TRICKS WITH CARDS.
HOW TO VANISH AND RECOVER A PACK--THE EGYPTIAN POCKET; HOW
TO MANUFACTURE CARDS--THE MISSING LINK--ASCENDING CARDS;
VARIOUS METHODS--THE CARD-HOLDER--WHAT APPARATUS NOT TO
USE--THE SALAMANDER CARD--A LEGITIMATE USE FOR "FORCING"
PACKS--HERRMANN'S BOUQUET--A HUMAN HEN--THE HATCHED
CARD--THE WAND, AND HOW TO MAKE IT--MORE ABOUT APPARATUS.
Nearly every modern conjuror of any pretensions to skill commences
with a card trick. There is something about a good card trick well
executed that always takes with an intelligent audience. When a
performer does not commence with the cards, it is generally because
he does not possess skill enough to do anything effective with them,
although he will generally make a virtue of necessity (at which
conjurors are particularly apt), and give some totally different
reason.
_Vanishing a Pack._--When the time is limited, none should be wasted
in preliminaries; but, when possible, the performer should always
vanish the pack, by palming it, and find it either at the elbow or
sole of the boot, or else in possession of one of the audience; or
he can pretend to give it into the hands of a spectator, and then
discover it some distance off, with someone else. To execute this
properly, the cards should be palmed in the right hand, which affects
to put them into the left hand. The right hand should take the wand
or lappel of the coat, and the left be disposed, palm downwards, as
though it held the pack. Such a little exhibition of skill makes a
good impression at once, and puts the spectators on the alert from the
very commencement.
_The Egyptian Pocket._--One of the very best sleight-of-hand card
tricks is that introduced by Herrmann, who, a few years ago, was
such a favourite throughout Great Britain. He called it the Egyptian
Pocket, though, for all the name implied, it might as well have been
called the Nubian, Chinese, Japanese, or Brazilian Pocket. One of the
audience took a pack round, and allowed four cards to be drawn from
it. These cards were afterwards gathered in by the same person, who,
after mounting the stage, placed them in the pack, which was then
well shuffled. The pack he placed in his breast pocket, and then drew
out, one by one, three cards of those selected in the audience as
they were called for. The fourth card, however, he failed to find,
and was told to search the pack for it. The search proving fruitless,
he was told to manufacture the card, and, on expressing his ignorance
of the proper method to pursue, was directed to blow into his pocket,
where the missing card was then discovered. He was found, however,
to have blown too hard, for his vest contained a perfect avalanche
of cards; whilst his nose, on being squeezed, gave forth a stream
of them, amidst roars of laughter. The method for performing this
trick is as follows: Place upon your centre table two bulky packs of
cards, and step forward with a third pack in your hands. Ask someone
to assist you, and give him the pack in the shape of a fan, directing
him to ask certain ladies, four in number, whom you will indicate
with your wand, to select one card each. On this being done, take the
pack from his hand, and direct him to receive the four cards, faces
downwards, on the flat of one hand. Whilst this is being done, step
on the stage, but never take your eye off the operations that are
going on, for you must notice whose card is placed undermost, whose
next, and so on. Request your volunteer assistant to kindly step on
the stage, and, opening the pack in the middle, ask him to place
the four cards inside. Close the pack, keeping the finger inserted
where the cards were placed, ready for the pass, and inquire if the
person on the stage with you possesses an inside breast pocket to his
coat. If it is outside, it does not much matter, but the inside one
is better for the trick. On receiving an answer in the affirmative,
ask to have the pocket emptied. Whilst this is being done, sometimes
amidst much amusement, by reason of the miscellaneous character of
the contents of the pocket, make the pass, bringing the four cards
to the top, and, opening the pack slightly, carelessly run the eye
over them. It is always as well to know them, in case of an accident
occurring. Palm them, and give the rest of the pack to your assistant
to shuffle. Taking the pack back, replace the palmed cards upon it,
re-palming the top card only, and bid your assistant place the pack
in his pocket. Feel the outside of his pocket, under the pretence of
seeing that everything is all right, but in reality to give the cards
a bend, crosswise. This bend will cause the back of the uppermost card
to be the first met with by a hand entering the pocket. Now inquire
of the chooser of this said top card--which, as you have palmed the
original top one, will be the third one gathered in--what the name of
her card is. You will affect to do this haphazard, and not as though
you selected that particular person to inquire of. On receiving a
reply, desire your assistant to put his hand quickly--"very quickly
indeed, sir"--into his pocket, and draw out a card. If you have
arranged everything properly, this will be the desired card. Now ask
the chooser of the second card what the name of hers is, and repeat
the operation. Do the same with the first card, and then with the
fourth. By thus apparently dodging from one lady on one side of the
room to one on the other side, it will still more appear that you are
indifferent whose is asked for. This last card will not, of course,
be forthcoming, and after a few fruitless attempts to produce it,
plunge the hand, in which the card is palmed, into the pocket, and
draw out the pack, leaving behind the palmed card. The assistant looks
through the pack, but does not find the card, and you say, "Well,
sir, you must make one, I suppose." On hearing that he does not know
how, say, "Oh! it is as simple as possible. Take this wand in your
right hand, and open your coat with the left. Good. Now blow into your
pocket." The card will be found there, and your assistant, thinking
it is all over, will be about to retire, when you, having just palmed
one of the packs from the table, detain him with the remark that,
"Although you did the trick very well, sir, for the first time, yet,
owing to your inexperience, you unfortunately blew a little too hard.
