The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-01-31
# CoNJURER At HOME.
THE MAGICIAN HERNANN-soME OF HIS
QUEER TRICKs.'


the mapiciaIi Hermann, at his private resi-
dencs near London, and the tricks there
played for the entertainment of the guests
The dinner passed off handsomely the
viands were the best in the season ]; 5he
wine was of the choicest; cofsversation
brisk, if not brilliant; and good humor
threw 4 radiance over the whole party. 1t
was, in fact, a merry meeting and there
was lust the number seated around the
table to concentrate the talk and prevent
the party from breaking up into Knots
Herr Hermann, who was seated at the
head of the table, had Skeptic placed at
his right hand. The collocation, which |
was supposed to be accidental at the time, |
was designed by the conjurer. He had |
seen and noticed the increduhty OF his !
guest, and was determined to make CON
vert of him, or at all events TO SHOW Oh MS
powers at his expense.
The conversation turning upon prestldl-
gitateurs and their various feats OF leger-
demain, Herr Hermann-who, having pass
ed many years in America, and being no
| stranger to England, spoke English with
| much huency-said II am weh aware
! that all YOU savants have AN idea how the
| best of our tricks are accomplished,
should think so ~ from Skeptic. 'But
| | fancy I could even puzzle you J! 20,
| indeed p again from Skeptic. "Ah, sir,
and even yOu," turning to Skeptlc. by
| all means try it. 81 shall and after
| dlnner Will SnO" yOu a AS" hAASAS1 %"'AN
will oefy any of you to have the remotest
| notion how they are DONE" ''Bravo J"
| from all the company excepting SkeptIc,
who laughed and helped himself to wine,
| and CONGRATULATED himself on being SO
much cleverer than the conjurer.
The tricks played by Hermann are thus
| described
..Presently Herr Hermann rings the bell,
| and tells the man servant who answers 1t,
! to fetch some cards. The man retired,
! and came back with two packs OF cards, In
/ secured cases, and placed them on the ia
! BILE. Take one of these packs, sa1d our
host, addressing himself to Skeptic !; open
the cover, and see If all the CARDS are
right No preparation" demanded
| Sfeptic. No, assure you. What L aui
about to show you now
COULD DO WITH ANY CARDS.
OF course CALCULATED Skeptlc, sneerlng-
w. and began to tear the cover from the
pack. Skeptic looked at the cards, ana
we all looked at the conjurer. When
Skeptic pronounced the cards 'all right,
Herr Hermann took them III his hands,
and, fiinging them down on the table with
! their faces uppermoSt, said '1here hre
| eight of you. When leave the room, and
| the door is shut on me, let each person draw
| a card from the pack, return it, and shut
| fe the cards. He left the room, bidding
us recall him when we were ready. Each
man took a card and put it back. Then
| We all had a shuttle az the pack, excepting
| Skeptic, who thought he knew all about
| the trick, and the conjurer was brought
! back in due time.
s.Ue took the cards in his hand. There
are eight of you,' he said. Each one has
| drawn a card and replaced it and the
| eight cards if You have well shutfted them;
! shouId be dispersed through the pack
| No eve could see into this room when the
| door was shut even knowing the CARDS
| were that possible-would leave the seem
| ing impossibility of bringing the eight
| cards together you will acknowledge that
| Behold what art can do ? He gave the
| cards a sort of flourish, and placing the
| mack ON his left palm, threw from the top
| the eight cards which we had drawn
| He then turned to Skeptic, and with,
| good -humored smile inquired whether he
! had any idea how the trick was done
! Our mil admirati' friend laughed, and
! said nothing; but shortly afterward he
was heard to observe, Curious, amt 1t !?
| This trick gave rise to a good deal OF talk,
and some disptltation; but there were no
! two opinions about it it was allowed by
| all to be the most complete and inexphca-
BILE feat of legerdemain ever witnessed.
! "Trick No: 3 was even moro astonishing
| and incomprehensible. You know said
| Herr Hermann, addressing the whole par
! ty after some discussion had s"r'" on ABOUT
| the sleight-of-hand performances, i work
| read trick interposed Skeptic. But
| now,' continued the conjurer, not heed
| ing the interruption, 'supposlug that
| were to interpret your thoughts-to know
| what was passing through your mind =
| THAT indeed would be a trick above patu-
al magic exclaimed. Skeptlc hllsd his
| glass and winked to his neighbor, as If he
would say, Il know all about it 'We
shall see'' said Herr Hermann. Now,
each of you two gentlemen, he went on,
| speaking to his right-hand guests, think
| of d card do not ask you to touch one,
and taking up the pack, he threw the cards
| front upwards on the table. The choice
| wss quickly made.
MR.. HERMANN RECOVERED THE CARDS,
shufied them, and spread them out as be-
fore. The card he said, 'one of you
| thought Of is there; the card the other
thought of is absent The gentlemen
| searched. One of the cards selected was
| net to be seen-the other was found 90
| far, SO gcod,'' exclaimed Herr hermann,
Sbut tho trick is only halfdone.' The con-
iursr tock the cards again, Shuftted them
20 bafore, and exposed 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 at the bid
ding of the wonderful magician, who seem
ed to influence mental rather than phys
ical exercise over them. Wonder was ex-
pressed in every countenance, and Skep-
tic. annoyed because he was foiled, drank
off am additional bumper to qualify him for
elucidation.
"a moments consideration OF the trick |
must satisfy anybody of its extreme clever
ness and incomprehensibility. The only
possible solution that offers itself is the
supposition that the conjurer, oy some
process OF his own, was enabled to follow
the ewes of the gentlemen in their direc-
tion to the cards spread on the table, and
to mark those they made use Of knowing
the cards, of course an expert practitioner
would find no difficulty in manipulating
them as he pleased the getting [du ,,t-i,+ ~ !"
card and returning 1t to the 49, 90 vtraorii-
ear~ ea w'ts feas snof'Esg of iegsrde@an Aseornng
n"sy t@ ! certainty M the two cards upon which