The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-29
A FALSE FLOOR.

$50 lntnk NOW look mere Oan you |
see anything or the floor or the cabinet to sug- |
gest false bottom OF anything Of that sort z" |
"Not the fainest indication of it," seld !. He
took little blunt bradawl, drove 1t into one OF
several little pin-holes in the floor OF the Cabi-
net one of the panks spraug up, and there was
snug false bottom, which seemed almost I'M
possible from a front exterior view of the cubi
net and of which, az ] say, there was no sign
whatever in the appearance of the floor. There
was a beautiful little lock morticed into the
wood which opened by the simple pressure of
point. ..
Look here" said Mr.. Addison, and he pulled
from the receptacle the sacks in which he had
been confined slit up the side seams. Those I
had seen we're duplicates. In the little recep
tacle we're all sorts of duplicates OF every possi
BILE thing that could enter into these expert
ments-ropes, twines, wires-all cut with mathe'
matical precision to the same length, while there
also lay there pliers etc. etc.; in fact, every
thing that could facilitate the performances,
while on the under side plank which lifted,
there was little fixed knife, against which, in
the unlikely event of his not beng able to get
out of or break the wire in which he was tied,
he could rub it until it was cut through. l
need not go into particulars after TINS disclo.
sure. 1t was evident that with such a cabinet a
practised man could do anything, and never be
found out so long as he kept the secret OF his
/ asked Mr.. Addison whether he thought the
Davenports had a false bottom to their ca binet.
You saw it smashed" said he. What do you
think?n ! felt sure the Davenports had nothing
of the kind $50 do |, said Mr. Addison "If
they had a false bottom, and knew OF the prick.
lock- they would be tied with wire, or do any
thing that do. The TACT is, they rely upon the
general inability of people to tie any one up
thoroughly, especially IN cabinet, where 1t Is
not possible to get properly at your man"
But the things had seen were so much more
wonderful than anything the Davenports do, that
their mere manual deXterity seemed like chlld's
play.
THE "MED1UMs'n TYING TRICK.
l asked MIR. Addison whether there was really
any way OF tying any one up so that eXtrication
was impossible He said there was. He wound
q rope carefully round my wrist, the coils neat
and close TO each other. Three times round
and a simple knot did the business. | felt no
pain; but when he told me TO move my hands
l found they were numbed as soon as worked
the tendons When the rope was of that simple
motion had left the marks of the strands deeply
imprinted on my SKIN. 81 did that to the
Davenports,n sGid Mr.. Addison, "but they said
it hurt them, which it did not SO long as they
were quiet and passive, and DR.. Ferguson cut
it," Mr.. Addison showed me another way OF
tying, which consisted in the same process as
bad been applied to my wrist, but applied just
above the elbow. 1t also rendered the arm per-
ectly useless, with this addition, that directly
an attempt was made to move IL the "funny
bone" was affected IN way not 70 be forgotten
in a hurry.
AS another example of rope-tying expertness,
Mr.. Addison backed himself to tie himself up in
three minutes, III such way that no one could
unite him. He accomplished it, at least so far
as | was concerned Although the thing was
done positively before my eyes could not find
the end OF the rope. When tell you here was
loop at each end OF it, you will be little less
surprised; but, OF course, 1t would have been
| perfectly easy Tor Mr.. Addison to have substl-
| tuted this looped rope Tor one that was not
| loopel, had he performed the trick IN his cabi-
net. The LAGOON .conyolqtion' in which, in
| three minutes, he involved himself, were so
| close and hard, moreover, that had the ropes
| end been discove fable, it is doubtful whether
any one but Mr.. Addison himself could have
undone them.
| THE HANDCUFFs.
| But ! was yet to see greater wonders. In the
| cabinet there hung at the back from a couple OF
staples two pairs OF handouts, one in each cor
| ner At Mr.. Addlson's request | Clasped his
| wrists in the lower handcuff on each slde so
| that he attached spread-eagle fashion to the
back of the cabinet. He then backed himself to
take off his coat without getting out of the
| handouts. There was little struggling and
| rubbing of iron heard, and the thing was done
Still handCufed to the back OF the cabinet, Mr..
| Addison showed me how 1t was done. Suddenly
| he shot up his foot and fixed it with an expert
ness worthy of Rigolboche against the side OF
| the cabinet, within reach OF his handcuted
! hand. His handcuffed hand took from the top
| OF his ordinary elastic sided boot a little key
| With it he undid, not the handcuf which con
| fined his tight hand, but the other handcutf o
! the pair, thus detaching it from the staple, sc
| that he could move about with the cuffs haueing
| tIOm his ann. He was now tree TO undo the
handcuti which bound his left wrist, and he did
| so. Then OF course, it would be easy Tor him tC
take his coat of, put his lett hand back in the
handculf, snap that, hook the dangling hand
cul on his night hand on to the staple, and sna[
that. or course he had before dong this, pu
the little key back safely IN his boot. Mr. Fay'
coat trick is always done with careful prepara
ton, managed by the conductor of the sednce
pretending not TO hear people, etc, and it II
done, as all the Davenport tricks are done, Will
ropes.
Mr.. Addison appears to have genius for con
jurng. The Star writer adds:-
81 will not tell OF the rappmg machines which
Mr.. Addison can on occasions carry in all anC
| sundry OF his pookets-oi the chemical proCesse
through which a shower of rain produces owe
the whole extent of his garden sheet OF lam
bent lame-of the electric watch chain, on eX
aiming which an impudent or offensive maj
| might receive a shock that would knock hin
down-nor OF many other Of the many wonder
that Mr.. Addison croW ded into two OF tn
small hours for my delectation and instruction
| will only say, in conclusion, that | came away
not only more than ever convinced that | kne
all about the Dayenports, but rootedlv resolved
never again TO give myself any trouble abou
anything seemingly preternatural."