The Autophone and its music strips were also easily played backwards.
Many of you have read the humorous story of "Aunt Maria and the
Autophone", as found in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, July 1883.  See
http://www.rollerorgans.com/adverts/1883_Aunt_Maria_and_the_Autophone.txt
or http://www.rollerorgans.com/adverts/AuntMaria.htm

But the company was strangely willing to use this fact to advertise
itself!  See this article from the late 1870s:

  "Mr. H. B. Horton has recently added an improvement to his
  "autophone" which is now so constructed as to play a tune either
  forward or backward. In reversing the order of the music one would
  naturally expect the result to be a confused jumble of sounds, but
  such is not the case: on the contrary, beautiful and original
  strains are produced, even from plain simple music. It is well known
  that to originate a new theme or idea in musical composition is no
  easy task, yet by means of this ingenious device composers may
  obtain a foundation for a new melody in almost any selection."

Anybody believe this?!

Todd Augsburger - Roller Organs
http://www.rollerorgans.com/