Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-07

y
course calculated Skeptic sneeringly, and
began to tear the cover from the pack.
Skeptic looked at the cards, and we all
looked to the conjurer. When Skeptic pro-
nounced the cards all correct Herr Her
mann took them in his hands, and flinging
! them down on the table with their faces
uppermost, said, there are eight of you.
When / leave the room and the door is
shut on me, let each person draw card
| from the pack, return it and shuttle the
cards He left the room, bidding us re.
call him when we were ready. Each man
took card and pat it back. Then we all
had a shuttle at the pack, excepting Skep-
tic, who thought he knew all about the
trick, and the conjurer was brought back in
due time.
Gle took the cards in his hands. There
are eight of you,' he said. Each one has
drawn card and replaced it; and the
eight cards, if you have well shuffled them,
should be dispersed through tie pack. No
eye could see into this room when the door
was shut. Even knowing the cards-were
that possible-would leave the seeming
impossibility of bringing the eight cards
together; you will all acknowledge that.
Behold what art can dor He gave the
cards sort of flourish, and placing the
pack on his left palm, drew from the top
the eight cards which We had drawn. He
then turned to Skeptic, and with good
natured smile inquired whether he had any
idea how the trick was done. Oar na-ad-
mirari friend laughed, aud said nothing
but shortly afterwards he was heard TO OF
serve, Curious, amt itY The trick has
given rise 10 a good deal Of talk and son e
disputation bnt there were no two opin.
ious about it; il was allowed by all, to be
the most complete and inexplicable feat Of
of legerdeInain ever witnessed.
Trick No. 3 was even more astonishing
and incomprehensible You know, said
Herr Hermann, addressing the whole par
~, after some discussion had gone on
about the slight-of hand performances, Il
work bv wit and not by witCh-crafl.' For
Wit read trick interposed Skep.ic. Bat
what continued the conjurer, not heed
ing the interruptions, surprising | were to
interpret your thoughts-tO know what
was passing through your minds? That,
indeed would be Il trick above naluSal
magic ! exclaimed. Skeptic filled his
glass ard winked at his neighbor, "a who
should say, 4 know all about it, we
shall see said Herr Hermann. Now,
each Of you two gentlemen he went on,
speaking 10 lis two right hand guests,
think of card | do not ask you TO touch
oae;' and, taking up pack, he threw
the cards fronting upwards on the table.
The choice was quickly made. Mr..
Hermann recovered the cards, shufilsd
them and spread them or: as before. The
card he sa.d, one Of you thought Of is
there; the card the other thought Of is ab
sent The gentlemen searched. o. Of
the cards selected was not to be seen the
other was found. So far so good ex-
claimed Hermann; but the trick is only
half done The conjurer took the cards
again, shuiiled them as before, and ex-
posed them on the table. Now he cried,
the Illusion is reversed. The missing
card reappears, and the card thought of
that was present is not to be found.
Search - And such was the case. The
cards had come and gone al the bidding Of
the magician, who seemed to exercise, a
mental rather than q physical influence
over them. Wonder was expressed in every
counienance, and Skeptic, annoyed because
he was fUilej, drank off an additional
Duulbt 10 tIudlliN MN AOA NAuNANasAOhs
"a moments consideration of this trick
must satisfy any enc Of its extreme clever
ness and incomprehensibility. The Only
possible solution that offers itself Is in the
supposition that the conjurer, by some pro
cess of his own, was enabled to follow the
e7es of the gentlemen in their direction TO
the cards spread on the table, snd TO mark
those they made choice Of. Knowing the
cards, Of course an expert practitioner
would find no difficulty in manipulating
them as he pleased; and getting rid Of a
card and returning it TO the pack, con
trivcd with Whatever rapldity, ia no extra
ordinary feat at legerdemain. AsceTtaining
to q certainty the cards upon which two
persons have thrown glance for the short-
est possible space Of time ia, it must be al
lowed, one Of the most remarkable and
puzzliug achievements Of the COniurei's
| art, and may be termed its crowning feat
| I do not assert that it was by this process
Herr Hermann ascertaiHed the cards his
! two guests thought of; but if not thus /
can conceive no other method by which he
made them known to him, unless, indeed,
| il were veritable witchCraft.
Some ten or-ffteen minutes had passed
]
| into generalities, when cur host rose from
| his seat, and, taking from the table the
/ cards went to the other end of the room.
L want to ask your opinion ola trick which,
! no doubt you have often seen--yolr opinion
az to how do it. Will you oblige me by
taking card" Would you allow me to
suggest the unopened pack Of cards ? in
quired friend Skeptic, locking round with
an air of wisdom. %, certainly answered
| Herr Hermann, open the untouched pack
| Yourself, and then give 1t 10 me- Skeptit
then removed the envelope from the new
pack, aud scrutinized the cards carefully
The eyes Of the company were now fixed
on the pair, and 10 one spoke. Skepti
having satisfied himself that the cards hai
undergone mo preparation handed then
TO the coriurer. Take card said tht
latter. Il was done. Now take the pacI
in your own hands, put the card back, an,
/ shuttle Skeptic did az he was told, an,
/ smiled a. he shutllsd the Cards ia a variet
of WAYS. Itwould be ditllcult would it not
asked Herr Hermann to tell you the care
Won drew - Rather! calculated SkeI
tic What if | were TO do more, An
make YOU draw again the same card?'
] hlDlItl llhF 10 lay Atl fhuliN7 " n llAA
crown Of that Keep your money, N
friend, don't want to rob you; give IN
the cards He took the cards from SkeI
tic, and, shutlling them, said: This tim
. when you draw the card do not let any
/ BODY see it, nor say what il is until ] as
, Won. must do my tricks afler my ow
fashion. Draw y
/ Gle drew. Now place the clrd on III
, table back upward, and cover it with yo,
hand. holding it tightly Skeptic did
. he was desired Now, sir, Is not Ga
f card the one which you drew first &c
q tainlv not exclaimed Skeptic, loud
p and iriU2pLaulv. Indeed? cried He
e | mann, There must be some mistake &
n course there is reioiued the guest, but
a was your mistake and he laughed vi
e much glee. Are yOu sure?' POsitiv
l. Name the cards ! drew the queen
= spades first, and this under my hand il {
J. nine of diamOnds' Let me look at
Skep.ic took away his hand, turned I
card, and beheld-the ,Ue0u Of Fpld
.. An explosion OF laughter at Skeplic's e
II p2nse was followed by a volley Of che,
Tor this wonderfully clever feat OF sligI
~ of hand, if indeed it was so, for | was ut
DC " at a loss at the time-and am now, VIII
/ think of ito account for the mann
"e Ia which it was accomplished.
ne "Many other tricks were exhibited in
~ course Of the evening, but those relat
above we're decidedly the newest and bl
IN although some Of the oihers would h,
1T made common coniarof- fortune. :.
NJ eral times Herr Hermann held ont p,
.ly Of cards, aud named beforehand the c
er any one of Us would draw, in spite Of