New Christmas Tricks

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 149, 20 December 1902, Page 5 (Supplement)

New Christmas Tricks

BY PROFESSOR HOFFMANN (Author of "Modern Magic," " More Magic," etc.) [All Rights Reserved.] The simpler the appliances for a conjuring trick, the greater the effect it produces. Judged by this standard, it would be difficult to find a better illusion for the drawingrooin than the trick known as THE AFGHAN BANDS. The requirements consist merely of a pair of scissors, and three strips of paper, each four feet long and an inch and a half wide, pasted together at the ends so as to form an endless band. Advancing with these threaded over his arm, the performer shows that they are neither more nor less than they appearto be, mere paper rings. Two of them he lays on the table or hangs over the back of a chair. As to the third, he remarks, "I shall now divide this band down the middle. Watch me closely and see that Ido it fairly." With the points of the scissors he makes a hole in the band at about the centre of its width, and then divides it throughout its length. The result is naturally two bands, half the width, of the first (as in Fig. 1). He shows one in each

hand. "You don't see anything very clever in that? Well, to tell the truth, I didn't suppose you would. Tho clever thing is to divide the band in half, and yet to keep it in one piece. That is what I shall clo this time. Watch me again, as carefully as you please." |

Taking the second band, he divides it down the middle in precisely the same way, but strange to say, the result is totally different, being one long band (as b), just double the length of the original. "You didn't see how that was done? Well, I will give you one more chance." He repeats the operation with the renuiining band, but the result is oguin different, being two bands (c) of the same length as the original, but the one linked within thq other. The secret lies in the previous preyiaration of the band. To casual observation they seem exactly alike, but there is a difference in ike way they are made up. The one first cut is a genuine ■fiat hoop; i.e., the ends are brought together and the under side of the one

pasted to the upper side of the other. The second differs in the fact that, before joining the ends, a half-turn is given to one of them ; this producing when cut the long hoop. In the case of the third a complete revolution is made before the ends are joined, the effect of this being to produce, when divided', the linked hoops. THE MAGIC PARCEL POST. Any trick that involves the production of something to eat is invariably popular, especially with a juvenile audience. The feat I am about to describe combines this pleasing characteristic with a magical effect sufficiently surprising to interest more mature spectators.

THE MAGIC PARCEL POST. A lady's watch, a ring, and a marked coin are borrowed, and folded up toge-

ther in a small silk handkerchief. This again is wrapped in a piece of tissue paper, and the little parcel thus made, iccured by a rubber ring about it, is placed on a chair in full view. At this stage of the' proceedings it strikes the pertormer that the audience may be ths better for a little refreshment. In order to supply them he brings forward a square bag of whity-brown paper, such as grocers use for wrapping up sugar, tied across and across with narrow ribbon (see Fig. 2). This he opens, and pours a portion of the contents, which prove to be bonbons of variou3 kinds, on to the plate, which is passed round, that the company may help themselves. While this is being done, the performer closes the bag (which is seen to bo still half full) and ties it up again as at first, remarking that he must keep a few sweets for another time. This done, he remarks, "Let me see. What did I do with the lady's watch? jJh, I remember ; I wrapped it up in that little parcel. What shall we do with it? A good idea! I will show you the latest improvement on wireless telegraphy — (he wireless parcel post. Marconi himself couldn't do what I am going to do. lam going to uu>ke ih; watch, coin, and ring pass into tho bag of sweets, and the remainder of llu sweets into the little parcel. Watch