See here, sir, what you have inside your vest!" You then plunge the
hand containing the cards rapidly inside his vest and draw out one
card only, then another, another, and so on, and finally say that,
as you do not know how many more there are, he had better take them
out himself. Whilst he is doing this, palm the other pack, and say,
"Have you any more cards, sir? No! Excuse me, but will you allow me
to finish my experiment?" You then place your hand to his nose, and,
compressing the hand, cause the cards to shoot forth in a stream on to
the floor. Immediately it is over, shake hands with your assistant,
and say you are extremely obliged. This will ease his mind of the idea
that you meant to make a fool of him.
Sometimes, in drawing the cards from the pocket, the assistant will
accidentally take them from the bottom, instead of from the top. In
this case, they will be wrong cards, and you must say, "Ah! you don't
do it quickly enough; this is the way," and, plunging your hand in the
pocket, draw out the desired card, giving the pack, at the same time,
a good bend, when you can allow the assistant to try again. About
thirty cards will make the best pack for this trick, and great care
must be taken that it does not contain two cards of a kind, for if one
of these duplicates is chosen, and it is the fourth card, _i.e._, the
one which is missing at the last, it (its duplicate) will be found
in the pack when it is gone over, and all your blowing in the pocket
performance, which is the great feature in the trick, will be knocked
on the head. I have actually seen this occur. All the performer could
do was to palm the card and pretend to pass it into the pocket, where,
of course, the duplicate was found; but it was a very weak finish.
_The Missing Link._--This is another very telling card trick, and
one that has made the fame of more than one amateur conjuror. A
card is chosen from the pack and torn into shreds. The pieces, with
the exception of a single one, which is given into the custody of a
spectator, are then put into a little box, piece of paper, &c., and
made to disappear. The card is then found restored in some part of the
audience, but it is noticed that a small portion of it is missing.
The single piece, which was given to a spectator to hold, will be
found to be of the very size and shape required, thus proving that the
performer restored the actual card that was destroyed.
For this trick, some slight prearrangement will be necessary. In
the first place, a card (say, the six of hearts) must have a small
piece torn out from one of its sides. This mutilated card must then
be secreted in some out-of-the-way place in the auditorium, or, what
is still better, in the pocket of one of the audience, of course
some time before the performance begins. I once had it sewn up in
the lining of a coat, and on another occasion inserted in the sole
of a boot: but, in such instances as these, care must be taken that
the article containing the card is to be worn on the evening of the
performance, or a fiasco will result. It is, however, always worth
while to run a little risk for the sake of increased effect. The small
piece torn from the card is carefully kept, and, whilst the trick is
being performed, should be on the table, concealed by any trifling
object that may be upon it at the same time.
"Force" (see instructions for "forcing") a card, exactly similar
in every way to the one you have previously mutilated and concealed,
and then ask the chooser to tear it up. Whilst this is being done, go
to your table for your box or piece of paper, according to which you
may elect to use, and bring with it, concealed in the fingers, the
little piece of card. Then have the pieces, which should be reduced
as nearly as possible to the size of your secreted piece, placed in
the box or paper and, putting your fingers among them, affect to take
out one piece, but, in reality, show the one you already had in your
hand, and give it to a spectator to hold very tightly, or if he likes,
to put it into his purse. If you have plenty of time on your hands,
and wish to make extra fuss, you can have it put into an envelope and
sealed by the audience, which certainly improves the effect. A very
pardonable joke here comes in well. On giving the portion of the card
to be held, say to the gentleman, "Will you kindly keep the piece,
sir?" and then, affecting to notice reluctance in his looks, "No! then
I must apply to a magistrate, who will, I have no doubt, bind you
over to keep the _peace_ for six months or so, whilst I shall only
trouble you for a bare six minutes." If you have had the pieces put
in paper, you can roll it up into a ball and vanish by palming in the
right hand, whilst affecting to place it in the left, after the manner
previously described for vanishing objects. A box can be treated in
the same manner, or you can give the trick extra finish by having two
boxes exactly similar, one being filled with chocolate creams or other
comfits, and exchanged for the one containing the torn-up card. The
box should be a small round one, and can then be treated exactly as if
it were a coin, and palmed.
