The Portland daily press., 1877-04-14
LIE COMMANDEUR CAzANEUyE.


A moderate audience at City Hall last night
greeted the great French magician, who has
been so prominently before the public of late.
M. Cazaneuve is small, active. graceful young
mar, with crimped hair and waxed NOUS
tache-the typical Frenchman. The first part
of the entertainment consisted of striking
tricks with cards, and many other feats of
jugglery, utterly putting to naught the evidence
of the senses and confusing the imagination.
Perhaps the most remarkable feat was the
gradual reduction in size of pack of cards,
which grew smaller and smaller in the hand of
the artist and before the eyes of the audience
until they utterly disappeared from view,
vanished into thin air without leaving a clue
as to their whereabouts
In the second part was given cabinet exhi-
bition of the general nature of those shown by
the Davenport brothers and others, under guise
OF spiritualism. M. Cazaneuve gave a much
more complete and wonderful exhibition of it
than has ever been shown by juggler or medium
in these parts. Two well known gentlemen
were selected from the audience to watch the
performance. The cabinet was Of cloth in the
ordinary form, giving an opportunity for ex-
animation in all parts. 1t stood loosely on the
floor and there was no hole or trap door in the
stage under it. The magican's ha1ds were
securely bound by strips of stout cotton cloth
wound around and around and tied in many
knots. They were then tied behind him and
he was tied to ring in post, before which he
sat on a small camp STOOL he was also tied to
the post by band of cloth around his neck,
his legs were tied together and a coin was put
on each of his feet so that it would slip off at
the slightest motion. All the tying was done
by the two gentlemen from the audience
who took great pains to make everything Sc
cure and to examine the frmness of the post
ALI of the paraphernalia was of the simplest
kind. LIE Commandeur being thus fixed,
couple of bells were put in his lap AID the
curtain drawn. In an instant the bells were
rung violently and then thrown from under
the foot of the curtain which was Immediately
drawn back showing the magician securely
bound as at first. A similar feat was perform
ed with drum, banjo, horns and tamborine.
He was furnished with slate and pencil and
wrote word and figures dictated to him by one
of the gentlemen on the stage. He also cut a
paper into curious devices and threaded
needle with sixteen strands of silk thread. One
of the gentlemen was then introduced into the
cabinet, blndfolded and seated with one hand
on the forehead and the other on the chest of
/ the prestidigitateur. On the drawing of the
| curtain tempestuous scene ensued. Musical
/ instruments were beaten and blown in all parts
] of the cabinet, groans and cries came from
every quarter, touches of hand were felt on
shoulder, heod, arms and other parts of the
| body coat and vest were unbuttoned, watch
and a letter distracted, five shots were fired
| emitting an unmistakable smell of sulphur,
| and pandemonium reigned. On drawing the
l curtain everything was quiet and as at first.
| The watch was found hanging at the back Of
the post. The whole thing was marvellous and
| defes conjecture.
! In the third part was given the famous In
dian Mail trick which was described in the
PRESS of yesterday. 1t is a striking and beau
| tiful achievement and has thus far successfully
challenged detection, though great efforts were
l made to solve the problem in Chicago and Bos-
| ton.
The entertainment will be repeated this after
noon and evening, and it is thing every body
should see, for it is likely to become as famous
as the earlier entertainments of Blitz, Heller
and Hermann.