Litchfield enquirer., 1859-10-13
From the Philadelphia Press.
THE CARDINALS WATCH.

In our recent notices Of NJ Robert Hou
din, the French conjurer-a man before whom
all minor straightforward stars hide their di
mnshed heads and pale their Intellectual fires
We related how he had received his first in
struction from practitioner Of the art, who
really was the Cou't de Grisy, but whose
| travelling title was Signor Torrini. This man.
on Houdin's showing, had passed through q
variety of adventures wonderful as any rela.
ted by Eugene Sue or Alexandra Dumas.
One of these adventures is related in Hou.
dih's Autobiography, yet unpublished in this
country, and we here take the liberty ol
throwing it into our own less attractive words,
in order to condelse it within reasonable news.
paper bounds.
While in Rome, an invitation reached Tor.
RIM to exhibit before no less parsonage than
the Supreme Pontff. The occupant of the
Chair OF st. Peter ut that time was very es.
Unable old gentleman, Pope Plus VII. 1t
was not to be thought Of by conjurer with a
proper pride in his art, that only the ordinary
tricks should be exhibited before his Holiness.
Something new was to be hit upon-some,hing
that would astonish, he long borne in memory,
aud talked Of as wholly wonderful and iu-
expcabe.
Without searching for such thing, Chance,
that inventor of all inventions the most ineen-
ious, came to aid him. The very evening be-
fore Torrini was to show off before the Pope
and conclave and other high dgnitaries of the
Church, he happened to be in tho shop of one
OF the first wutch-makers of Rome. A SER
want came in to inquire whether the watch of
his excellency, the Cardinal de --. was
mended. The matchmaker replied that the
repairs would not be completed until the eve
ming, when he should himself bring it to the
Cardinal, and the servant withdrew
Taking watch from the drawer, the watch
maker proceeded to examine it.
Z" 1t is a handsome and excellent time.piece ~
sald the trades'nan to the conjurcr, I" and the
Cardinal values it at more than ten thousand
francs, because, having ordered it himself from
the iIlustrious Breguet, he falces it unique of
Its Kind. Yet, what an odd thing two days
ago mad young fellow of this town of ours
came to offer me, for one thousand francs, q
watch by the same maker, exactly like the
Cardinals"
This attracted Torrinis attention. He ex-
amined the watch, which was handsome one,
with several Distinguishing pecul.arities. An
idea struck Him
:" Do you think" he asked the watch-ma-
ker, that this person really wishes to part
with his watch p
There was no doubt. The young man was
spendthritt, who had gradually made away
with his property, and had come down to sell
ling even his family jewels. Tue thousand
francs would he acceptable.
Then, said Torrini, :" find this person for
nc. l wish to make this watch mine, but
must have it at once. Buy it for me then
engrave the Cardinals arns on mine, So that
the two may not he distinguished Que from the
other. On yonr discretion depends the benefit
you will draw from this transaction"
The owner of the watch was easily found,
at the gaming-house, which he constantly fire.
quentcd The watch was seen, examined,
closely compared with the Cardinals, and
purchased. 1t was duly engraved, duly sent
home, duly paid for, aud as duly placed in
Torrini's pocket, ready for the trick of tricks
which was to close his Night at the Vatican.
Pope Plus VII, who was an enlightened
man, turned deaf ear to all hints that Tor
rini's wonderful feats were produced by sorce-
ny. He occupied large armchair on a dias,
placed in the foreground. Near him were
placed the Cardinals, and behind them were
the different prelates and dignitaries Of the
church. AS far as that nights fete went, the
Pope sat simply like wondering layman, as
tonished at the skill Of the co,jurer. The eve
ming passed of agreeably, for Torrini never
performed better, and he never had . more
wonder-stricken audience.
"Then," as Torrini himself told the story,
to end it by way Of a bouquet, went on to
the famous trick which had contrived for the
occasion. Here, however, had to encounter
many difficulties. The greatest Of these, with
out question, was to lure the Cardinal de --
to give me his watch, aud that without d.
rectly asking for it. To gain my point had
watch, many had been handed to me-but 1
had given them back, on the pretext, more OF
less true, that, Offering as they did no pecu-
liarity in shape, it would be difficult afterward
to identify the one chosen by me. II, Mes.
sieurs, any one omong you has rather large
watch-the Cardinals had precisely this pc
culiarity-and would entrust it to me, should
! accept it willingly as the one fittest for our ex
pertinent.
The Cardinal piqued himself on the size o.
his watch, having an idea that the works act
ed more freely in large case. He hesitated
to lend it to Torrini, but did so, at the specia
request of the Pope, adding many cautions tt
handle it with the utmost care Torrini ex
amined and admired the watch, and asked nu.
merous questions about it, by way of bon;
ment--a word used by conjurers to denote thu
preliminary talk which is to pass the time and
put an audience off its guard, by pre-occspy
ing it's attention. Torrini praised the Cardi
nal's watch up to the skies, expatiating on it.
numerous good qualities. See r. said he
"a first proof Of them" And with this b,
lifted up the watch as high as his face, enc
let it fall on the parquet. There was CT,
Of fright on every side. The Cardinal, pal
j 4 L.