The Turk
The Turk could also communicate with the audience using a letter board. It was able to do this in English, French, and German. Carl Friedrich Hindenburg, a university mathematician, wrote down the conversations during the Turk's time in Leipzig and published it in 1789 as Über den Schachspieler des Herrn von Kempelen und dessen Nachbildung (or On the Chessplayer of Mr. von Kempelen And Its Replica). Questions included the Turk's age, marital status, and its secret workings.