The pieces are then commanded to pass to wherever you have originally
concealed the torn card, which will be found in due course. You
exhibit it triumphantly, not affecting to notice the absence of a
portion of it at first and, when you do make the discovery, you must
appear overcome with bewilderment. Then suddenly remember the piece
you have given to be held, and have it fitted to the card, which it
will naturally make quite complete. Then, if you have used boxes, have
the box supposed to contain the pieces opened by the lady who chose
and tore up the card, and present her with it and its contents. Most
conjurors leave the trick here, but, if the performer pleases, he can
go still further, and render the card quite complete again. This is
easily managed with the use of a card box (see p. 127), which can
have a perfect card concealed in it. The incomplete card and piece are
put in, and the box turned over. This latter phase is not absolutely
necessary for the success of the trick. When, as is sometimes the
case, it is found to be impossible to conceal the mutilated card
satisfactorily in the audience, the card box will have to be used in
the first instance.
This trick is best introduced in the middle of a performance, when the
production of the card from the person of one of the audience will
look more genuine than it would if it took place at the commencement.
_The Ascending Cards._--For this trick some little preparation is
also necessary, and a certain amount of apparatus will be required.
Three, four, or more cards are chosen, and then shuffled up in the
pack, which is put into a metal or cardboard receptacle of the size of
a pack of cards. At a word of command, the cards ascend, one by one,
from the pack, without any apparent agency.
The apparatus required for this trick consists of the case, which can
either be made to conceal the cards entirely, or may have the front
cut out so as to show the face of the foremost card, a small border
being left for the purpose of preventing the cards from falling out.
This case is divided into two divisions, the rearmost one being much
smaller than the other, and just large enough to hold about ten
cards. To the top of the dividing partition affix a piece of fine
black silk, which allow to hang over the smaller division. Into this
smaller division now introduce a card, which, as it is put in, must
have the silk under it. Now introduce a second card, but pass the silk
over this one instead of under it. Put in a third card with the silk
under it, and a fourth with the silk over, continuing the operation
according to the number of cards you intend performing with. When
the silk is pulled, it will cause those cards which have it passed
beneath them to ascend. The same effect would be caused without the
intervention of intermediate cards, but then they would all rise at
once, whereas the trick is to make them do so singly. The performer
must have all this arranged before commencing, and also have the
silk passed out either at the back (which is to be preferred, where
possible) or the side of the stage, where an assistant is stationed,
holding the end of it. If at the side, then a small staple or pulley
must be fixed in the back of the table and the silk passed through it,
otherwise a direct pull will not be obtained. The case holding the
cards can either be made to fit in the neck of a decanter by means
of a cork on the under side, or can be permanently fixed to a tall
stand. I prefer the decanter myself, as an opaque stand always causes
suspicions of mechanical assistance to arise in the minds of the
audience. The decanter should be given for examination.
The performer must force duplicate cards of those arranged in the
small division of the card-case, of course taking no notice of those
over which the silk passes, as they will never be exposed, and, asking
the audience to remember the names of them, have them put in the pack
and shuffled. The rest of the trick follows as a matter of course.
The pack is placed in the larger front division of the case, and, as
the chosen cards are called for, the assistant, who must have a view
of the cards from his place of concealment, pulls the thread. A very
commonly practised piece of humour is to include a knave in the forced
cards, and to place two in the small rear division of the card-case.
The one that is to appear first is put in upside down, court cards
with one head only being used. It is upbraided for thus making its
appearance, and it is replaced in the pack--still upside down--but in
the front division. The second time, the other knave appears, right
side up. The marvel of the audience is how the card managed to reverse
itself in the pack. These card-cases can be procured from any of the
vendors of conjuring apparatus.
A better arrangement is the following, which enables the performer
to have his case examined by the audience--always a great advantage.
It will require a little construction on the part of the performer
himself, unless he is more fortunate than I ever was, and can find
someone to carry out his ideas for him.
Instead of having the tin case made with partitions, let him have it
quite plain, and just large enough to take from thirty-five to forty
cards. This will bear any amount of examination, and a pack of cards
should always be put in it before the audience, to show that it is
entirely filled therewith, and so cannot possibly be made to contain
any mechanical contrivance. The performer's little arrangement lies in
a few cards, which, with others, are lying carelessly upon his table.
These cards are prearranged with the silk exactly as just described
for the small partition of the case, the end of the silk being
affixed to the top of the undermost card. When the performer returns
to his table with the pack, he should place it, whilst arranging his
case in the decanter, with the loose prepared cards, which should
then be picked up with it, the pack being undermost. The trick can
then proceed as usual, and the case be handed round for examination
afterwards. Great care must be taken not to disarrange the silk whilst
picking up the cards, as any fault in this respect cannot possibly
be remedied. The more simple and free from apparatus the method of
performing this trick, the better it will be appreciated.
A third method, quite original, which I have adopted with unvarying
success, the performer, will, I expect, prefer to any of the
foregoing. It is the only method which does not call for the forcing
of the cards; and its general surroundings are so simple that I find
conjurors themselves sometimes puzzled to explain how the result
is brought about. The performer has the usual bottle, which it is,
perhaps, as well to open before the company. It should be of perfectly
clear glass, and some fluid should be left in to give it steadiness
during the performance of the trick. The card-holder should have the
front side open, a quarter-inch flange being left on each side, to
prevent the cards from falling out, and the inside coloured black.
