Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1881-10-07
A Trickster Tricked.

Even Hermann, the greatest of all
living tricksters, and whose convenience
with the black art should, one would
think, place him beyond the possibility
of being on the wrong side ofthe trick,
is himself once in a while vicgimlzed In
a manner that raises loud laugh. One
night recently at st. Louis, the magi-
clan had the latest laugh placed against
him. In his programme he introduces
his marvellous cabinet, large institution
like O two story refrigerator, with
double doors opening SO as to expose
the whole interior, which is crossbarred
in the manner made familiar to the
public in the construction of tables for
living heads and half women. In this
cabinet he secretes sailor, who mys-
teriously disappears, although the
audience can see under and all around
the affair, and two gentlemen are sitting
ON the stage within three yaros OF ~
The sailor cannot possibly leave the |
cabinet without being seen, and the
trick consists in so disposing of the
panels Of the interior that, although the
doors are swung wide, the eye cannot
detect any change in the appearance of
1 the commitment. There are several
variations of the trick. The sailor in
stantly releases himself from pair of
stocks when locked inside. He also
gets out of q securely fastened and rope
bound trunk, and there are numerous
hands shown at the opening the doors,
but the most marvellous feature of the
whole thing is the appearance ola little
colored boy in the audience less than a
minute after he has been hustled into
the cabinet. The trick went we'll
enough until this stage of the perfor.
nance was reached: The boy was
rushed into the cabinet, Hermann
opened the doors moment afferwsrd
and the boy was gone.
"Bo-yl Boy" the magician shouted,
"W'ere air you, boy"
But no "bo-y" showed up in the
auditorium. The call was repeated a
number of times, and Hermann was at
last almost in despair. At last one Of
the ushers ran up the parquet aisle,
making directly for the magician.
"W'ere eez de bo.y?" Hermann
shouted. "You are not heem. You
luke too pale"
The usher grabbed the magician's left
ear and whispered few hurried words
| into it. He told him that the boy was
/ then on his way to the calaboose in the
arms of a tall policeman, and would
not be able to finish his share OF the
trick until he was bailed out. Hermann
could not have been more astonished if
he had been struck with brick. He
slammed the doors Of the cabinet
angrily, told the audience that his
"boy" had been arrested by a police
officer, and he would have to bring the
trick to a close without the usual
triumphant denouement.
The explanation of the d iffi Guilty /
very easy: The boy. smart 14-year
old lad, whom Hermann secured in
Memphis, IN making his way out of the
cabinet runs for the back door of the
stage, and then, with the feetness of a
two legged Iroquois, flies through the
alley and around the corner into the
entrance of the theatre just in time to
answer Here l am" to the magicians
"Bo.y were air You" As he started
out of the alley the boy ran into an
officers arms. The policeman, imagin-
ing that the little fellow had stolen
something, carried him off to the station,
wholly unconscious Of the fact that no
had quite spoiled one of Hermann's
best tricks.