were to bring Joseph instant fame and unfortunately also an early death.

Joseph had been an specially gifted child that had developed a liking for the occult sciences and the modern experimentation into Psychic Phenomena. He had mastered the art of the Mesmerist and was able to hypnotize, yet his love was his ability to read thoughts. In the entire civilized world, less than a dozen persons were so gifted.

The academic psychologist had labeled his gift 'muscle reading' and said that it was the result of ideo-motor impulses emited by the brain. But those who are so gifted and demonstrate the technique at will know that the label is incorrect. Later , Joseph was to demonstrate to the world that physical contact was not at all necessary.

Joseph's stint in the army served him two purposes: He served his country and at the same time, due to the isolated life of a baker, he was able to plot his future. He would some day soon, shake the world with his art.

In 1920 at the age of 26, Joseph was discharged from the military. 14 days later and while still in uniform, Joseph declared himself a mind­

reader and adopted the name AXEL HELLSTROM. He asked Germany's top magician, Kassner, to connect him with an agent (Kassner's posters show him vanishing a jumbo elephant from the theatre stage).

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AXEL HELLSTROM'S RAPID MEMORY SYSTEM

Copyright 1929 by Harlan Tarhl'II, 56 Ea.t (;on,r<'88 St., Chlcaco

This system of rapid memory of thirty objects ia the same a. used by Axel Hellstrom in hi. public performances. Those of you w:'o have seen Hellstrom at work know the apeed at which he works. Men well versed In memory systems have marv~lcd at Hellstrom'. pr ... entation and many requests have come in inquiring about his system. By .pecial arrangementa I am now able to give you bis syatem.

It will appeal esp .. cially to the entertain .. r a8 It i. designed for entertainment purposes.

There have been a number of rOlltines anJ systems based on exaggerated memory stunts Rnd ideas, but how many arc you actually using, and if you arc ubing anyone, have you developed proper apeed and entertainment value? The old inell of a •• o­ciatien of exaggerated ideas still holds good for memorizing a li.t of articles, but Hellstrom has simplified matters through PIC­TURES arranged in groups of FIVES. This enables you to quiekly m .. morize the basic code upon which your various experime"ts are based.

Note the chart rar .. fully. You must be able to carry a mental picture of it in four head. But it is easy if you work it out systematically. There are three rows of ten pictures. Each row is in turn divided \lito two gruop •. In each row the ones, twos, threes etc., are in a vertical row. For instance, I, 11, and 21 are in a row vertically.

LET l'S S·rAllT LEARNING THE CODE QUICKLY:

We will take the first 6, which have to do with your own person. Learn them in order.

I-In YOllr left pocket. 2-In your right pucket. 3-0n top of your head. 4-You steJl"oh It with the right foot. S-Lying on tloor in front of you.

Go over that routine several times until you cannot forget it. Your mind travels from left to right pocket, to top of hoad, duwn to raised right foot, and onto the floor.

NOW FOR THE SECOND GROUP:

HeN we get into picture. and you must memorize aU five picture. in ordH.

\v AGON-t ABLE-CRYSt AI. nALI~AEl!OI·J.ANE-nEn

Go over them severe! times in your mind. then associate then. With theil" rc!tiPf!Ctivt:: number~. By icarning groups uf jjV\'

pictures it is quite easy to place each picture hi Ito place and •• soCiate It with its number. .

No'v .tart with number one and mentally recall the code cue of each· number according to th .. chart.

THE THIRn GROUP:

Th i. group com .. directly under the fI .. t group and 11 under I, 12 unde,· the 2, etc.

BARREL-I'IANO-STAGE-ENGINE-CROCODII.E

J

Note the variety of subject •• 0 as to aid in your memory work. As.uclate each picture with it. respective number.

Already you have half of the chart memorised.

Continue thi. routine with each of the group. of pictures.

Go onr the thirty pictures one group at a time in your mind. Where you 'ail to remember one, take good note of it Bnd you will remember it easi~r the next time.

When you have memorized the pidure. and can .. sociate each with ito respective number you are ready to go on with the act. Once you have the code picture. well in mind you are llet for the future, for the object. an audlene. elve. you to remember can alway. be associated with the basic picture eode.

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PRESENTATION 3

Hellstrom presents the act Romething like this:

"Ladies and Gentlemen:

I would Iilie to .how you a very interesting "xperiment in the line of p8yrholoq. Will you be 80 kind as to have a pencil and paper ready foa' the experiment? I want you to give me the names of thirty artacles that you use In everyday life. Whon some one eall~ out an object and I reJMlat the object, write down the number one and then the name of the object after it. Theil when I repeat the nome of anoth .. r objp.ct write down the number two and the name of the object after it. Then three, four, five Rnd so forth until we com .. to the number thirty. In thia way you can readily aee at a glance at what number each objed i. c'alled. You will have control, thereby, over the whole experiment and can check up on me at any time.

Now for the first word. (Some one say., for inatance, 'apple.')

Number one la apple. Write down the number one and then the word apple after It. (Over)

Next.

(Some one uyl for butane., ·clsanUe.') Write Numb~r 2-;-then cigarette under number one and apple.

(Let ua amagane now that the audience calla oil the followinlf objects In order):

3-cuapidor 100spoon 17-ahoe 4-luitcale ll-telephone 18-aoap 5-oranre Ill-bread :l9-waatebuket 6-coal la-chair 20-<:ai 7-glas8 14-towel 2I-mirror 8-elephont IS-ring 22-ham !I-monkey IO-mustard 24-bologna

Hellstrom has named carefully and distinctiy. each number with Ita respective object.

METHODOF ASSOCIATION

Aa each object i. called he associates it with the code pictUre alao at the same number.

25-atar 26-candy 27-cheea. 28-street car 29-lIour 30-a'adio"

For instance, the code number for One il THE LEFT HAND POCKET. APPLE wal caUed out for number one. He'immc diately pictures an aprle In hil left-hand trouaerl pocket.

And so he continues.

