In the early years of the BSD Journal, there were reviews of several European journals on the subject of dowsing, which were published at that time, but sadly no more. One of these was  “Cespara”. In BSD Journal, No85, 1954, p45, the following brief review appeared of an article in Vol. 9, No. 2, March-April, 1954, of the Italian journal.

“The Magic Pendulum” is an extract from a review of a book by an Italian police officer who began to use the pendulum in 1938 and to use it afterwards in his work. A Danish professor called on him one day to report that he had been robbed at his hotel of 100,000 lire und valuable documents. They both went to the hotel and made enquiries which were fruitless. The professor was annoyed and asked if Radiesthesia had been used. The officer said no; that his department did not favour recourse to such means.  “Then you are many years behind the times,” said the professor. With its aid, in my country, no crime goes unpunished. Now the thief stole the portfolios from the back pocket of my pants and left my pendulum below. Please get me a plan of the hotel quarters, and give me a piece of lead pencil.” From this he took a piece of the graphite and glued it on to the base of the pendulum. Slowly, in his hand, the pendulum traced out on a white paper the design of a human face. The hotel chief was summoned and he at once recognised and named the thief, who was caught with the goods.