CONJURER IN COURT

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXV, Issue 3370, 26 September 1931, Page 2

CONJURER IN COURT

DEMONSTRATION TO JUDGE. A performance of the blindfold card-stabbing trick was given by a conjurer before Mr. Justice Hawke, and a common jury in the King's Bench Division, recently. The performer was Mr. Stewart Drayton Raw, of Queen's Gate Terrace, Kensington, who brought a slander action against another conjurer, Mr. Douglas Dexter, of Solent Road, West Hampstead, arising out of a dispute between them at a social gathering of the Magic Circle. Mr. Raw was giving evidence in the case when he was handed a pack of cards to demonstrate the trick, which he described in detail.

He stabbed with a knife a pack of cards placed on the ledge of the wit-ness-box, and said that after doing this his habit was to ask a spectator the number of the selected card.

Then producing a card he said. "Here is your card —the six of clubs." He exhibited this card to the court, and Mr. Justice Hawke, who had been watching the performance intently, said, "Yes, he is right."

The defence to the action was a plea of justification. Mr. R. J. Chappell, for Mr. Raw, said that both men were members of the Magic Circle organisation.

Guests were present at a social gathering of the Circle on March 11 last year. Mr. Raw was one of the entertainers at the gathering, and he performed the blindfold card-stabbing trick. Mr. Dexter came to him later and said in a loud voice and a threatening manner, "Cannot you ever do anything original? That is the second thing you have stolen from me."

Mr. Raw replied that he had never

seen Mr. Dexter before,, whereupon Mr. Dexter said, "It's a lie. I think you are the biggest swine I ever met."

Mr. Dexter afterwards declined to withdraw his remark, and Mr. Raw had to bring his action. Mr. Justice Hawke discovered the secret of the card-stabbing while Mr. Dexter was under cross-examina-tion.

He was handed a text-book on magic and when referred to a passage in the book he apologised to counsel because his attention had been diverted to the part showing how the trick is done. "It seems so very simple," he said, "when you read how it is done." The hearing was adjourned.