Number 2-He Imagines ho hal a cigarette in hi. Jeft-hand trouler. pocket. Number 3-He pleturea a cuspidor on tolLof .his..laead.. Number 4-·A auite .. o i. under his right foot. H. hal his foot on a aultease. Number 5--An orllnge lies on the ground before him.

See how eBSY it is to memorize these five articles and to call them frontwards or backwards or at any numbea' given.

, An apple in the left pocket, a cigarette In the right pocket, a cUlpidor on the head, the rlrht foot i. on a suitcase and 81 orange lies in front on the 1I00r.

To continue:

6-He pirture. the WAGON fuU of COAL. 7-A GLASS tumbler lion the TABLE. 8-An ELEPHANT ia standinlf on the CRYSTAL BALL .imlJar to the familiar-.elrcurpletllfiOf elephant on large woodel

ball. -9-.-A..,MQN~E¥--ia rldl'!l I!II fop of the AEROPLANE. ,

100Tlioiie II a SPOON on the BEl>, ,;erhBlIs left therel>i'Oiii'o!1Jfe ([\aldren at plllY. ll-There I. a TELEPHONE on top of the BARR)!:L, perhapi put there for housecleaning. 12-Tho children have piled BREAD On top of the PIANO key •• 13-A CHAIR leta at the center of STAGE. 14-The ENGINE has a TOWEL haneing on a Imall pol. at edlfe of front of boiler to act al lilfnal flag. IS-The CROCODILE haa a RING around the end of hi. taIL

The moment you picture the code word, yeu also picture that ohject associ"ted with It. Think of 9 and you think of th, aeroplane with monkey riding around on top of It.

In th~1 lame manner you can a .. oclate the other objecta with the code pictures.

16-Imailne lome one droppinr a glasA of MUSTARD on the cellar STEPS and breakinlf it. 17-Imalfine a SHOE hanging on the CEILING. IS-The CLOWN is washing hia makeup oil with SOAP. l:J-Some one has thrown away ':r. WASTEBASKET into a lIerap BOX. 20-A CAT rOlts peacefully daried up on the SOFA.

And __ '0 on with, tho ft':.".bainlf ·ten.

IlOUTINE OF PllESEN'rATION

l--Call oil one object after another in order.

Number I-Apple Numhcr 2-Cilfaretle Number S-Cwlpldor

-etc., until all thirty are called.

~(To Audience): "If you will give me a number I will give you the name of the object at that number. (Audience call numbers.) Number 28 II Itrep.t car, 17 Is shoe, 20 Is cat, etc." , .

3-"Give me the name of the object and I will give you the number usodated with It. Waste basket i. 19, ring is 15. ell' 4-Call oil objects in order from back to front. Number 30 is radio, 29 II flour, 28 II Itreet car, etc., continuing until numb"

one iM called. -

The aame system can be used with more numben but experience shows that thirty aa ... enoutrh an as to. e~nvi~oe llu~licJlcC ' remarkable mental power and at the same time entertain them and not tire them. Tuo many 1lerformera tare thear lIuulencc; b, memory oystems that are too slow, too much repetition by heint drawn out. Present the system as Hellstrom does, liS )'OU \\'1.

find excellent entertainment. Speed i. essenti/ll. Keep your pictured chart woll In mind.

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AXEL HELLSTROM AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

His first performance was done in a Hamburg coffee shop. This very first performance was a smash hit and soon his agent booked him in a cinema and as the audience became bigger, his agent had a hard time finding large halls for him to work and accomodate all the ticket buyers.

Everyone marveled at Hellstrom's uncanny phenomenon, including Master Magician Kassner. After watching Hellstrom do many demonstrations, Kassner asked him, "HOW COME YOU NEVER FAIL?" Hellstrom answered, "I don't know but when I am on the stage and see the people, I know what to do."

Kassner stated that Hellstrom was the best in his field, although he was absolutely sure that Hellstrom used stooges.

Wonder of Wonders! While Kassner played at one theatre only 15 days, Hellstrom was held over. at the same theatre for six months!

Soon Hellstrom dropped his agent and worked for himself. He would rent a large hall, announce his show then stand at the door to collect the money and then close the door and go on stage to do his show. He made so much money that he stuffed into his pockets that some of it dropped on the stage. He did 45 minutes. Memory and mindreading.

AMERICA: By the end of 1920, conditions in Germany were getting bad. There was lit­

tle money in circulation and unemployment rampant. Hellstrom asked Kassner to connect him with an agent in America and Hellstrom left for the States in Feb. of 1921. He was sent to the west coast by the Immigration Department. He worked for a while and then started working in the theatre of Springfield Oregon in December of 1921. He was 28 years of age.

Hellstrom had trouble presenting his show as he could not speak English well. He thought that the best thing to do was to present a silent magic act. He borrowed 180,000 marks from a friend (at that time that converted to about $1100, a good chunk of money then). Hellstrom wrote to Kassner to help him buy the magic apparatus. But this never materialized as the German mark commenced to p1umet and by year's end (1922) it was down to 7000 for one dollar. (a year later it reached the low point of 4,200,000.000.000 for one dollar!)

Hellstrom wrote many letters to Kassner. He told him that in the small town he was in, people paid $2 for a show which was done only once every three months and that 750 people attended. A person had to work six months for that in Germany. He pleaded with Kassner to come to America and that he would get rich in one year. That Goldin was making $1000 per week, but Kassner had his golden egg in Europe and stayed there where he was top card for several decades.

THE MINDREADER: Axel Hellstrom's 'cup of tea' was mindreading. He was an expert in it.

His demonstrations were uncanny. His broken English added mysticism to his shows and a touch of authenticity. The world marveled. Soon his fame grew and the repercussions were heard world wide. It reached the ears of famous psy-chic investigators like Houdini and Joseph Rinn. They heard about a German Mind­reader performing in the West Coast that could do 'non-contact mindreading!'

Axel Hellstrom created a sensation everywhere he performed and it was in­evitable that eventually he would end up where the action was. He moved to Chicago. The U.S. Government had invented prohibition in 1920 and it would last for 13 years until 1933, the same year that would see the demise of one great showman and mindreader, Axel Hellstrom. Speakeasies and the imbibing of

AXEL HELLSTROM

b. December 26, 1893 Augsburg

d. July 27, 1933

Munich

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

Mindreadi~ng or What? It's a Mystery JUST THINK<ABoui SOMETHING AND -HE KNOWS-WHAT IT~'

.......... ,.iIfIIJI!" .,.:.