The silk, by means of which the chosen cards are to be made to rise
out of the pack, has a small round cloth-covered button attached to
the free end, and this button must be lying upon the table, in a
convenient position. The performer first comes forward, and gives the
bottle and card-holder into the hands of the company for examination.
The examination concluded, he takes the articles to the table, and, as
soon as possible, drops the button into the bottle. He next fits the
holder into the neck, taking care, as he does so, to cause the thread
to pass over the top of it. He now brings forward his pack, which he
gives up entirely into the hands of the company, who select three
cards. As many people nowadays have some idea of the "force," this
at once disarms suspicion in a remarkable manner, and puts off many
knowing ones, who are sure to have seen the trick before, otherwise
performed, it being a very favourite one with conjurors. The performer
now takes the pack back to the table, getting a picture card to the
front, as he does so. If he chooses, he may ask the selectors of the
cards to mark them with pencil, and whilst this is being done, he
goes with the pack to the table, where he places it carelessly into
the holder, taking care that the thread passes over the top of the
cards. It also passes over the front of them, but, as a picture card
is in front, it is not seen, as it would be if a card with much white
showing were there. For this same reason, the inside of the holder is
coloured black. The three cards are now fetched from the audience,
faces downwards, so that the performer, as he will explain, cannot see
them. It will not assist him in the least if he does; but audiences
invariably think an immense deal attaches to the fact of the performer
seeing a card, and it is as well for all conjurors to conspire to keep
up the delusion. Laying the cards first upon the table, he takes up
one, and places it amongst those in the holder, some three or four
from the front. As the card is pressed down, it takes the silk with
it, care being taken to keep the latter as near the middle of the
card as possible. The second card is now placed a few cards farther
in the rear, and the third still farther back. It will be necessary
to keep a finger of the disengaged hand upon the top of the card or
cards in front of the one being placed into position, or the downward
pressure will cause a corresponding, but premature, upward motion to
be imparted to those already in position, which would spoil the trick
at once. Whilst the cards are being thus placed in the pack, the
performer must be careful to keep the company engaged in conversation.
The trick then proceeds as usual; but, at the conclusion, the
performer, seizing the bottle in one hand and the holder in the other,
separates them, and comes rapidly forward to give them and the cards
for examination. The assistant keeping firm hold of the thread, the
button is drawn out of the bottle, and no trace remains of the medium
by which the ascension was accomplished. I take some pride in this
little arrangement, which, I need scarcely say, is not elsewhere made
public.
To force three or more cards, pass them all from the bottom to the
centre together, and not one at a time. Always be very particular
about showing round the decanter or bottle, the most innocent portion
of the whole apparatus. Where convenient, it causes a good effect to
have a bottle of champagne opened on purpose. Give some of the wine
away, and use the bottle half emptied, saying that you must keep some
of the spirits in it for your trick.
_The Salamander Card._--A card is chosen and torn in halves. One half
is given into the custody of the audience, and the other placed in
a cleft stick or crayon-holder, and burnt over a candle. The ashes
are put into a piece of paper, which is rolled up and made to vanish
by sleight of hand, the method used being one which ought, by this
time, to be familiar to the performer. A letter here arrives addressed
to the performer, brought in by an attendant at the door by which
the audience has entered. The performer asks one of the audience to
open it for him, as he cannot stop in the middle of a trick. Inside
the envelope, which is sealed, is found another, and, inside that,
another; and so on until a fifth or sixth is reached. Inside the
innermost of all that half of the card which was only an instant
before burnt before the eyes of the audience is found, as is proved by
fitting it to the portion in the custody of a spectator.
This trick is thus managed: The cleft stick, which is an ordinary
piece of firewood rounded and smoothed a little, has a cleft at each
end. A metal crayon-holder, with double ends, also serves the purpose
admirably. In one end, the performer has fixed the half of a card,
which must be one of the pack from which the card is to be chosen,
doubled up tolerably small. This end he conceals in his hand, and then
has the half of the card which is to burnt doubled up and placed in
the cleft in the other, retaining the stick in his hand all the time.
On turning round to his attendant (who must know his part, and have
rehearsed it once or twice) for a candle, he reverses the ends of
the stick, and, removing the piece of card just placed in it, gives
it to his attendant whilst in the act of taking the candle. If the
attendant is not very proficient, the performer may go to the side
and stretch the hand containing the abstracted piece of card behind
the screen or curtain, and so effect the transfer. The attendant
should stand with one hand open and the candlestick in the other (of
course, out of sight). The performer will call out for the candle,
but, receiving no answer, will go quickly to the side, where he will
obtain it. The stick, with fictitious card in it, he must have in the
other hand, which must be outstretched all the time, and never for an
instant removed from the view of the audience. If this is not done,
no suspicion will be attached to the fact of his going to the side.
