TRICKS OF THE MAGICIAN’S TRADE

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 65, 18 March 1936, Page 16

TRICKS OF THE MAGICIAN’S TRADE

£<IR OLIVER LODGE witnessed the

performance of one of my most sensational experiments and refused to believe it could be done by other than supernatural agency writes David Devant, magician, in the “Windsor Magazine,” London. In this trick, my sister was seated on a chair close to the footlights, with a semi-circle of spectators up-stage and behind her. I came forward with a black bag, half a dozen envelopes and biank visiting cards. I distributed these to six members of the audieuee. with the request that they would write a quotation or a few words of their own on tho cards, as secretly as possible, seal them in the envelopes and mark the latter in any way they pleased. I then asked another member of the audience to collect the envelopes in the black bag. I took the bag with the tips of my fingers and, holding it at arm’s length, dropped it into the lap of my sister. She put one of her hands inside the bag and I said a few words to the audience, explaining that I used no other means other than natural ones.

My si3ter would then take an envelope out of the bag, place it on her forehead and recite the messago written on the card within. This was done with the six envelopes, which were then returned to the people in the audience who had written the messages. "

Sir Oliver Lodge came to see me do the experiment. He brought with him a specially sealed envelope, he challenged my sister to read what was in it. It was put in the bag with the rest and when she came to it she read it as she had read the others. It was then handed back to Sir Oliver intact. “I do not understand,” ho said, “by what means this marvel has been accomplished. I know nothing in science that could account for it, and although the lady herself and Mr Devant may bo unaware of the supernatural powers sho i ia exercising, I believe that the inter-

vention of such powers alone could offer a solution.” After tho performance Mr Nevill Maskclync and I saw Sir Oliver Lodge and assured him that the results were obtained by trickery. Imagine our surprise and disappointment when he refused to believe us. Here is the explanation: If tho audience had been able to see beneath my sister’s skirt they would have seen another lady’s hand emerge through a trap door in the stago and connect the end of a speaking tube with another portion attached to my sister’s dress and leading from there to her ear. Then tho hand travelled through a slip m the skirt immediately beneath my sister’s lap and and my sister pushed the envelopes into it. The slit was hidden by embroidery. The lady into whoso hands tho envelopes were pushed handed them down to an assistant below stage. He put them into a frame behind which was a powerful electric light. When this was switched on, tho message written on the visiting cards was easily readable. He read it to my sister, through the speaking tubo, and then hauded back tho envelope. My sister, of course, pretended to take the envelope from tho bag, place it on her forehead and read the message.

The “Mental Magnetism” illusion was being performed at tho Savage Club at which King George, then Prince of Wales, was present.

Sir Oliver Lodge Deceived

ILLUSIONS EXPLAINED

I made an impressive speech, with subtle references to telepathy and other remarkable faculties of the sub-consci-ous, and asked individual members of the audience to suggest to mo in a whisper, or to write down, what they wished my sister to do. She, meanwhile, was seated in a chair, blindfolded, after I had made fake hypnotic passages before her eyes. A member of the audience had previously examined the bandage which bound her eyes, but this bandage was not as innocent as it seemed. When I put it over the spectator’s eyes and asked if he could see, he declared that he could hot.

It was made of four or five layers of crcpe-dc-chine, sewn lengthwise across the middle. In placing it over my sister's eyes I held it by the centre and shook down the upper fold. Then she bad only one layer over her eyes and cculd see in the brilliantly lit auditorium quite clearly. We had worked out an elaborate system of dividing the body into zones representing numbers. We had previously learnt a table of actions and articles that could be extended indefinitely. For instance, if a person asked that his glasses should be taken from his noso and cleaned with his handkerchief, 1 should make certain hypnotic passages to my sister, pointing at tlioso parts of the body giving the numbers 16, 11 and 19. She would then know what to do. We were doing this trick at the

Savage Club. The prince was sitting next to Lord Charles Beresford, and he whispered to mo that my sister should kiss Lord Charles. Accordingly, she approached Lord Charges, who was, of course, ignorant of the request. She merely placed her hands on his shoulders and blew him a kiss. Another illusion was “vanishing” a motor-cycle, with engine running and its rider seated on it. To do this, a large packing case was set in the centre of the stage, standing on legs about eighteen inches high so that the audience could see under it. It was made of white deal with an inclined runway for the cycle. The rider drove it straight into tho packing case, the door at the side was closed, tho case was hauled into the air by ropes suspended from above and I directed a supposed invisible ray upon it. The case could be seen shaking with the vibration of the engine at full throttle, when suddenly the box fell to pieces, leaving only the four supporting rods wTiich had formed its framework, the noise of the engine had ceased and there was no sign of either motor-cyclo or rider.

There was really a separate compartment behind the box into which the cyclist rode which, could be slid out on steel supports, like opening a drawer. This was hidden from the audience by a black velvet cloth matching the backcloth behind the stage. Wires held the hundreds of battens forming the case in position, the motor-cyclist stopped his engine and pulled the wire which shattered the packing-case at the same time. He remained suspended on the drawer-like platform in the air, invisible to the audience because of th< black cloth.

Like every great illusion, it was impressive and spectacular; arid like them all, whether in life or on the sta.ee. its secret strips it of glamour and romance and leaves behind nothing but disillusion.