CONCENTRATING Axel Hellstrom starting to demonstl-ate his

power that is bewildering Chicago. He's' concen~ trating while Sergt. O'Reg&n 'writes do,:?" a name on his desk at the detective -bureau to test 'Axel's mind-reading ability. -

.,... .....

"HERE:IT- IS" "Here it is,"Axel ahl1mu":e5t:~ he picks out the rog~~

gallery photo of the ntalYwho6e',name Sergt. O'Regan wrl) "How did he do it?"· worijJers;,t~ sergeant, at Axel's'rigJ "he didn't ~ wh~t L wi:ote."· ,Il~w Aiel does it is still mystery. ChlcnJ:"o Evrnln"-::AmerleaD IIh

§:(I{.]~II :l!f!!tf·tA I~ f~~ .' ~FICTlal·ca.ICS N WSSECTU] CHICAGO, TUESDAY, MAY2?, 1~28

li'MYSTERIOUS MI.ND .READER· ot\,s'ft "lJother··door,.& c.\:.owd of i"ilUll'lbprint Itl & record contal H.e entered the rogues: !pllery, nee Qf .Serg!. Mike NaughtoT _ I'men and a long book·llned corridor. 50,000. Attba further mental,/

walked once around the room, which found "tieclasP' hldden behind Is lin'ed with volumes containing ~he 'boxe's 't!l1ed with paper' scraps. S

,photogr.aphs of ,Chkago's under· Roger Gallery admitted' Hells 'world, . selected' & .. tome, opened It, fOQnd' ih~',nuTnber' he had In land placed his finger upon the pic' .. ,

SHAKES POLl CE POISE !ture which Sergt. O'Regan had In out ot a Il.It -or forty printed

. ! mind.' . sheet ot'paper. - , "Humph'" remarked .th./!. sergeant '-Huwever, when, Sergt. O'E

. ,~h: h!':P;~~~ t~!S~~~~;:abfeu~~~~~,. gave mental direction to. land~j \ stration. Several skeptics appeared hook on the classic' Stapleton, ,'with tests of their devisjng .. Not Mr. Hellstrom retirM-courtec

A slight smiling little man who might weigh all '0£ J25' :.pnce dlel the uncanny Hellstrom. fall. smilingly a,nd·swlftly. For·~.

I . '. . ~ . ' . '. -. , FINI)~ OSE IS 50,000, Stapleton tlPIi the beam at IS'\) pou)1ds dnppIlJg :wet,wa.1kej. mto thedeteChve uljreau today I . At the m',ntal directfon of Sergt. ~r. Hellstrom-mlght make-12fi an procee e to eave a traIl 0 ~otte. rows and medItative j . '.!!.'.._"";;J.i' ·:tOlJ_e 10\,n . one," es r ''= -. -d · d d' I v fk db ~ .. IJ' S 1 'b - d d I eel were dripping wet.

eyes in his wake as he darted briSklY. about~he fifth and sixth. j. floors. @>-

He first called on Sergt. Charles "Thlnl{ ot some one or something ; O'Regan, Introduced hlll'~elt as Axel In this building and write It down," . Hellstrom. and proceeded' to do his he said; "ho'ld my wrist lightly al\d \ stutt until the O'Regan eyebrows. r :l'>:1lt take you to It Immediately." lost their skeptical quirk and drew EFFECT ELECTRiCAL. together slowly as the performance I Mr. O'Regan pondered the mat· became more mystifying. I ter. then announced that he was

"r am a mind reader," aItnou'nced ! ready. He grasped his caller by the the visitor. : wrIst: The ertect was electrical.

AL MANN iif.zd~ POST OFFICE BOX 144 • FREEHOLO, NEW JERSEY 07

The sergeant tried raliantly to ',- Mr. Hellstrom leaped from his 11 .. ------------------------­control a grin, and' the visitor con· seat, darted through the door into

I tlnue<l. the efevator. out of the "\I>VR.t···

7 AXEL HELLSTROM AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

bad liquor was the 'in thing.' In Chicago, Dornfie1d (Dorny) became Hellstrom's agent. Hellstrom

was in constant demand and appeared in Magician's conventions and received much publicity. He was known as a 'regular guy' by the magicians, which means that he drank 'regularly' or plenty. He was a good 'mixer' which also means that he drank plenty and could drink anyone 'under the table!'

He re turned home to Munich every chance he had to vi's i t the fami 1y. His young nephew, Anton Vogt, admired his uncle with adoration. Axel

Hellstrom would perform anytime, anywhere, even in his own home! He would tell his relatives to hide something and that he would find it. If his Aunt had misplaced something, Hellstrom would jump up and say, "1'11 find it.

Anton remembers that his uncle's hands sometimes would tremble excessive­ly and someone had to run out to get a bottle of whiskey and after taking a good belt of it, Hellstrom would be back to normal and could do his show.

IN one of his visits to Germany, Hellstrom married and then travelled with his young wife. The fast living soon took its toll and Axel returned to Germany for the last time. He was hospitalized and on his death bed he imparted some secrets to visiting magicians. To one, he told the secret of the sensa­tional design duplication feat done on stage with blackboards.

Axel Hellstrom (Joseph Vogt) was born on December 26th, 1893 and died on July 27th, 1933. He was 39 years of age when he died.

His widow remarried and survived him 50 years. She died in 1982.

* * * * * * The following articles and comments about Axel Hellstrom appeared in

The Linking Ring (IBM) and are taken from the collected notes of Axel Hellstrom and Svea:

The most startling presentation on the bill, however, was that of Axel Hellstrom, young German psychologist, who has puzzled scientific bodies in this country and Europe with his uncanny ability to read the thoughts of the persons with whom he is incontact and interpret them correctly.