carefully, ladies and gentlemen. Abracadabra, Presto, Uy- Did you see them go? No. They have gone, notwithstanding, seel" He unties the ribbon, opens the bag, and thrusts his hand in, first producing the remaining sweets "Hallo," he remarks, "there is something wrong here. These ought not to be j here still. Ah! I see how that it is. There wasn't room for the sweets in that little parcel. These are a few that couldn't get in." He then produces the rolled up handkerchief, which he unfolds. "Here is the watch, here is the ring, and here is the coin ; and the bag" (turning it over) "is empty. And here in the parcel on the chair we have the sweets which were left in the bag." This trick depends mainly on the construction of the payer bag, which, innocent though it looks, is really an ingenious .piece of magical apparatus. In the bottom of the bag, which when open is seven or eight inches high, is a circular liolei two inches, or thereabouts, iv diameter. Securely pasted into the opening is a pasteboard tube, two and a half inches high, open at the bottom, but covered at the top with thin paper. The space between this tube and the outside of the bag is lightly packed with cotton wool. Fig. 3 represents the filled bag in section, a being the tube, bb the cotton wool, and c the space occupied by

the sweets. In preparing the bag to show thfe trick, its upper edges are folded down upon the sweets; and the whole kept firm by tyiug willi a piece of narrow ribbon, ah already explained. The performer also makes up a parcel of Hweel-i wrapped in tissue paper, in size and shape corresponding as closely as possible to that ;_which a watch and handkerchief wrapped up in the same way, will make. This little parcel, secured by a rubber ring, is tucked under the front of the performer's vest, which must be tight enough to retain-it. The working of the trick will now be readily understood. The watch and other articles, after being enveloped in the handkerchief, are wrapped up in just such a piece of paper as has been used to wrap up the sweets, and the performer, in moving about, changes the one parcel for the other, so that it is in reality the packet of sweets which is placed on the chair in view of the audience, the "watch" packet remaining in his own possession. This he deftly introduces, under cover of the slight excitement produced by he distribution of sweets from the bag, into the tube a. J lie then pours out nearly all the remaining sweets on lo the plate, though as the bu£ is distended by the cotton wool, the audience believe it to be still half full. Ho next passes the ribbon round the b<?R, crossing the bottom (and thereby

preventing the little parcel from falling out), and ties it over the top. The trick is now done. As soon as he Las opened the bag, and distributed the few remaining sweets, he thrusts a linger through the paper at top of the cardboard • tube, thereby gaining access to the little parcel in a. He then tears the lissue paper, wrapper, and produces the watch wrapped in the handkerchief. He inverts the bag, showing, that it is cnl pty — for with good management the torn tissue paper will not fall out — and then, opening the packet on the chair, allows that the sweets, professedly the remainder of the contents of the bag, have found their way therein. My next item in reality consists of two distinct tricks, though so combined as to figure as one. This is always a desideratum, as increasing the difficulty of discovery. THE MESMERISED PENNY. The performer .having borrowed a penny, rubs it vigorously. He then btands it upright on the table, keeping it in that position by restiDg the tips of the second and third fingers of the left hand, upon its upper edge, and announces that he is about to make it spin by mesmeric influences, without touching it. In order to create the necessary amount of animal magnetism, he ruba the upper surface of the fingers supporting the coin with the corresponding fiugers of the right hand. The first two attempts are failures, the coin falling as soon as the supporting fingers are removed, but at the third trial it, spins merrily. The experiment is repeated, with the same result. The secret" lies in the fact that at the same moment when the operator ends the rubbing movement, he gives the edge of the coin a quick impulsion with the tip of the thumb of the right hand, and thus sets it spinning. This cannot be done quite offhand, but half an hour's practice should suffice to muke success a certainty. The above, however, is only the uift phase of the trick. Having shown it once or twice the performer invites some one else to try his luck. Not knowing the secret, he naturally fails. "Never mind," says the performer, "then spin it in the ordinary way, but you will find there is a curious thing about that coin. It is now mesmerised, and however you spin it you will find that it will invariably fall 'head.'" This is tested aud found to be correct. After a sufficient number of trials, the performer asks for the coin back ngain. Again he rubs it, this time, as he explains, from west to east, the former rubbing having been from east to west. The charm is now reversed, and the coin will only fall "taii" upward. Again it is handed back, and he rubs it professedly from north to south. This breaks the spell, and it falls head or tail indifferently.