The instant the attendant receives the piece of card, he must slip
it inside the small envelope, which will be arranged, in order with
the others, beforehand (the outside one being already addressed, as a
matter of course), and either take it round to the front himself or
deliver it to the servant who is to take it into the room. Too much
rapidity cannot be exercised in executing this portion of the trick.
When once the letter is delivered, the performer has nothing more to
do in the way of exerting his skill, but has merely to do a little
talking, and eventually have the letter opened. Indeed, in this trick
there is but little sleight of hand to be exhibited; but a bungler
would nevertheless make an egregious muddle of it. It requires great
neatness of execution. For instance, in turning round for the purpose
of reversing the position of the stick in the hands, great care must
be taken that no movement of the elbows is visible. The movement made
must be confined to the arm below the elbow, or even to the wrists
only. This movement of the wrists must be practised, as it is a highly
essential one and has to be brought into use frequently. If any of the
audience see the arms moving, they know, or surmise, that something is
going on, even though they cannot divine what it is.
Although not absolutely necessary, it is as well always to force a
card for this trick. The card can then be doubled up with the pips
outwards if the prepared end of the cleft stick contains a portion of
a similar card. For frequent performances of this trick and _The
Missing Link_, it will be advisable to have what I have previously
described as (but condemned the open use of) "forcing packs," viz.,
packs the cards of which are all of one denomination and suite, as
it will not do to tear up cards from ordinary packs. They are easily
obtainable at conjuring repositories or card manufacturers.
This trick is also exceedingly effective when a borrowed letter or
other document is used instead of a card. In large public audiences, a
bank note or other paper of value may be borrowed. It is easy to have
a piece of a note of the "Bank of Elegance" in the concealed cleft,
in imitation of a bank note. On important occasions the performer
should always have three or four sticks prepared with various coloured
papers, so as to be ready for any emergency. The preparation is
trifling, and the sticks not used will do for another time.
It is quite immaterial which way it is done, but sometimes I tell the
person to whom I give the stick and candle not to burn the paper, but
to "put it in the candle." When I notice that it is in a fair way
to be burned I look in another direction, as if not noticing what
is going on, and am horrified on turning round to find the paper
destroyed. This answers best when the material burnt is a borrowed
paper.
Most conjurors perform this trick with the aid of a square wooden
ladle, which possesses a movable flap similar to that of the "card
box," and worked by twisting the handle round. This flap releases a
fictitious paper, whilst it covers up the borrowed one. The excuse
given for using this ladle is that the performer does not want the
audience to suppose, as they would do if he handled it, that he
changes the paper. This excuse is poor and weak, as it puts the idea
of fictitious substitutions (the heart and soul of stage conjuring)
into the heads of people who would otherwise never have dreamed of
such a thing.
The arrangement of the premises very often makes the employment of the
envelopes one within the other impracticable. As a substitute method,
I here give one of my own, which, whilst it is not as amusing as the
first one, is far more wonderful and inexplicable to the company.
Subsequently to borrowing a piece of paper or bank note from one
of the company, the performer shows round a piece of glass tube,
say four inches in length, having both ends hermetically sealed by
being melted up. This piece of tube is folded in a piece of paper,
and given into the custody of one of the company. The trick is gone
through, as above described, except that the burnt paper is found
restored inside the tube, which, of course, has to be broken before
the contents can be recovered by their owner. This, on the face of it,
is, of course, an utter impossibility; but it is thus accomplished.
Glass-blowers, and those who have studied practical chemistry, know
that to construct such a glass receptacle as that above described,
all that is necessary is a piece of tube and a spirit lamp. The tube
is held in the flame by the hands, and, as the glass melts it is
drawn asunder, the result being that the two new ends thus formed
collapse, and, cooling, take the form of points. Behind the scenes
the assistant is provided with a piece of tube, eight or ten inches
in length, one end of which has already been melted up. So soon as he
receives the piece of paper from the performer he folds it up small,
and pushes it down the tube as far as it will go. Then he melts this
tube some three inches up, which will be far enough removed from the
paper to keep it from being burned, and by this means the paper has
become hermetically sealed inside a glass receptacle. If the assistant
has had the necessary practice, the operation should not take long.
When it is concluded, the assistant brings the glass on, and, under
pretence of fetching away the candle, which the performer has placed
upon the table, leaves it upon the shelf. The empty tube is upon the
table, and the performer, in fetching it, takes with him, secretly,
the one with the paper inside. This is very easily concealed in the
hand if one end be pressed against the root of the thumb, the other
end being pressed by the middle finger. The empty tube is shown, as
also a piece of paper, in which it is ostensibly wrapped, the one with
the paper inside being substituted. This substitution is effected by
having the one tube concealed in the left hand, the empty tube being
apparently transferred to it, but really palmed, as above directed.