Fifty persons from the audience were seated on the stage during Hellstrom's performance, while he was tested by his brothers and laymen. He found the pin concealed by Chief of Police Willis M. Kipker on the coat collar of another man. Later he selected a picture previously designated by Chief Kipker from the wallet in his coat and gave it to another member of the audience.

The Linking Ring June and August 1928

AXEL HELLSTROM by Dorny

Hellstrom, in spite of his Scandanavian sounding name, is a native of Germany, having been born in Augsburg on Dec. 26,1893.

Being interested in things of an occult and scientific nature ever since he was able to read, Axel soon became involved in magic, hypnotism, telepathy and other things of kindred nature. He specialized in Mental Phenomena mostly and discovered that he had the gift of mental perception highly developed in his nature.

Working and studying along those lines almost exclusively, he has become one of the foremost exponents of mind concentration in the world. Many years of research, study and application have developed this natural gift to such as extent that he has become highly sensitized in matters of this nature.

AXEL HELLSTROM AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

AXEL HELLSTROM by Dorny cont. . . He makes no claim to supernatural powers and even goes so far as to say

that almost anyone with a good mental equipment may become highly sensitive to mental suggestion, provided of course he gives as much thought and as many years to the subject as he has done.

8

Although his work is nothing short of miraculous, he is constantly inves­tigating and studying in order to develope his powers to the 'nth' degree of perfection. He has baffled and entertained some of the most learned scient-ists in the world and they are unanimous in their praises of his work.

He is a quite modest and most unassuming chap off stage and has a host of friends allover the wox1d who like him for himself alone. His work has enabled him to come in contact with some of the biggest people in the world of science, religion, politics and business.

Thurston was thorouh1y mystified when he saw Hellstrom for the first time last spring in Milwaukee. He was gracious enough, after having seen his perfor­mance, to publicly admit that he had been completely baffled.

We all recall the wonderful demonstration he gave at the I.B.M. conven­tion last year in Lima and if conditions are favorable, he will appear again next year.

THE LINKING RING Feb. 1929 page 979

Hereward Carrington and Labero:

Then: Our good friend Labero in his broken English told us a little about himself. We showed him a picture of Axel Hellstrom and he looked very grave for a minute or so. Then Carrington explained to us that Labero a few years before was one of the greatest muscle readers and locators in Europe but had dropped it. Stan Hall had seen Hellstrom at the convention so of course he was anxious to see Labero do something. In all the time Carrington had been with him, he had never seen him work but on this night he concented.

Mr. Hall hid his I.B.M. pin somewhere in the house while we all set talking in another closed room. Labero then took his wrist and ran off drag­ging Hall after him. He went straight for the pin and located it within 30 seconds! Great work and it had us going. Hall who has seen others do this work at the convention and elsewhere said it to be the best he has ever seen.

Then to climax it all, Labero correctly located a name chosen by Mr. Tyrer in the Hamilton Telephone directory. Not a book test but some kind of muscle reading. He certainly was the hit of the night with Mr. Carrington.

The Linking Ring March, 1929 page 79.

MNEMONICS PLUS

Axel Hellstrom gave a memory test of 30 numbers and articles - - After the show Axel presented me with his system and right away within four minutes I had mastered fifteen articles and numbers. Bill Hi11iar will vouch for this, and I guarantee that this system can be mastered in a few minutes and you can become a memory expert right away, so here is a chance for magicians to add this feature item to their program. Axel also gave a most wonderful demonstration in Harry Cecil's room on his mind reading. I decided that he should take up a pen and go over to a table and pierce the pen through a glass with a cover on it and sure enough Axel Hellstrom went over and performed just what I had willed. Wonderful and way beyond me.

The Linking Ring, June 1929 page 366

9 AXEL HELLSTROM AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

MINDREADER EXTRAORDINARY

AXEL HELLSTROM, mind~eader extraordinary, of Chicago Ill. is securing a great deal of club and private work with his unique mindreading demonstrations. Hellstrom is in a class by himself in his work, as he is practically without com­petition. It is the belief of the writer that his work more closely approaches genuine Mind Reading than any other demonstrator. Hellstrom services are sought not only in Chicago but for a radius of many hundred miles. His demonstrations will be remembered by all those who attended the last two I.B.M. conventions.

THE LINKING RING Dec. 1929 page 1070

Hellstrom is doing well, thank you. Says, "them da---d foreigners can't understand English." A wonderful chap this Hellstrom. The only difficulty seems to be that he still thinks German while speaking English. Boy! We get a great kick outta that.

THE LINKING RING Dec. 1929 page 1125

The following appeared in the Sphinx for August, 1931.

Axel Hellstrom Feted by Chicago Magi By Johnny Jones

On Monday evening, July 6, at. 7: 30 p. m., over fifty members of Chicago As­sembly No.3, S. A. M., mustered at De Lazon's Restaurant on Dearborn Street in response to the B. Y. O. L. Invita­tions sent out only a few days before by petit Johnny Platt, the little fellow with the big address book. The occasion was to pay honor to our sincere friend

. and· brother 'entertainer Axel Hellstrom and to wish him Bon Voyage and its German equivalent.

George Tro­seth next took the floor in behalf of The Club Artists' Protective Association and extended an official message of good will to our guest of honor.

At this. time President Laurant called upon Dorny to present Ax~l with a. beau­tiful medal from "the magicians of America" as a token of our regard and high esteem. Needless to say, Dorny made a spJendid presentation address, and as he pinned the medal on Axel, the crowd yelled for a speech. In starting to talk Axel said, "I have to concen­trate." He was deeply touched by the

realization :of the fact that we who knew and loved him as a brother· sh.ould show our regard in such a noble manner. Emo­tionally snowed-under, Dorny finishe~

his speech by proxy. Axel was given a rousing spontaneous ovation of several moments' duration. One usually has to die to have people speak kindly of them, espeCially magicians, so put yourself in Axel's position, standing in a ·banquet hall and listening to all· of these prema­ture obituaries. Maybe your emotions wouldn't run the gamut!

