Fig. 2.—The coffin trick.
Being already dressed in the conventional garb of a ghost, the actor, K, places himself in the space between D and C, whereupon strong lights on the walls, D, E, and C, F, are switched on, throwing their glare upon the actor.
Owing to the principle of reflection mentioned above, the glass, A, B, having a fairly dark background, becomes a mirror upon which is cast the reflection of the actor K. Of course, Mr. I in his chair is visible the whole time, but the spectators see in addition to him the reflection of K, which naturally appears transparent, and moves about the stage exactly as K moves in the space D, C.
The position of the chair, H, is already known to K, who is accordingly able to kneel in his space in such a position that his reflection appears kneeling to I, to go through the rest of the performance with perfect ease, and to leave our friend I perfectly ignorant of what has occurred. Returning for a moment to the example of a pane of glass in a lighted room, it must be remembered that the spectators are in the position of the persons within the room and see a reflection of what is their own side of the glass, whilst I is like a person outdoors who looks into the room unhindered. To him the stage and the audience remain the same throughout the whole performance.
A Paris Illusion
An interesting variation of this scene is produced in Paris at an old café, known as the “Cabaret du Néant,” in the Montmartre quarter. The whole interior of this restaurant is fitted up to appear as funereal as possible. Guests are served with refreshments upon coffins by waiters dressed as mourners, whilst the walls are covered with notices and advertisements of a similarly doleful character.
Upon payment of a small fee the guests are taken into a cellar, completely dark except for a small glimmer at the farther end. Having seated themselves they observe this light slowly increase until it is sufficient to disclose an open coffin standing upright.
Some person from the audience is then requested to accompany one of the attendants upon the stage, where he is asked to stand upright in the coffin. His friends and the remainder of the spectators are then informed in sepulchral tones that they are about to witness a change which it will some day be the lot of every one to undergo, being at the same time reassured that the subject of the experiment will suffer no harm from what is taking place.
A white cloth, stretching from the chin to the heels, is then tucked round the figure in the coffin, and after a few moments the living face gradually fades away and a skull is seen in its place, whilst a skeleton now fills the coffin ([Fig. 2]). This in its turn fades away, giving place once more to the original living occupant, who soon descends from the stage and expresses himself much surprised at what his friends describe, as he himself has seen nothing of the ghastly change.