The right hand at once seizes the paper, and covers the tube in the
left hand with it, and the wrapping-up is immediately proceeded with,
as no further exposure may be permitted. If the performer prefers it,
the assistant may wrap the prepared tube in paper, similar to that
used by the performer, who then conceals the parcel under his vest.
In this case, the empty tube is wrapped up by one of the company,
the performer giving the parcel the necessary resemblance to the
other (each should have twisted ends), and the exchange may be made
subsequently. After the parcel has been opened, for the purpose
of showing the tube with the paper inside, the performer must not
approach it until the owner of the paper has broken it open with a
hammer (the use of the wand for this purpose has less appearance
of premeditation about it), and identified his property. I do not
recommend the use of a card for this trick, as therein the spectators
might find some explanation of its wonderful character. By employing a
piece of a letter belonging to one of them, complete mystification is
secured.
The restored card may be reproduced from a candle, by way of variety.
The performer has on his table two or more candles; on no account
brought on purposely for the trick. It will not matter in the least
how long they have been burning, so that a good portion of them be
remaining. As though struck with a sudden inspiration, the performer
suggests, in his happiest manner, that the destroyed article be found
inside one of the candles. The company not objecting (spectators,
anticipating amusement from them, never object to the conjuror's
suggestions in these cases), the owner of the paper or chooser of the
card is requested to say which candle shall be employed. One being
pointed out, and extinguished, it is taken out of the candlestick and
put upon the table, where the performer proceeds to cut it in two with
a knife, affecting great pains in making the portions exactly equal.
He now asks which half he shall take, and, when the person asked
says, "the right" (or left) half, he must inquire, "Which right [or
left]; mine or yours?" The chosen half is again cut in two, and one
of the portions chosen, that portion being again divided. The pieces
remaining will be an inch or so long, and one is selected of these.
This the performer gives to the person most interested amongst the
spectators, on a plate, along with a knife, and, when it is cut open,
the paper or card is found inside.
The way this is done is simplicity itself. The candles are all
ordinary ones, so it really does not matter to the performer which
is chosen, although he will do well to exhibit anxiety on the point,
by way of effect. Neither does it matter to him which portion of the
cut-up candle is eventually chosen, he having previously given off the
piece of paper or card to the assistant, who has placed it in a small
piece of candle, which the performer has safely secured under his vest
whilst he is cutting up the chosen candle. When the last stage of the
cutting is finished, the prepared piece is got down and exchanged in
the usual manner for the innocent piece. It is then brought forward on
the plate, and the remainder follows, as a matter of course.
_The Obliging Bouquet._--This trick resembles to a great extent _The
Ascending Cards_, and was one of Hermann's many masterpieces. As
performed by him, it outshone, in exquisite neatness and effect, all
other card tricks; but the amount of skill and daring necessary to
carry it properly through is considerable, and persons of nervous or
uncertain dispositions had better consider well before they attempt
it. At the same time, those with the requisite skill and nerve may
earn incalculable glory by including this trick occasionally in
their programmes. The description of it (never before made public)
is as follows: A bouquet of real flowers is handed to a lady in the
audience, and three or four cards are then chosen from the pack. These
cards are made to disappear. One by one they are then seen to rise
from the bouquet, which is still held by the lady.
As in _The Ascending Cards_, a case for holding cards is required,
but in this instance it is made of zinc, and just large enough to take
about eight cards. The outside is painted dark green. This case must
be prepared beforehand, with cards, as described in _The Ascending
Cards_, with the exception that human hair is substituted for silk.
It is also as well either to have the intermediate cards, _i.e._,
those over which the hair passes, fixed permanently, or else to have
partitions of the same material as the case. The loose end of the hair
should have a tiny bead of wax on it, and the case must be placed in
the centre of the bouquet, in such a position that, although it is not
visible from the outside, yet the cards will have a tolerably free
passage for their ascent. If possible, bring the mouth of it just
beneath two buds of roses, which will give to the slightest pressure,
and allow the card to come up between them. The hair should hang down
between the buds, passing between the stalks. The greatest care must
necessarily be taken in arranging all this, and the trick rehearsed
within an hour of its performance, to make sure of everything being
safe.
Bring the bouquet on, and, selecting the lady least likely to
interfere with your arrangements (this selection should be made whilst
you are on the stage performing other tricks), ask her to kindly hold
the bouquet for you, calling attention to the fact that the flowers
are real ones. If possible, always have the bouquet held in the front
row of the audience, and take care that the hair is towards you
all the time. Now "force" duplicate cards of those in the bouquet,
and then cause them to vanish as you please. As looking the most
skilful, I prefer palming to any other method, on all occasions. If,
from knowing the cards as you "forced" them, you are aware who took
particular cards, you can ask the person who chose the duplicate card
of the first in the case, the name of it, and then desire that one
to rise from the bouquet. On hearing the name of the card, or just
before, advance to the bouquet, and ask the holder of it if she saw
the fairies bring the cards to the flowers, or any other fanciful
question you please, and then, under the pretence of having it held
a little higher or lower, or a little more to the right or to the
left, advance the hand to the bouquet, and so obtain possession of
the end of the hair. A good deal of deceptive action must now be
introduced, the wand being put into the hand holding the hair, which
must then be pulled very slightly indeed, and if the card rises the
strain can be continued. Just before the card shows itself, say, "No!