George Troseth, The Tricky Trickste_r, performed a most unique location of three chosen cards for as many "chosen people," which in­cluded Smiling Joe Berg. After the au­dience. climbed 'back into their seats he did a pretty sleight-of-hand four-ace ef­fect, and then sat down and behaved him­self for the rest of the evening. At lea_st that was his intention until Dorny called upon him to present a travesty on He-U­strom's act. Troseth was led from the room and Happy Russ Walsh gave the test. Troseth came back with the com­mittee and proceeded to locate a bottle ~idden under a table, which he gave to Axel. "Ax" pulled the cork and pre­pared to wet his whistle with a broad

AXEL HELLSTROM

A MEDAL cont. ...

grin of anticipation. He hoisted the b.ottle and the griIl vanished, for his nose had told him ·that it was Orange Pekoe. After this rath'er Opera Comique introduction to his act, Dorny asked the boys if they would like to see the old Mental Maestro himself do his stuff. We all said yes.

Once Axel was out of the room, Dorny had those' wishing to give a test decide on' whl).t the test should be. Mardoni, Bergren and Dittmar, who had never seen him work, asked for the privilege of selecting tests and' were permitted to do so. For the benefit of those who are not .acquainted with Hellstrom's method I. wish to say that the mental tests are not written, but those' giving. the test are merely requested. to concentrate on what they want done and to guide him men· tally step by step until the successf\1l accomplishment of same. For the enter· talnment of th-e audience .as a whole, all in their midst are made famll1ar wit'll the problems so that they may follow them. If anyone is skeptical he is asked to think of. something and to tell no one about it, and Axel amazes him wIien he does his bidding.

Eventually several tests were decided upon and the dynamic little' Teuton was led into the 'room and began to work with marvelous speed and accuracy. First, Critenden had him remove a pic­ture from the wall and carry it to one of the guests. Mardoni gave him two problems, one of which was to remove an envelope from the pocket of one per­son and deliver it to another. When the envelope was opened that person's name was written on a piece of paper inside.

. Edgar Bergren' had him remove a hat from the hat-ra~k and place it up-side­down on Gene Laurant's head. Dittmar's test was to find a hidden coin. Ralph

J.V

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

Fisher had him remove a pocket hand­kerchief from the person of Mr. Luedke and place in Troseth's pocket. Many oth­er things were done, too numerous to mention. Ax was at his best; none of us had ever seen him wQrk as rapidly or better. Perhaps some of the credit is due Russ Walsh, thegenel'ous Santa Claus of the party, who started everyone off in the proper spirit withh.is tasty aperatlfs. . At 12:30 a. m., we reluctantly filed out . of the portals of hospitable De Lazons, regretting sincerely that this gallant af-fair was already passing into history. We stood around outside for a whi.le, bid­ding adieus to. those who had to catch trains to the suburbs and then the re­maining night hawks paraded en masse over to the Garrick to stand the faithful "Dog Watch" and talk of illusions be­tween our "coffee and." 0111e Thomas took six of us, including Axel, over to a speak-easy for a good cry and then we again joined our sedate pals at the Gar­rick and proceeded to rag the scale with impromptu tricks' till daybreak. Joe Berg ran amuck with a deck of cards and did some table-to-table entertaining worthy of a Hofzinser or a Leipzig.

When this epistle reaches the sacred pages of iM. U. M., the Hellstroms w11l have been for many days over the Rhine, and Unter der Linden, where beer i~ a social obligation and it's no disgrace to order sauerkraut and wieners. Axel is more than our friend who has gone abroad, he is a magical ambassador bear­ing a message of friendship and good­will from the magicians of America to our German comrades. Hoch der Hell­strom's, and, say, "Ax," please give our regards to Joe Vogt and his charming frau! Please write, and be sure to re­member that German dope for my scrap­book.

Auf wiedersehen!

AXEL HELLSTROM AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

CcttTACT MI""~I-AI)."6 "All thinking in the civilized man

is - suppressed action - - all willing is either pushing or pulling."

"The effort to concentrate thought on a name or an object, tends constantly to produce - muscular activity, either subconscious whisp~ring of the name thought of, or subconscious movement in the direct­ion of the object."

Podmore

ORIGINS: In the late 1860's a group of teen-age magicians in Chicago started ex­perimenting with directional impulses.

If a magician holds a person's hand in each of his own and the person is told to think of one of his hands, the magician can tell him which hand he was thinking of!

Elaborating on this principle, a per­son can hide an object in the next room and the magician can find the object sim­ply by holding the person's hand and in­terpreting the 'directional cues' caused by the person's thought! J. Randall Brown

Two persons are credited with this

11

discovery. One was John Randall Brown and the other person named Whitehouse. Whitehouse stepped aside while Brown started doing demonstrations in 1873. He eventually became world famous as John Randall Brown, the Mindreader!

This art became known as Contact Mindreading and also Muscle reading.

1905: By the year 1905, theatre audiences in the Eastern USA became satiated with demonstrations of contact Mindreading. This was due mostly to the over expo­sure and over playing of the art. Fabulous showman like Bishop, Cumberland and others had created such sensational interest that the act was written up and ex­posed almost daily. Several books explaining the art were sold to the public. Leading scientists studied it and experimented with it in their laboratories.

The subject of muscle reading was well treated in George Miller Beard's book, 'The Study of Trance, Muscle Reading and Allied Nervous Phenomena,' New York 1882. Both the general public and the scientific camp lost interest in Muscle reading and the art almost dissapeared.

Two decades later, when Axel Hellstrom came on the scene, he had a new generation of Theatre audiences who had never heard of muscle reading. Everyone was baffled with the art and showmanship of the German Mindreader. This was a new age, with new ideas and new energies. Hellstrom capitalized on it and applied new meaning to the Mindreader's art. He was offering new and advanced methods. He offered to prove that he could do mindreading without contact!!!!

