Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-11-10
The Magic Sack.

Yes, boys, real Simon-pure ''magic."
just such tricks as you have seen the
magician" do; just such tricks as
some OF you may have seen your hum
bic servant do. Many of these you can
do yourselveS-when you know how;
others require more practice than you
ought to give to such nonsense. and
others again are too expensive. But
there are some that any boy-or girl,
for that matter-can do with little re-
hearsing and at slight expense. The
magic sack trick, which had the hon.
or of introducing to America in 1873, is
as clever as it is simple.
A muslin sack large enough to con-
tain a boy of fourteen is handed out for
examination, and after the audience are
satisfied that the seams are not only Sc
cure and perfect, but that its only OPEN
ing is at the mouth, the performer as
sistant gets inside. The sack is gath
cred over his head, and the mouth tied
fast with a silk handkerchief, and then
with tape, the knots of the latter be-
ing not only sealed in any way that
seems best 10 the audience, but the
ends. which are left long, given to some
one to hold.
audience and the boy in the sack, the
ends of the tape passing either over the
top of the screen or through holes in its
side.
Itwould seem impossible for the per-
son thus securely enveloped to get out
of the sack without cutting or untying
the tape and handkerchief; and yet. 0
mystery of mysteries! in a few seconds
&c h. 1otr
occupant of the sack walks out, while
the sack is found still tied up, the knots
not tempered with, and the seals un-
broken.
Surprising as this appears. there are
needed but three requisites for its sue
cessful accomplishments: first, an as
sistant upon whose secrecy and faith
fulness the young conjurer can rely, for
he will require his help in very many
tricks; second, tWO sacks, exactly alike,
made of very light material, so that they
will fold into small compass; and third,
unlimited impudence, assurance, or
what ever you may be pleased to call it.
When about to exhibit the trick, the
performer comes forward, holding
silk handkerchief in one hand, and sack
No. 1 in the other. The assistant, who
is to be tied up. has the duplicate, or
sack No. 2, concealed about him, say
inside his vest, or in some such suitable
place.
As soon as he gets fairly into No. 1,
he whips out the duplicate, and puts the
mouth of it inSide the mouth of No. /.
The exhibitor, who is fumbling about
as if to gather No. l over the assistants
head, seizes No. 2, and drawing out
about nine inches of it, at once wraps
the silk handkerchief over the two so
as to cover the point where they meet.
This he does deliberately, as an appear
ance of haste would give rise to sus-
picion among the audience. As it is
now impossible for any one to distin-
guish between the parts of the two
sacks, the exhibitor turns to his audi
ence with the remark: II have now
tied up the mouth of the sack in such
way as to make it next to impossible
for the young man to get out. But to
make assurance doubly sure, should
like one of the audience to tie it again;
this time with piece of tape" AS he
says this, he produces the tape and ties
it once around the part betsOee,s the hand
kerchief and the mouth of No. 2. The
person selected from the audience then
draws the knots tight, seals them, and
retains the ends of the tape in his hand.
When the screen is placed in position
for home exhibition clothes-horse with
sheet over it makes an excellent SUBJ
stitute for screen-the assistant gently
pulls on the mouth of No. /. which is
readily drawn out from under the hand
kerchief, and steps out, leaving the
tape and handkerchief still closely
wound around No. 2. 1t takes but a
second to fold up No. 1, conceal it, and
then to walk out from behind the
screen to receive the applause of the
audience.
This brief, but trust clear, descrip-
ton can give but little idea of the effect
produced by this really surprising trick.
| first saw it exhibited by performer
calling himself LIE Due, at Stockholm,
Sweden. some twenty-five years ago.
and at that time, though knew consid-
cradle about magic, / was completely
mystifed. Henry Hatton, in Harper's
Young People