New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-12-24
NEW ORLEANS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1870

that had tbs Gentlemen heard the same
species Of narration from witness IN
court, hs would have ocntended that 1t was
mo evidence"
The last person who entered the cabinet
was a professional magician, Senior Matecs;
The senor, who. although q native of
Spanish America, speaks English with
idio,natic flnency, desired to remain in the
cabinet with his hands united, and the
same offer was afterward made by an
attache of the REPUBLICAN,. But no atten-
ton was paid to these offers, and the head
manager, apparently. could not see it ;"
When Senior Mateos emerged from durance
he made short statement. In which he
decidedly referred to animal magnetism.
In conversation afterward, he related that
when his hand came in contact with the
hand of one Of the brothers he experienced
the same sensation as if he had come in
contact with q magnet or magnetizeQ sub
stance. AS this professor of magic has had
an extended experience of the various
glamor or enchantment, and is, withal a
man OF observation and general intelligence,
his convictions on the subject are entitled
with the suspicious entertained by numbers
Of the more intelligent of the audience who
witnessed the do"
This, then, is the whole secret, so far as
the cabinet business is conceTned-magnet-
ism. 1t con be accounted for in no other
way And it is not necessary to Particular
ize or inquire into minutia, nor Is 1t neces-
sary to inquire into the structure OF tho
cabinet, IA to it's means of eOncealing Appa-
ratus. Nobody over thought of inquiriDg or
investigating what facilities the Davenport
Brothers carried about their persons. When
ever the apparent mystery Is fully de-
veloped, it will be found that 1t is resolvable
into magnetic rapport between the Daven-
port Brothers and the Instruments shut up
with them in the cabinet, the gutter and
the bell.
So much for tho cabinet humbug. Tho
"dark seance," upon which so much stress
appears to be laid, merely because 1t Is
dark. does not certainly require highe
grade of illusion than is required in the box
and flag trick commonly performed at magic
shows. This is the way the matter is man
aged: Professor" Fay Is tied in chair
in full view Of the audience. and, equally in
view. one Of the brothers is tied in another
| chair. A table IA placed between them.
| Instruments. the guitar and bells The
| platform is cleared Of everybody ex-
| cent the committee. Tho committee
are then seated sufficiently close to the
performers as to hold them fast. Then the
| iights are totally extinguished, and i'm
| medately after the bell is rung and flung
| on the floor the guitar strums, is illuminated
| with phosphorescent glare, evidently the
| consequence Of being rubbed with phos-
| phorus, and after travelling through the
| air. in the neighborhood Of the cabinet and
tho heads Of the performers, seated in
| front and making arcs Of circles at such ex-
| tent Of diameter 10 could be described when
| swinging around by mans arm, the III
strument, Ike the bell. il thrown on the
| floor.
| Who can not understand that a..
| the str,lmming and whirling during
| the dark seance can not be done by
a person slipping in By the open door BE-
| hind or nearly behind tho cabinet, whereths
man stands, Of whom the professor repeat
edly and sOlnew hat nxiously assured the all
dience that he is the janitOr Of the hall
| having nothing to do with the performers.
! There is an immense parade OF precaut1oH
! in having the committee to hold the prOfes
| sor and' the brothers that they may not
move; but no ono seems to think that while
the committee are holding the performer rs
they themselves can not move about the
! platform to detect the movements OF the
assistant, who. nft1r producing tho diable
,ie, can easily slip ont in the interval BE-
tween the calling for light aud ite appear
| auce.
As for the coat business, it is no ylnore q
feat of glamour than the popular conjurins
feat Of breaking eggs into AL empty hat
and the drawing from that hat any amount
Of pins, needles candy. etc. The coat attai'
is curious, as being a clever and nirnblt
| iuggle. but there arc several ways in which
| ii can be accounted for by reference Il
other tricks of professional magicians
| There might be two coats, for instance-ont
to slip on previous to tying the performer IL
the chair. and so contrived as to be taker
off the person by coming apart, and another
| made i'll the usual way, 10 show the audi
| encN.
This is so evident that we listened iu NJ
small amusement TO the dicta of the learned
Judge who, as one of the committee, ad
dressed the audience, asserting, among othel
things, that ''it was impossible for the SC
preme Being to take of coat as had beer
| done in the room q minute before" Thl
was logic peculiarly suited to the atmOs
phere Of The jugglery seance, for it involved
| the absurdity that the Almighty is less pow
erful than his dependent creatures-tha
spirits could do what God could not effect
When the exhibition was over, and the
"professor" had delivered his parting
speech, it seemed to dawn upon the audienc.
that they had each paid q dollar and spen
a couple of hours for no other purpose thai
to hear h guitar tunelessly stIummed and {
bell jingled, and then both flung ON tht
| floor. Perhaps, when they remembered thu
professors" earnest yaledictory, and tn,
earnest attention it received, they nigh
have thought Of the proverh:
"One fool makes many"