I am afraid the fairies have been disobedient to-day." This will
momentarily remove the interest of the audience from the bouquet, and
attention will be directed to you, as if inquiring what will be done
next. This is the opportunity you must seize for causing the card to
rise, and then exclaim, "Ah! there is one, after all." Run the card
up quickly, and take it out of the bouquet, or, if it appears to be
very loose, allow the holder of the bouquet to remove it. If, at this
juncture, you fancy your temporary assistant is at all suspicious, at
once take the bouquet to someone else; but on no account take this
step if all is going on well. Ask the name of the next card, which
cause to rise in the same manner, and repeat the operation with the
remaining card or cards. As the hair becomes gradually longer, you
will be enabled to stand a little further off on each occasion. You
must contrive to alter your attitude as often as possible, and also
endeavour to look quite unconcerned. The best way to assume this by
no means easy appearance, is to affect to be rather more amused at
the ascension of the cards from the bouquet than the audience itself.
One ticklish point is in ascertaining whether everything is in order.
This never reveals itself until the first pull is made, when, if there
is anything wrong, a jerk will be felt by the holder of the bouquet,
and, in all likelihood, a clue to your secret will be given. If you
only so much as fancy that anything is wrong, take hold of the bouquet
with your disengaged hand, without taking it away from the holder of
it, and have it held a trifle higher or lower. This will enable you
to give a precautionary pull without allowing any strain to be felt.
Such a thing as a hitch ought not to take place, for the previous
arrangements should be so perfect as to do away with all possibility
of such an occurrence. The cards all out of the case, inquire, for
the sake of effect, if there are any more chosen ones that have not
appeared, and then take the bouquet round, allowing people to smell
at it, &c. This is really to enable you to remove the case from the
bouquet, but ostensibly to show that the flowers are real. The best
way of removing the case is through the stems of the flowers, and for
this purpose it is made of zinc, it being a weighty metal. As it is
a small affair, it can easily be palmed. The bouquet should be then
presented to the lady who held it during the performance of the trick,
with the request that the flowers should be examined to see if there
be any preparation about them.
Taking into consideration the difficulty in performing the trick, the
desirability of having as small a case as possible, and the usual
shortness of hair, it is advisable to force only three cards, although
three or four hairs may be employed. When I first saw Herrmann perform
this trick, I was simply appalled at the audacity required to perform
it successfully; but experience has taught me that, with practice,
it is as easy as many other tricks which are not one quarter so
effective. The difficulties to be overcome are causing the first card
to rise without being discovered, and removing the case. It will be
found that if the bouquet is held a little lower (only a few inches)
than the hand holding the hair, there will be less likelihood of any
strain taking place. If the performer pleases, the chosen cards can
be torn up or burnt in the first instance, but the destruction is a
needless one.
_The Hatched Card._--A chosen card is destroyed or made to disappear,
and on an ordinary egg (selected from a number) being broken, it is
found inside.
Before describing the trick itself, I will give a unique method
(Herrmann again) for obtaining the eggs. A rehearsed assistant will be
required, and he must have in his mouth an egg, and, besides, either
a portion (either end) of the shell of, or a wooden or porcelain
imitation of, one. Under the vest band, and sustained by the elastic
thereof, you have four more eggs concealed. You come on with your
assistant, whose mouth is then empty, and, telling the audience that
you will require an egg, ask him if he has taken the egg powder you
gave him, and whether he thinks he can give you any eggs. On receiving
his reply in the affirmative, tell him to fetch a plate. This he does,
and, at the same time, pops the egg and real or imitation portion
of shell into his mouth, all done in an instant, so as to avoid
suspicion. He now takes up his position in the centre of the stage, a
little "up," with the plate held before him and elbows close to his
sides. You stand beside him, and place your rear hand upon his head.
He then slowly exhibits the egg, which, with the forward hand, you
then extract with seemingly immense difficulty. Whilst the forward
hand is thus engaged, the rear one takes an egg from the vest, and
you cross over behind the assistant, and are just about to take the
plate from him when he exhibits the shell, which, to the audience,
appears to be another egg. You exclaim, "What, another! you must have
taken too much powder," and then advancing the forward (late the rear)
hand, you slip the egg palmed in it half into your assistant's mouth,
and then proceed to drag it forth with the same difficulty which
attended the abstraction of the first one. The rear hand has by this
time another egg in it, and you go round behind the assistant, only
to find him exhibiting another egg, which you extract, as before. The
process is repeated until all the eggs are gone. It is not advisable
to use more than five eggs, for precautionary reasons, and that
number is quite sufficient to excite wonder. The assistant must be
careful not to allow the shell inside his mouth to be seen whilst you
are removing an egg just "laid." If you can find anyone with a mouth
capacious enough to contain two eggs (small ones will do), secure him
as an inestimable treasure. No trick being more conducive to laughter
than this one, extra care must be taken with it. The performer should
move about in an easy and unostentatious manner, and endeavour, by
word and mien, to keep up the impression that the whole of the trick
lies in the assistant's mouth. The use of the extra egg end is not
absolutely necessary, for the palming can begin with the first egg,
the one originally in the mouth being kept there till the last, when
it may be allowed to fall out into the performer's outstretched palms.
