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JACK THE RIPPER REVEALED By David Dellman INTRODUCTION: I have been looking for a “murder mystery” style effect for over twenty years. My first idea was to do a contact mind reading bit where I would identify the killer and hidden weapon concealed while I was blindfolded. That routine wasn’t bad but I wanted more audience participation, more emotional involvement, so I decided to make an audience member the detective. After too many minor hits and major misses, I finally found what I was looking for. The following was inspired by a routine by Paul Stockman. His routine is called, “The Pendant Curse.” It is on his Connected DVD available from Alakazam Magic though I am sure other dealers sell it. The only element in my routine that actually belongs to Paul is one of the four reveals, the one on the back side of the images of the suspects but it was Paul’s idea of a four-way-out murder mystery that provided the foundation upon which I built Jack the Ripper Revealed. I have long held a fascination with the Victorian age in general and with Jack the Ripper in particular. I think most people find Jack the Ripper appealing on a visceral level. You could play this as intense or as light as you want. I lighten the atmosphere by introducing, “the single most effective tools for enhancing your intuitive abilities as a detective,” – a magnifying glass and a pipe. 1 In general, it is a good idea if everything you need for an effect is in one container but for this routine the doctor’s bag is far more than a carrying case, it becomes one of my outs later on if I need it. I offer the magnifying glass and pipe to my volunteer “detective.” I tried authentic doctor bags from the period, I am a bit of a purist, but I never found one exactly right. You can get the antique bags on eBay though I have tried several and I wasn’t happy with them. The one I finally decided on I purchased from Amazon: If you want to use the exact glass and pipe that I use, you may find them here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GFCP8HG/ref=ppx_yo_ dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Glass: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074DTC1G3/ref=ppx_ yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Pipe: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LYZI6KY/ref=ppx_yo_ dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Everything I use for the effect fits inside of a medical bag. (Figure 1) 10 VANISH Magazine www.VanishMagazine.com 2