12

AXEL HELLSTROM AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

CONTACT MINDREADING cont •••

'H A NVTS~~LL~ The art of Contact Mindreading (muscle reading, nerve reading) has been

fully covered in many books. The following is recommended reading:

Hellstromism by Robert Nelson; Hellstromism by Syl Reilly; Master-Mentality by Stanton CARLISLE; Contact Mindreading Expanded by Dariel Fitzkee Psychic Magic Vol. 1, by Ormand MaGill Entertaining with Contact Mindreading by S. Edward Dexter

Plus: Practical Mind-Reading, A Course on Thought Transference­Telepathy-Mental Currents-Mental Rapport-etc. by William Walker Atkinson. This booklet of 97 pages came out in 1908 and was written for the general public. It is good reading.

In A Nut Shell, the success of a Contact Mindreading demonstration depends on:

1. Choosing a good subject (or transmitter). The subject that will lead you to the hidden object must be chosen

carefully. One good way of doing this is to ~heck him or her for 'suggesti­bility.' This can be done by a trial test OR by using the same methods as hypnotists use. Try some preliminary tests like Chevreul's pendulum, the arms rising and falling test or the hands-clasp test.

Most operators choose three good subjects and then work with one and if necessary try with the other two.

2. Instruct the subject that he must 'will' you in what direction to go while he or she holds your left wrist with his right hand.

3. Let the subject lead you to where the hidden object is, although you are a bit ahead of him and pretending that you are doing the leading.

4. IRON RULE: The subject must not think of anything on the Mindreader's person or on his own person.

Besides the above method, there are two other methods for presneting contact mind reading to the public. The easiest method is by getting a carbon­impression of the committee's thoughts. Once you know what the test is"the rest is showmanship as you pretend to read the thoughts by contact, etc.

Another method is by use of a confederate in the audience who guides you via body signals, or via an electronic device.

Both Dunninger and Bishop resorted to the carbon-impression method when ever necessary

The Mail Delivery test is the easiest to perform and the most impressive. You already know what the test is so all you have to do is deliver the letter.

The mastery over the art of Contact Mindreading comes with practice plus an intense love and a strong desire to demonstrate the mystery of Mindreading and thrill your audiences with the feeling that they have just seen something unique and forbidden. Many practitioners have confided that it has taken them a good two years of performing contact-mindreading to really get the 'hang' of it.

330 THE SPHINX JA~U.""R.Y •. 1936

13

The Life Secret of Alex Bell.trom "HELLSTROMISM" The German Mental Marvel

conIIGHTll>. I9lS. tv In AI/TtIOI. 1001iT A. NlUON

The first and only comprehensive true ex plana tion of the miracle feats of the lite Alex Hell­

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verution. 'Every Magician-Student of the Occult-Entertainer-Scientist and profoulld thinker

has long sought. the true

SECRET OF GENUINE MIND READING This information-the true secret of how to read the thoughts in other's minds, honestly, fairly

and without recourse to trickery or fraud-is now available to you-Hellstromism IS written

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JlEI~LSTnOlUISlU is .It Si:ctll Sen.se HIGHLY DEVELOPED

A hla",t,..' hl.t'luM'ript, .cluaU,. teltf"hin, die .tecret

of how th~ .nt'ltI mtU' or woman un divine the

,"oulilis of otMr. Ihru mere physic.) contact.

. . . and without (OnIBct! Thi' peeuU... .,h .. e lit

mindte.dinl h.e barfled lOMe or the lreatdl

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that it ia perh.pt the fir" and onb C'OmltrehenNve

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.nd \il'ilh .ny ,roup of honett,. ,illcere .~e.

talou •• he operator allow. the tped.t .... to merely

THINK or c~rl .. i,. utfon..-menlal cornm.nda • ., •

.hit:h he promptly perlornu. A few of th~ thouAnd. ~f ~

sible I("'U: To litld hidden obje~I'; to de)i"er aee1ed JDt"saa.e.

10 an unknown .ddreHn; to obey menial command. tueh ••

to IIIke :Mr. A's h.ndk~rt'hfef .nd plaC"e it on Mulha', he.d;

!:r:":~7~h:d lic~i~:.~iC,u~:lbo:"!J;~;eer::n::~dc:;o::~, ~.'!:t ~:d

,.ke the ahoe 'trilll hom it and tie .rC1und ano,her tpec't.to .. ••

f\rf"k. et('~ etc, ThOluarlfu 0/ .imilM le.u #If. per/0ntlN. Jmon;n

rmly 10 the trUltf'd lubj«.. Theu command. lire I.nl~reltd

IIlul uuutNI with .muiRI rapidity, in .ttordanu- wilb dte

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MIKu~n.. 0( He-lIfCrombm. Irot .bi., to exedUe

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phy.ieal toPtat'1 what.oever_ HeJl.lNmtism it not

trickery, bUI • hiahl)' de"eJ~pe:d ten.e-tt ,b:lh

een,~uH h enablet the operator to "'know"

.h •• hoa"''' .1 •• h ..... ..w. .... • ,.m.... -d. ..u-r

.iKMl. tol'Ueio", indic.l..... or ..,....,-rcm.a&fnt.

Thil; ~OUlt:. 'Wichb, the M'ope of .enulne mindread..

inlt when one mind., and without reeoane 10 .or

01 che knoWII five lenle. an pereeift od a.eute

the Iholiah .. or .lhera! For lbi, .'ph~ • hiahly

denlo~d inr.ition i. euentl." &c:h atep. betit:

.and .d"'aMed ia moat l:ompleteJ, revealed .nd

detcTibed in non-Ieehnicil lan",afc, Entertainment Supreme Hell.lromitm te.~hef bow t<' preten, the mOlt leD_tion.1.

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Ib, STAGE!

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How 10 dupJif:atC!l the Sir.nae rea •• 0' Hellslrom,

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lOt: lhfl ... nN'

'0,. YOUI' Ptoce<:JiOft 'TItI •• ,~ ,IUI,.rJ". """:I #I.U· WtftI hi .IN. Mlwr1~t "7 ~ #I Itlt dJIt, ._ ttriJU"tlMl. ttl ~r· " ... lIy Iltf&t"",,.t, IIU I'TIIW tAu.­

d4iru. rh. _Nt, .-4 ctnr¥llf, No nn ., "''In'tIJftIUwI I, rrw.,,4. N '"/twMH h .-flu Hellstr .. .,.d Hr, N.IIMf.

