You will require:—
- A Changing Drawer Box, with umbrella cover in one compartment.
- Umbrella Changing Tube: in one side is the skeleton umbrella with three duplicate white handkerchiefs and one coloured handkerchief attached to the bare ribs. The other division contains the unprepared umbrella.
- Burning Globe, containing a white handkerchief with coloured centre and a coloured handkerchief with white centre.
- Handkerchief Mill.—One of the compartments contains white and coloured strips, which will be shown to the audience later, as the borrowed handkerchiefs cut to pieces by the knives contained in the mill are produced.
- Dove-Pan.—The pan only is placed on centre table, the lid and inner lining being left behind the scenes to be brought on during the experiment.
- Three White Handkerchiefs (disposed of as mentioned above) to match those you intend to borrow.
- Three Coloured Handkerchiefs—one has already been disposed of, the second one is placed in your pocket and the third one is prepared by cutting a piece out of the centre; this latter mutilated handkerchief is laid on your table, both pieces being required.
- A White Handkerchief with Coloured Centre, disposed of as above.
- A Coloured Handkerchief with White Centre, disposed of as above.
- A Small Bottle of Spirits of Wine, supposed by the audience to be water.
- A Pair of Sharp Scissors.
- Candle and Candlestick.
- Box of Matches.
- Revolver, loaded with blank cartridge.
- Two Doves, and
- One Intelligent Assistant, if procurable.
To perform:—The conjurer requests the loan of several white handkerchiefs. A number being offered, he accepts three, which he throws over a chair back while he calls attention to the empty condition of the drawer box. The performer now takes the borrowed handkerchiefs one by one and places them in the box. After placing the third handkerchief in the drawer box, he looks round as if for another handkerchief, and remarks, "I should have borrowed four handkerchiefs, but I will not trouble you again, I will use my own." Drawing this (the coloured one) from his pocket and placing it in the box with the three white ones, he closes the drawer. The drawer box is now placed on a table or chair near the footlights. The performer next introduces the umbrella tube, being careful to remove the lid from the end containing the unprepared parasol, which he withdraws, opens, and passes for inspection to prove its unpreparedness. The parasol being returned is placed back into the tube, the lid put on, and in turning to place the tube on the table, it (the tube) is reversed, which brings the lid covering the division containing the skeleton umbrella towards audience when laid on the table. The performer now commands a change to take place, and picking up the box he pulls out the drawer containing the parasol cover, which he removes and shows to audience. On opening the umbrella tube, he withdraws the skeleton parasol with the four duplicate handkerchiefs attached to the ribs; the four handkerchiefs are unfastened and laid on the table, the audience believing them to be those originally borrowed. The performer now selects one of the white handkerchiefs, takes up the pair of scissors and asks one of the spectators to mark the handkerchief so that he will know it again—the conjurer holding the handkerchief in such a manner that the spectator is compelled to cut a circular piece out of the centre. While the gentleman is cutting the handkerchief, the assistant enters and removes the drawer box and umbrella tube, as having been finished with, and when behind the scenes he opens the box and removes the three borrowed handkerchiefs and the performer's coloured one, all of which he folds neatly and places in the inner lining of the dove-pan, finally putting in the two doves and locking lid to lining by the usual bayonet catch. During this time the performer has been apologising for the damage done to the white handkerchief, and the owner not caring to accept his property in its present condition, the performer calls attention to the burning globe, and states that by placing the mutilated handkerchief in the globe he can immediately restore it; at the same time he mentions that "the previous evening I had the misfortune to have my own handkerchief marked in a similar manner" (picks up coloured handkerchief and loose centre from table and shows to audience), "and will take the opportunity of restoring my own coloured handkerchief whilst I am restoring the borrowed white one." After showing the globe to be empty, the performer places the two damaged handkerchiefs, with their respective loose centres, into same and gives the body of globe a quarter-turn, which brings the compartment containing the white handkerchief with coloured centre, and the coloured handkerchief with white centre uppermost. After allowing the "spirits" due time to repair the damaged mouchoirs the performer requests one of the spectators to remove the handkerchiefs, and on his doing so, it is found that the centres have been sewn into the wrong handkerchiefs. The conjurer now makes an attempt to undo the stitches, but finds it impossible, so states that "I shall have to cut the handkerchiefs up in order to restore them to their original condition." During this little bit of by-play, the assistant enters, bringing with him, unostentatiously, the lid of the dove-pan, which he places on the centre table, retiring immediately with the brass globe, now finished with. The performer now introduces the handkerchief mill and removes the knives in order to show their sharpness, and the two handkerchiefs are placed in the empty compartment (the other division, it will be remembered, contains the strips of handkerchiefs); but on second thoughts the performer considers that it is unfair not to treat all the handkerchiefs alike, so he picks up the remaining two white handkerchiefs and the coloured one from the table and places them also in the mill.
Before commencing to cut the handkerchiefs up, the performer removes his own coloured one and places it in his pocket, remarking that "to damage my own handkerchief would be ridiculous." The performer now makes the knives revolve, and shortly afterwards pulls the strips of handkerchiefs out of the second compartment and drops them into the dove-pan, saying, "The damage to the handkerchiefs is irreparable, but I will endeavour to iron the pieces and the lenders can sort them out at their leisure. I believe it is necessary when doing any ironing to sprinkle a little water over the objects to be ironed" (sprinkle strips with spirits of wine from bottle) "and also to wax the iron, but as I have no wax and no iron, I will light the candle and drop a little of the melted wax on the pieces of handkerchiefs." Whilst lighting the candle the conjurer carelessly drops the lighted match in the dove-pan, the spirits of wine become ignited and there is a great blaze. The performer gets excited and endeavours to blow out the flames, and not being successful, he frantically grasps the lid of the pan and claps it on to same, immediately afterwards picking up his revolver and firing over the pan, finally removing the lid (which leaves the inner lining inside pan) and allowing the doves to escape.
The handkerchiefs are now removed and handed back to their respective owners, the performer's coloured handkerchief being returned to his pocket.
If the above description has been carefully followed it will be seen that although an enormous amount of destruction has apparently been going on, in reality only one white handkerchief is destroyed at each performance of the experiment.
AN ORIGINAL CONCEPTION WITH EGGS AND FLAGS.
Effect.—An egg is produced and wrapped in a handkerchief, which is then placed over a chair back. A glass casket is next shown to be empty and a piece of tape tied round same by a member of the audience. The casket is suspended from a stand and covered with a borrowed handkerchief. A Union Jack flag is produced and changes into an egg. The casket is uncovered, and flag seen within. Handkerchief removed from chair back, opened out, and egg has disappeared.