As the reader will probably have suspected, the rubbings, from whatever point of the compass, have no direct bearing cv the result. They are, however, essential to the trick, inasmuch as, under cover oi the rubbing, the performer is enabled to "change" the coin, and herein the secret lies. He is provided with two penny pieces of his own, prepared by chamfering the edg°. of each, in such manner that the one face shall be slightly smaller than the other. Fig. 4 shows the appearance of such a com in section, though the degree of the bevelling (hero exaggerated for the sake of clearness) would be far less in tho actual coin. A coin so prepared when epun will invariably fall to the side b, and consequently with the side a- uppermost. In one of the two prepared coins a is the "head" side, in the other, the "tail" side, and the performer has only to substitute the appropriate coin in order to produce the result he desires. The first exchange is made immediately after spinning the borrowed coin, under cover of inviting some one else to try his fortune. ARITHMETIC EXTRAORDINARY. The visible apparatus for this feat consists of a miniature edition of the ordinary school blackboard. It is not made out of wood, but of two or three thicknesses of carbonised millboard, and measures, cay, 15 inches in height, by 12 inches in width (precise sise immaterial). It is suspended by means of a hole near the top ou a nail on the wall.

The performer begins by taking it down, and handing it for examination. After hanging it up again, he asks some one to call out a number of three or four figures. This life forthwith writes down with a piece of chalk, under the top of the board. He asks for a second number, and writes this down; then a third, a fourth, and a fifth, as in Fig. 5. "I will now ask the spirits," he says, "to write down the total of these figures. They have only got as far as Bimple addition as yet, but they are improving. I expect they will be able to subtract and multiply very shortly. But curiously enough they can't rule a straight line: so I must rule one for them. Let me see! Where did I put my ruler? As if in reply to his enquiry, his assistant steps forward from the side with the missing 1 nrticle, a flat piece of ebonjr, or other black wood, a trifle longer than the width of the board. With the aid of this the performer rules a single line, below the figures, and a double line a couple of inches lower down. Ho steps away from the board, as if admiring his handiwork. "Now, spirits, let us see what you can do." Scarcely are the words out of his mouth when a row of figures appears between the lines he has rules: and on being checked, is\found tc be the correct total of the sum. The secret lies in the ruler, or rather in a littJs appliance which is adapted thereto, and brought in with it. This consists (see a b in Fig. 5) of two strips of black millboard, a little narrower than the ruler, and in length correspond* ing with the width of the board. These si rips are joined together, edge to edge, by means of a rubber hinge, in such mminer that they can be folded together, but the moment they are released, the tension of the rubber causes them to fly open again. At ths back of that whirh, in u«-e, is the upper of the two slips, are a couple of little hooks or studs, fitting into coiresponoing holes in the blackboard.

When the figures are written down, the assistant behind' the scenes (which ia a drawingroom performance means anywhere out of sight), hearing thenumbers, writes them down on his own account, and rapidly adds them up. The total thus obtained he writes with chalk, in bold figures, on the inner side of the double slip. He folds the lower half, b, on the upper, a, and secures them by slipping over one end a little wire staple c, to which a black silk thread is attached, the opposite end remaining in his own keeping. Ho ploces the folded slip behind the ruler, and hands tho whole to the performer. The latter, while placing the ruler in position for ruling the lines, slips in the little hooks into the holes in the blackboard. Having ruled the first line, he proceeds to rule the second, the "fake" remaining affixed to the bte>:kboard, though being of tho same material and colour it ia not noticeable. At an agreed signal, tho assistant pulls {he thread. The staple is withdrawn, the double slip flies open, and reveals the answer. To prevent the possibility of the sudden pull drawing the blackboard out of position, a small nail should be driven into the wall, close against its edge, at the side, on which the pull is intended to operate.