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I

AXEL HELLSTROM AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

THf 61AC~f>()AlR() TEST A few days before Axel Hellstrum died, he

told a visiting magician the secret of his famous blackboard test.

The figure at right shows the effect of spelling out the name of a person thought of. Axel's most dramatic version of this test was done with designs and called The Desigrt Dupli­cation Test. The test makes a profo~fid im­pression on any audience.

Again, there are two method~ for perfor­ming this test. If the performer already knows what design or name has been chosen, via clip­boards etc. then all he does is dramatize the presentation to thrill his audience.

The second method is by contact mind­reading. Please note in the figure, that the subject holds the performers right wrist with MINDREADER

his right hand! This has the tendency of for- Fto.M.--8nwNOOIl'1'TIUIN .... cUI'luoN'rBOU ..... Or.

cing the subject to send stronger cues.

......

The Black Board test is also presented in several ways. One way is to first determine what the design or name is by placing the board with the designs or letters flat on a table and getting the cues from the subject via contact mind­reading and then tell the person to go to a black board and draw or write the design or name, while the performer steps to the opposite side of the stage to a second blackboard and duplicates the design or name.

The second method is for the performer to take up a piece of chalk and draw the design or write out the name while the subject holds his writting wrist!

In one presentation of this effect Bishop first learned the WOrd being thought of by leafing through a dictionary backstage, while the subject held his wrist. Then he came on stage and wrote the word on the blackboard while the sub­ject held his wrist!

NOTE: In doing the blackboard test as shown in the above figure, it is recommanded that the operator first close his eyes and move his hand over the chart. Then the movement is relaxed and the subject is allowed to guide the operator's hand to the first letter. The rest of the letters are gotten the same way to spell a word or name. When the motion stops the operator opens his eyes.

ftE-J..I-STROMI SN-Perhaps Axel Hellstrom knew that in going to Germany to be hospitalized

he would never return to America •• A few days before leaving, he sold his secrets to Bob Nelson of Columbus Ohio, for $500.

Nelson coined the word "Hellstromism," and published the manuscript by that name two years after Hellstrom died. This publication has become a classic. It is as good reading today as it was when first issued. To the young initiate, it is a thrilling experience when reading it for the first time.

Axel Hellstrom and Svea have today a German translation of Hellstromism which they intend to publish to preserve the memory of their beloved uncle.

Nelson claims that 'Hellstromism' is True Mindreading not to be confused with contact mindreading! That Hellstromism is an enigma, a mysterious word without definition!

(201 ) 431-2429

POST OFFICE BOX 144 • FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEV On28

(Non-Contact Mindreading, THE FORBIDDEN WISDOM)

15

N.C.M. You have been called into a large hall

where. a committee from the audience has hidden an object.

You stand in the center of the hall. You mayor maynot be

blindfolded. A member of the committee is asked to stand behind you about

four feet and a bit on your right. You never look at this person once he or

she takes position! You never turn back to look at the person, although you

may turn your body left and right gropping for direction.

You ask the person behind you to "will" you to the location of the

hidden object. Within one minute you locate the hidden object!

That, Gentlemen, in the eyes of the beholder, is the gift of the Gods!

* * * A controversy arose concerning Axel Hellstrom. Some investigators

(Joseph Rinn) asked if Hellstrom could do N.C.M. John Mulholland, Bob Nelson

and Tarbell swore that Hellstrom performed N.C.M. But Dornfield, who managed

Hellstrom for several years said, "No!" Dornfield said that Hellstrom only

did contact mindreading. The naked fact is that anyone who does contact mindreading on a steady

basis will eventually discover that he can get the cues non-contact! It is in­

evitable to alight on this forbidden knowledge.

Here is what Robert Nelson said about it in his column in the Sphinx

"Concerning Mentalists" June, 1930 p. 169.

"Hellstrom gave the magicians a jolt by doing his mindreading act

without physical contact."

No doubt that Axel Hellstrom put on his N.C.M. performance to silence

his critics like Joseph Rinn and Houdini who had, years before been com­

pletely baffled by the demonstrations of De Rubini, a N.C.M.

C. A. George Newman put out a challenge for Hellstrom, saying that he

could duplicate anything Hellstrom could do. Newman claimed that Hellstrom

was avoiding him, but the truth of the matter is that Hellstrom was resting

on his laurels and had no time for competitors.

"OVf)Inl tJ~,.r-Lf-f)! It is worthy of note that N.C.M. is probably the only demonstration

that baffled the great Houdini! While HOUDINI was touring the

western USA he saw a demonstration of N.C.M. by De Rubini. Houdini was so

impressed and mystified that he invited De Rubini to the annual banquet of the

S.A.M. for June of 1926 where De Rubini again put on his demonstration and

again completely mystified everyone. This made the headlines in the NYC papers.

De Rubini called his art, "will-power transference" which is as close

to the truth of the phenomenon as one can get. Houdini remained baffled by

this demonstration to his dying day! He told his friend psychic investigator

Joseph Rinn about Eugene De Rubini and that he could not expain his feats.

AXEL HELLSTROM

N.C.M. cont.

RltltI 6A,.,.,E-I)-

16

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

After Houdini died, his close friend Joseph Rinn arranged for a private test of Eugene De Rubini. This test was held on January 2, 1929, at the home of Bernard Ernst, president of the SAM. Everyone was baffled and Rinn remained baffled also to his dying day. .

After the test Rinn sent a letter of inquiry to mindreader C. A. George Newman. Newman knew the secret of N.C.M. but of course would not devulge it. He instead answered Rinn with a long letter full of scientific gibberish and gbble-de-gook. (see 'Sixty Years of Psychical Research,' by Rinn)

BEGINNINGS:

During the hey-day of the s,tage contact-mindreaders, when the whole world was agog with its seeming miracles, Eminent scientist and Psychologist William JAMES, who was teaching at Harvard University and was the president of the Society for Psychical Research, studied the phenomena and called it "muscle reading!" and said that it was caused by ideo-motor action caused by the brian.

a lot ing. which

Professional stage mindreaders resented this label of muscle-reading, so of thought and effort went into the presentation of NON-CONTACT mindread­Many ingenius ideas and methods were invented. These created much interest gave the audiences new thrills. The following methods created a sensation: A walking stick separated the subject and the mindreader! The subject

took one end of the stick in his right hand while the mindreader took the other end with his left hand.

