Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring

by Professor Hoffmann

The sudden appearance of the articles in the frame is thus sufficiently accounted for, but it remains to be explained in what manner they were placed there, as they have (apparently) never been removed from the sight of the audience. It will be remembered that the smaller articles were rolled up in the handkerchief, which was then placed on the table. In truth, what is placed upon the table is a substitute handkerchief, similarly rolled up, while the original is dropped on the servante, and carried off by the assistant when he brings in the pistol. Having thus obtained possession of the articles, he quickly places them in the frame, and draws down and fastens the blind. This done, he closes the door at the back, and brings forward the frame, taking care to place it immediately over one of the pistons of the table. As the pistol is fired he pulls the cord, the blind flies up, and the articles are revealed.

Fig. 295.

The Flying Watches and the Broken Plate.—This is a rather more elaborate form of the trick last described. The performer collects three or four watches from the company, the assistant, meanwhile, being sent to fetch a plate. On his return, the watches are laid one by one on the plate, and he is ordered to place them on the table. In attempting to do so he trips and falls, the watches being scattered in all directions, and the plate being smashed to pieces. The performer reprimands the offender for his carelessness, and picking up the watches, finds that they are injured in various ways. After a momentary hesitation, he hits on a way of repairing the damage. Calling for his pistol, he drops the battered watches and the fragments of the plate into it, keeping all down with a wad of newspaper. The assistant now brings in the picture-frame, as in the last trick, and the performer, taking good aim, fires at it. At the instant of firing, the plate is seen restored in the centre of the frame, with the borrowed watches encircling it. The performer advances to remove and return them to the owners, but is (or appears to be) thunderstruck at perceiving that the restoration is incomplete, a large piece being missing from the plate. (See [Fig. 295].) After a moment’s reflection, he discovers the cause of the defect, for, looking about upon the stage, he finds and picks up a fragment which he had overlooked when he put the rest in the pistol, and which consequently is wanting in the restored plate. He apologizes for the oversight, and proceeds to remedy it. Standing at the furthest portion of the stage, he makes the motion of throwing the recovered fragment towards the frame. It is seen to vanish from his hand, and the plate at the same moment appears whole as at first. The plate is removed, and with the restored watches handed to the audience for examination, when the closest inspection fails to discover any trace of fracture.

The first point to be explained is the mode in which the assistant obtains possession of the borrowed watches, in order to place them in the frame. The watches are collected by the performer in a changing apparatus (say one of the changing caddies described at page [348], or a drawer-box with a shallow inner drawer, as described at page [346]). In this is placed beforehand a like number of dummy watches, and it is these latter which are placed on the plate, and meet the pre-destined downfall. The apparatus being left apparently empty, no suspicion is excited by the fact that the assistant, when sent to fetch the pistol or the frame, carries it off as no longer needed.

The sudden restoration of the piece apparently wanting in the plate, though marvellous to the uninitiated, is really effected by very simple means. The restored plate is throughout whole and unbroken, but the effect of a piece wanting is produced by covering one portion of its outer rim with an angular piece of black velvet or alpaca, similar to that which covers the back of the frame. The illusive effect is perfect. The frame is provided with two pedals, the first releasing the black blind in front of the plate and watches, and the second serving to withdraw the angular piece of cloth already mentioned, and thus (apparently) effecting the complete restoration of the plate. The pretended disappearance of the broken piece from the hand at the moment of throwing is effected by taking it first in the left hand, and thence apparently transferring it to the right by the tourniquet, so that when the right hand is opened in the act of throwing, it is naturally found empty.

The Magic Picture and the Chosen Cards.—We notice this trick in this place as having a very close affinity, in effect, to the two last described. It is, however, wholly independent of stage appliances, and is equally well adapted for the drawing-room as for the platform. The performer, taking an ordinary pack of cards, allows three to be chosen. These are returned to the pack, and the pack shuffled. He then brings forward a small picture in a frame, and measuring, say, fourteen inches by twelve. Having exhibited both front and back, he entrusts the picture to a spectator to hold, and taking the pack of cards, throws them smartly against the glass, when in an instant the three chosen cards appear in front of the picture, but under the glass. The back of the frame is next taken out, and picture, back, frame, and glass are separately handed for inspection; but the closest scrutiny of the audience cannot discover any mechanism or special arrangement to account for the effect above described.

The reader will already have anticipated that the three cards are “forced.” The picture is on the principle of the frames last above described, with a slight variation. There are, in fact, two pictures exactly alike. One of these is pasted upon the wooden back of the frame, and upon this are fastened duplicates of the cards to be chosen. The second picture is mounted on cloth, and works on a spring roller artfully concealed in the upper part of the frame, taking, in fact, the place of the black blind in the other frames. This is kept down by a pin at the lower side of the frame, and is so arranged as to be released by the smallest pressure against the glass. The pack of cards, smartly thrown, supplies this pressure. The foremost picture flies up, and reveals apparently the same, but really a similar picture, with the chosen cards between it and the glass.

The Magic Portfolio.—The performer comes forward with a large portfolio, such as is used to contain engravings, and barely an inch in thickness. This he places sideways to the audience, upon a stand or trestle, thereby raising it to a convenient height, and at the same time negativing the possibility of its having any communication with the floor of the stage. Standing behind it, he proceeds to take from it a number of large engravings, then a couple of lady’s bonnets of the latest fashion, and showing no sign of creasing or compression. These are followed by a large bird-cage, containing a number of living birds; and finally by three brass stew-pans, one containing haricot beans; a second, water; and a third, fire. Other articles are sometimes produced, but the above are those most generally used.

This really surprising trick is performed by the simplest possible means. The bonnets and the bird-cage are made to fold nearly flat, on the principle of the reticules and bird-cages described at pages 309 and 311. In this flattened condition they are placed in the portfolio, which being turned sideways to the audience, and the performer standing behind it, the side which is towards the spectators naturally forms a cover for the operator, and gives him every facility for developing the folded articles. The stew-pans, however, cannot be made thus compressible, and consequently a different plan is adopted in respect of them. These have india-rubber covers, after the manner of the bowls of gold-fish, and, like them, are concealed about the person of the performer, who, producing them under cover of the portfolio, appears to take them out of it. The pan for the fire contains a little spirits of wine, which the performer, still behind the portfolio, ignites with a wax match before producing this particular pan.