Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring

by Professor Hoffmann

Fig. 104.

The manner of using the box is as follows: A borrowed watch is placed in it, the owner being requested, in order to ensure its safe keeping, himself to lock it up and keep the key. The performer places the box on his table, in full view, but avails himself of the moment during which his back is turned to the audience to extract the watch, as shown in [Fig. 103], and to again close the secret opening. Having thus gained possession of the watch, he can conclude the trick by causing it to re-appear in the snuff-box vase, or in any other way that he thinks proper.

There is an improved watch box, the invention of the late M. Robert-Houdin, which contains, concealed in the lid, a mechanical arrangement producing a ticking sound, which may be set in motion and again stopped at the pleasure of the performer. By using this box, the watch may be heard apparently ticking inside until the very moment when it is commanded by the operator to pass to some other apparatus.

The Watch Target.—This is in appearance an ordinary-looking round target, of about twelve inches in diameter, and supported on an upright pillar. It is painted in concentric circles, and on the bull’s-eye is fixed a little hook. Its use is as follows: A watch having been borrowed, and smashed to pieces or made to disappear altogether, as before explained, the performer brings forward the target, which is either held by the assistant or placed upon the magician’s table. Producing the magic pistol, the performer proceeds to load it (visibly or invisibly, according to the circumstances of the trick) with the borrowed watch or the fragments thereof. Then, taking careful aim, he fires at the target, when the borrowed watch is seen to alight on the little hook already mentioned, whence it is removed and handed to the owner.

A closer inspection of the target, which is sometimes of wood, but more often of tin, japanned, would disclose the fact that the bull’s-eye is moveable, revolving perpendicularly on its own axis. It is coloured alike on both sides, and each side is provided with such a hook as already mentioned, so that whichever side of the bull’s-eye is for the time being level with the face of the target, no difference is perceptible to the spectator. There is a little projecting pin, or stop, at one point of the diameter of the bull’s-eye, which prevents its making more than a half revolution, and a little spiral spring, attached to one of the two pivots on which it moves, compels it to turn, when at liberty, always in one particular direction until stopped by the pin, so that its normal condition is to have one particular side, which we will call, for greater clearness, side a, always turned towards the face of the target. The bull’s-eye may, however, be turned round, so that the opposite side, b, is towards the face of the target, and there is a little catch which retains it as so turned; but the instant the catch is withdrawn, the action of the spring makes it fly round again to its old position. The catch is released by means of a stiff wire passing through the pillar on which the target rests, and terminating in a round disc of metal in the foot. The mode of connection between the wire and the catch varies according to the fancy of the maker; but, whatever this may be, the catch is invariably released by an upward pressure of the disc from below. If the target is held in the hand of the assistant, this is effected by the direct pressure of the fingers; but in stage performances, where the target is placed on a table, this, as indeed almost every other mechanical piece, is set in motion by the upward movement of a wire rod (known as a piston), made, by the pulling of a string, to rise through the upper surface of the table.

When the target is required for use, the bull’s-eye is twisted round, so that the side a is turned towards the back, and in this position it is fixed by the catch. The borrowed watch is then hooked on the same side of the bull’s eye. The assistant, in bringing forward the target, takes care to keep the face turned towards the spectators, so that the watch, being behind, is unseen. At the moment of firing the pistol the disc is pressed upwards, and the catch being thus withdrawn, the bull’s-eye instantly spins round, and the side a, on which is the watch, takes the place of side b on the face of the target. The movement is so instantaneous that the quickest eye cannot follow it, and the explosion of the pistol at the same moment aids still further to baffle the vigilance of the spectators, to whom it appears as if the borrowed watch had really passed from the pistol to the face of the target.

This forms an effective conclusion to the Watch-Mortar Trick, the fragments (supposed to be those of the borrowed watch) being placed in the pistol, and remaining there. Where the watch-box, above described, is used, you merely go through the motion of taking the watch out, invisibly, through the top of the box, and in like manner placing it in the pistol.

The Mesmerised Watch. To Make any Watch a Repeater.—This is a trick which may be incidentally introduced with advantage in the course of any illusion in which a borrowed watch is employed. The performer, addressing the owner, asks carelessly, “Is this watch a repeater?” The answer is in the negative, and the performer resumes, “Would you like it to become a repeater? I have only to mesmerise it a little.” So saying, he makes pretended mesmeric passes over the watch, every now and then holding it to his ear. At last he says, “I think it will do now. Let us try.” Taking the chain between his finger and thumb, he lets the watch hang down at full length in front of him. “Come, watch, oblige me by telling us the hour that last struck.” (We will suppose that the time is twenty minutes to nine.) To the astonishment of all, the watch chimes eight successive strokes, with a clear bell-like tone. “Now the last quarter.” The watch chimes “two” and stops. “You see, sir, that under the mesmeric influence your watch becomes a capital repeater. Let us test its intelligence still further. Here is a pack of cards; will you oblige me by drawing one. Now, watch, tell me what card this gentleman has taken; and answer in the proper spiritualistic fashion, by three strokes for ‘yes,’ and one for ‘no.’ Do you know the card?” The watch chimes thrice. “Very good. Is it a club?” The watch chimes once. “Is it a spade?” The watch again strikes once. “Is it a heart?” The watch chimes three times. “The card is a heart, is it? Now, will you tell us what heart?” The watch chimes seven, and stops. “The watch declares that your card was the seven of hearts, sir. Is that so?” The card is turned, and shown to have been correctly named. Another card (say the queen of hearts) is now drawn. The watch names the suit as before, but when ordered to name the particular card, remains silent, and the performer therefore puts further questions. “Is the card a plain card?” Answer, “No.” “It is a court card, is it? Well, is it the knave?” Answer, “No.” “Is it the queen?” “Yes.” Other questions may in like manner be put, e.g., as to the number thrown by a pair of dice. The watch is at any moment handed for inspection, and if any suggestion of special mechanism be made, a second watch is borrowed, and mesmerised with the like result.

Fig. 105.