In like manner asilk handkerchief was used! Also a piece of string, rope or chain. A copper wire made sense due to the electricity angle.

A human chain was formed between the mindreader and the subject. As many as 10 persons or more were asked to hold hands in a chain and separate the mindreader from the subject. This test created a sensation in the press and also in psychic circles. The mindreader claimed that under those circumstances he could actually perceive the thought of the subject. (This test can best be done through A CARBON IMPRESSION of the committee's choice of tests.)

SV"'Df"'~N'S ~IHG: Of the 19th century (contact) Mindread­ers, it is claimed that after Brown, there were non better then Bror Sundeen of Stockholm. He was even better than Bishop.

To prove that muscle reading had nothing to do with his performances, Sundeen used an 8 inch metal ring with a handle. The subject held the ring in his right hand and Sundeen stuck his arm through the middle, being careful in not touching the ring. This created much talk since the ring resembeled a radio-direction-finding antennae. Mindreaders always claimed that brain waves acted in the same manner as radio waves. So the ring gave the demonstration a scientific tinge. The dead center of the ring pointed to the direction of the hidden object in the same manner as the r.d.f. antenae points to the radio station that is sending out the signals. '

AXEL HELLSTROM

17

AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

N.C.M. cont. . . A hand full of Stage Mindreaders eventually discovered that they could

detect the 'directional signals' unconsciously sent by the subjects, without contact! All they needed was a good subject who would strongly 'will' the performer in the direction of the hidden object.

All the Newman talk about 'increased susceptibility of the mindreader' was just rubbish~

N.C.M. IN A NUT SHELL:

1. The mindreader must pick a good subject~

2. The operator must have a way of seeing the subject secretly without the audience being aware of it.

3~ The mindreader either must see the subject'S shoes or his face.

4. The effect is best done if the operator is blindfolded.

5. It is the subject who unconsciously (or consciously) guides the mindreaCier to the hidden object,.

With the above in mind, pick a good subject, preferably one of the opposite sex who stands with the shoes pointing forward (instead of sideways).

Use a blindfold that allows you to see down the nose as well a~ forward. You must peek at the subject's feet by bending your head down in the pretense of concentrating. The subject stands about four feet behind you and a bit on your right side. You glimpse the shoes by looking under your right arm. The di­rection of the ~hoes points to the locality of the hidden object.

A blindfold that allows you to look back is also a solution. The AME blindfold called Nebul-Eye is a good start. With this blindfold you can look back and see the subject's face without anyone being aware of it. Here you instruct the subject to look intensely in the direction of the hidden object.

In order to mystify your audience, they must not be aware that you can see the subject.

EASY TESTS TO DO: These tests, although simple, will mystify anyone.

1. Have the committee select one corner of the room. 2. Have the committee select one of three objects in a long table. 3. Delivering a letter to one of six persons sitting on chairs widely

separated. 4. Finding large objects like furniture in the room. This then leads to

finding small objects like books and trinkets on shelves, etc. With the blindfold that allows you to see behind you, you can focus on the

sUbject's eyes and then you can find small hidden objects like rings and pins. First the general location is found and then as the subject stares in the di­rection of the hidden object, the operator can look for the object until the subject is seen to relax or look away or smile which tells the mindreader that he has succeeded. ,

(201) 431-2429

POST OFFICE BOX 144 • FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY 07728

.Axel d-tettsttom & Suea manipulateur de classe magic international

Internationale Weltreferenzen, u. a. Cabarets, Nightclubs, Varietes:

Dusseldorf 1, LinienstraBe 7 Tel. 724950 und 484848

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1000

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•••••

. ". ~"i:-:'

i· ,: " . . .. . y-,. ~ ,; .. :\ '-'.'"

19

AXEL HELLSTROM AN AL MANN EXCLUSIVE

ANT.," VDGT Anton was a youngster when his

uncle came to visit from America. He admired his uncle deeply and loved his personality, his art and dynamic showmanship. His uncle told him stories of his life and showed him some tricks. Anton vowed to become a great magician some day. ~. was still in his early teens when his uncle came home for the last time to die. Anton remained devoted to the memory of his famous uncle throughout his life and collected all the memorabilia possible.

Anton's parents forbade him to pursue a magician's career and instead sent him to electronics school. After finishing school, Anton was inducted into the armed forces. All through these years Anton practiced his magic and visited his uncle's grave in Augsburg, near Munich.

When Anton returned from the war front in 1945, he went to visit his uncle's grave but did not find it. It had been covered over by orders of his aunt, Axel Hellstrom's widow. Anton never spoke to his aunt again.

In 1945, Anton took the name of Axel Hellstrom and started doing magic shows for the American Army.

AXf:'L Hf-LISTROM & S"~A Axel Hellstrom and his beautiful wife Svea toured the world

for 40 years with their magic show. A high point was a private show for the Shah of Iran. Axel was noted for doing 25 differnt magical effects in eight minutes!

The back of Hellstrom and Svea's business card has some numbers printed on it, (see the rectangle on the lower left of the facing page). This card shows a column of numbers starting at the top with 1000. Have some person add this numbers starting at the top. Invariably the person will end up with the total of 5000, which of course is wrong. The correct answer is 4100.

Axel uses this trick to introduce himself and leaves the card with the person.

Axel Hellstrom and Svea are now semi-retired although they still perform shows occassionally. Axel is the last of the Hellstom's.

* * * IN CONCLUSION: Hellstromism is a good act to master. With it and a good doze of showmanship you can thrill the audiences today as was done 100 years ago, and 1000 years from now the same art will thrill those audiences.

When Hellstromism is presented today to audiences who have never seen the tests before, they respond with the same comments, thrills, bafflement and reactions as audiences did years before.

Non-Contact Mindreading is as easy, if not easier to master as contact mindreading, and it is the most baffling.

Wishing