New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-06-27
The Pope and the contur.r.


dexterty Of the operator, and Of the bewildermsnt
Of the beguiled spectators Torini was ths artists
name, or 1t least the name BY which be M prosss-
sionaIly known ; and the scene (Which i described
by Torrini) took place In The Vatican, besofs the
Pope. Plus VII, and eoncIays:
After having selected from my repeFtosy the ~
Of my tricks, put my brains on The fack % imagine
something which, belonging to the ncn1ents should
enes. The evening before that on which my shov
was 70 take place, happened 70 b in the shop "
one Of the 6rst matchmaker in The city. when 81
want came ia TO inquire whether the watch of hs Ex
ceilency the Cardinal was mended. II will
not 10 done before evening, said de Wholesaler.
and shall have the honor Of bringing II 10 yow
master nyself. - e'Tfs Handsome and a.
dina values st more than ten thousand frames b.
cause, having ordered It himself from the iustrioB
Bfeguet, be fancies 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 . thousand
francs, watch by tbs same maker, exactly Ike the
Cardinals.
"Do you think said /, That this peson has really
any intention Of parting with his watch?'
h'Sure,' was the answer This young spendthYift,
who has already made away with his patrimony, has
now come down to selling bis family trnketA He
woulS be very g glad Of Of TIE thousand francs
".Nothing easier; he never leaves he gaming
house.
"tWell, sir, / wish to make his watch miue hat
m0Sb nave IL AZ OuCe bUy bNcu III
Cardinals arms on mine 50 that the two may M b
distinguished from the other. On your loyalty DE-
ponds the benefit you will draw from this tfaune.
ton.'D
The watch was bought BY the MATCHMAKER, and a
comparison bore out the descrption--was duly en-
graved by the confederate duly sent home-and
duly deposited in Torrns pocket ready for the trick
/ Of tricks which was to close the evening" Tbs Pore
neither believed in, nor bad been diss1aded by any
tales Of sorcery from countenancing the entertain-
ment-feeling that, 30 far as slight0Eban went he
was wandering layman, and the clever fellow
ries. The exhibition accordingly went Oh capitay.
'To end it" said Torrini and BY way Of bouquet i
went to the famous trick had contrived for the
difficulties The greatest Of these, without question,
| was to lure Cardinal - TO give me his watch, and
that without directly asking for it. To gain my point
I had recourse to stratagem. On my asking for .
given them back on the pretext, more Or less tine,
that offering, they did, peculiarly in shape It
would be difficult afterwards TO identify the one
chosen by me, III, Messieurs, any one among you,w
said /, "has rather large watch, he Cardinals had
precisely this pecuarity0 and would entfost Il to
me- should accept 1t willingly as the one attest for
our experiment" -
The Cardinal fell into the snare, and the copjnror
examined, and admired, and asked questions shout
the Cardinals handsome watch, by way Of boniment-
the word in the French conurors dictionary for the
preliminary talk which is to begue time and put
audience off its guard. But TO return to the Car
dinals watch. After pnising its capital qualities up
to the skies
az see,' said Torrini, . first proof Ok d. And
with this lifted up the watch as high q my lace,
and let it fall on the parquet There was q cry Of
fright on every side The Cardinal, pale and trem-
bling, got up Sir said he with illrestraiHed anger,
what you have done is an extremely bad joke 2
But worse was to come for the poor Cardinal, who
set such store his Breguet. TorrinI stamped on
the case, crushed it in pieces, and took up only a
shapeless mass. The Cardinal was in rage his
watch "a chronometer too y was the only watch oil
tho owe maj hand ofo t1,e
pieces OF broken metal, that all might be sure that
the broken heap cas the Cardinalsw OF watches
+" The identity of the Cardinals watch proved, the
next feat was to get the real one into the Pope's
pocket. But there thinking Of such thing 90
long as his holiness remained seated Some expe-
dent for getting him out Of his chair must needs be
found had the good luck to find one. They brought
me in huge mortar and pestle pat it on the table
, into which flung the wrecks of the chronometer
and began to pound them with all possible fury Sud
denly slight explosion was heard and from the bot
tom of the vessel came up q reddish flame, which
gave the scene an appearance Of real magic. All
this time leaning the mortar pretended TO lool
in and exclaimed to myself at the wonderful things
saw there Out of respect to the Pope, one rose
but the Pontif giving way to curiosity, at last up
preached the table, followed by OF the audience
: al do not know to what am to attribute thu
. bewderment feel, said his holiness, but can sex
!. nothing.'
!, " 1t was the same with myself but so far from
owning it, begged the pope to come round the Ia
e ble to the side the most favorable for seeing tina
:, = which announced During this evolution, slipped
the pocket of the holy father the cardinals watch
:, The experiment went on, the watch in the mortal
was broken melted and reduced to the form Of lit
a tie ingot, which handed round to the company.
Now, said L. secure Of the result which wai
about to obtain going to restore this ingot t.
its primitive form, and this transformation shall tax,
place during the passage it is about to make hence I,
the pocket Of the person in this company the least
be suspected of confederacyi
"tAh! ahn cried the pope, in q joval humor
= this gets stronger and stronger But what troulf
! you do Mr.. Sorcerer, il were to demand that il
= should be in my pocket?'" s..
/" His holiness has only to order to have his wisl
obeyed.'"
The ingot was again displayed-of course instanta
neousy hidden Gas copjnrers can hide any small mat
!, ter) Torrini cried Pass!' and 10 the cardinali
. chronometer in the pope's pocket-safe and sound
The next day the sorcerer received diamond snun
! box.