The Red Cloud chief., 1880-06-03

- SStA%[0ttu Nv VII
towel and the receiver, Master Rus,;cns
rests his head behind the chair. sy;,p
ms body recumbent and the '.recsi-ef''
ie't standing empty on al. chest. close
U D neck. His fight hand is now
sdrciay drawn up. whilst he struggle,
snd KICKS as Hermann plies ms rnaf-
aerous knife. and q false head. which r.
hung behind the rhair-back, is intro.
cuced into TIC receiver. Tne receiver.
with III burden, is placed upon a cabi-
net which occupies the center Of the
stage, the vizor is opened 10 show that
the head Is still there. and then dropped
again. This cabinet, shaped like a safe.
apparently contains deep shelves flied
with bottles, skulls etc. Ia reilly
these shelves are very sha.!p3, A mirror.
which :. Of the same height and breadth
OF tho cabinet. being placed in such q
position As to cave about four-6f.hs Of
h cabinet vacant, In this vacant space
sits the smallest Of the Lorellas, made
up" TO look like the countryman: when
the receiver is placed on the cabinet,
and, the vizor down, ioreDa Nc. 2
opens the trap On which L rests. re-
moves the false e.ead and inserts his
own. Hs~trhann takes away the re-
, ceives, the head makes the presumed
last dying speech and then falls over,
this movement being given TO the sup
posed member by the young man in the
cabinet leaning his head on one side.
The third Lorella plays the Devil"
and the a~rticulated skeleton IL worked
by a galvanic battery bohiad .he
Genes.
There va one trick in Herrmann's re-
portory which Tor a long time puzzled
US. The reader will remember that a
small glass box, abo1t hine by four
inches. was exhibited, containing q
number Of caharics. This was placed
on one OF the ~side-tables. and a cage of
ordinary size and appearance was passed
among h audience, who were thus en-
abled TO see that it was perfectly
empty" The cage was then suspended
from two wires, which were fastened to
a couple of upright brass rods fixed in
the centre-table. Two large silk pocket
handkerchief. were placed over cage
n box, and Hermehn, standing at the
small table, fired a pistol, instantly
withdrew the pocket and
showed the glass box empty and the
cage full of canaries. For a long time,
as has been said, this trick was a pus.
zler; but the following was found to be
its explanation: The ordinary looking
cage had in reality a false ton, or rather
a false bottom to the top. The roof Of
the cage was peaked. and between il.
ridge and the bottom of the caves was
what might DE called 4 garnet. Defore !
being brought on the stage the same
humber of ~caaaries were therein con.
lined as the box contained. The wires
which held the cage suspended were
connected with q battery outside. The
glass box was also peculiarly construct
cd. The sides were Secured by brass
inter Joints, Hut he bottom and tor
were held together by wires concealed
~ these joints, and could ~ G.iil be slid
down until the stp formed the bottom
and tho bottom hung below, sustained
by the corner wires, like the standards
OF a what-nOt. When the box is laced
on the table it rests on a sprinr-trup,
n at the moment the pistol Is fired
Hermann presses the spring, the trap
descends, With it fall the sliding TOP and
Of the box, and the canaries are
thus forced out Of ,hair quarters. The
spring il released, the box receives again
we Top and bottom in their places, and
the canaries are left in the table. Co
instantaneOusly with this maneuver the
watchful attendant presses the bottom
of the battery. the floor of the stage
"garret" gives way and the released
birds flutter down into the cage.
The fish.bowl trick is by no means a
one, and the Chronicle readers. of
course, knew that the magician comes
upon the stage with the bowls and their
contents neatly slowed away beneath
his coat, a stout rubber covtr that fits
Over the films of the bowls,
both water and fish from es-
The large handkerchief which
throws over his arm conceals the
withdrawal of the bowl from underneath
the coat. a dexterous pull at the edge of
the rubber v withdraws that. and
damp cover grasped in the hand
kerchief is the reason. by the by, that a
new handkerchief is required for each
bowl. But Hermann introduced a
novelty into his performance of
this trick. The fish-bowls, when exhib-
tied, had each a stand of some two or
three inches high and shaped like a
squat tripod. 1t of course seemed i'm
possible that such an unwieldly article
could be concealed upon any ones per.
on. The tripod, however. was not the
fixture 1t seemed to be. To be sure it
was riveted on to the bottom of the
bowl, but all these legs were hinged so
hat when closed they clasped the bowl
ike three fiat fingers, without at all. or
materially, increasing its bulk. The
part of Herrmann's tricks was to
taken as a proof of how adept a man
nay become in the art of palming. and
amateurs who may wish to occasionally
muse their friends by 8 little parlor
magic are assured that the true secret
success in diablerie Is practice. The
aids tt the more elaborate
ricks are. as we have already seen,
costly and of intricate construction
San Francisco Chronicle.