Either method is effective. Show the eggs round on a plate, and have
one selected with which to perform the succeeding trick. For that, the
following apparatus will be necessary.
Make, either of wood or metal (tin, brass, zinc, &c.), a hollow wand
(open at one end, and closed at the other), painted or varnished on
the outside, so as to resemble in every little particular the wand
you ordinarily use. If the latter has ivory or brass tips, then your
imitation wand must have the same. There is not the least necessity
for running into any expense, for, by going to a working tinman or
walking-stick maker, the thing can be obtained for a shilling. I much
prefer wood to metal, and would recommend its use. This imitation need
not be made of real ebony, although it should be of tolerably hard
wood. Fitting inside there must be another piece of wood, an inch
shorter than the interior of the wand itself, which should move up
and down pretty easily, but not loosely. Commencing exactly 2in. from
one end, cut a slit 1in. long, and, making a little peg of wood, or
providing yourself with a small brass round-headed nail, which must
be afterwards coloured to match the wand, drive it into the sliding
piece of wood, which must be pushed up against the closed end of the
wand at the time. By holding the wand at the closed end, and placing
the thumb on the little peg, the sliding piece of wood can be made to
move up and down as easily as can the pen or pencil inside an ivory
holder. By making the slit the same length as the space left at the
open end of the wand, the sliding piece will not protrude when the peg
is pushed down by means of the thumb. The sliding piece should also be
blackened all over, as, if left white, it might show through the slit
or at the exposed end, which, however, should never be turned full
towards the audience at any time.
It is now open to you either to force a card or to have one selected
haphazard. If the card is to be forced, then you can have the wand
loaded beforehand. This is done by doubling up the card until it is
only 1in. wide, rolling it up, and putting it into the wand, which you
can then leave on the table handy. If the card is not to be forced,
the wand must be behind, and the card chosen before the egg-laying
performance (supposing you find your eggs in that way) takes place.
Have only about twenty cards to select from, and let your assistant
know what they are. They can be arranged in sequences or suits, for
greater convenience. When your assistant retires, after producing the
eggs, he takes the pack of cards with him; and whilst you are showing
the eggs round he looks through the nineteen cards and finds out which
one is missing. He then takes a duplicate of this, and puts it into
the wand. For the sake of expedition, you should have a duplicate
of each of the twenty cards in readiness. I remember once finding
myself without a duplicate of a selected card, and I had actually to
go forward and, under the plea of placing it in an exposed position,
"where everyone could see it," effect a change. I left a dummy card on
the chair (the "exposed position,") face downwards, and carried off
the chosen one in triumph, feeling very much relieved. This method
of having a card or cards chosen from a pack, the cards of which are
known, does not belong particularly to this trick, but can be used in
many others. It is only worth while to take the trouble when your
audience is a particularly sharp one, and not likely to be imposed
upon by a "force." The egg and card both chosen, you may do what you
please with the latter, so long as you get rid of it, and, taking the
egg, which you have previously had minutely examined and held up to
the light, to show that it is empty, upon a plate, give the plate to
be held by a spectator, and then break the shell by means of the open
end of your prepared wand. Immediately you are well through the shell,
push the peg along by means of the thumb, and the rolled up card will
be forced into the egg, whence have it extracted by a spectator. If
you please, one of the audience may hold the egg whilst you break the
shell. I need hardly mention that, before you bring your wand into
play, you should make a fuss about passing the card into the egg. The
reader, by this time, will take that as a matter of course. Always
have a cloth or handkerchief handy in this trick for wiping egg and
fingers.
The preceding six card tricks, used judiciously, that is to say, not
too frequently, should, with those described in "Drawing-room Magic"
(_La Carte Générale_, for instance), last a conjuror a lifetime.
They are the very best I have seen performed, for they combine
sleight of hand with a minimum amount of apparatus; indeed, the
articles I have directed to be used are hardly worthy of the name,
the nearest approach to it being the card-cases and the hollow wand.
There are a number of tricks sold in which cards rise from demons'
heads, imitation plants, and pedestals; but these are all exceedingly
expensive, and are nearly all worked by electricity. Besides this,
there always seems to be an artificial effect about such things. For
all the audience know, there may be a small boy concealed in the
demon's head, or in the huge flower-pot in which the "Magic Rose Tree"
is generally stood. At any rate, the idea of "sleight of hand" is not
conveyed, and, if for that reason only, I will have none of them.