The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-04-03
Tricks Of Magicians.

There are great many regular ma
gicians travelling about, and, while busi-
ness is not what it used to be, many of
them make 8 great deal of money. In
an interview with one OF tho sleight-of-
hand professors recently, the veteran
said:
"The tricks shown now are mostly
mechanical, as the finer sleight-of-hand
tricks which demand the greatest skill
are not snowy. The prices of tricks
are low in comparison with what they
have been. The time has been when
IS much as $500 would be charged to
teach man the Indian box trick, and
now the price of it is only five dollars.
Mechanical tricks are generally varia-
tions of few pieces of mechanism"
The professor showed a small wooden
box, of q size convenient to hold in the
hand. To all appearance it was an Or
dinary box, closing with lock. One
way in which it is often used is for the
magician to borrow watch, have one
person put the watch in the box and
lock it. taking tho key. The magician
hands it to another person to hold.
magician will ask. and the person
by putting his ear to the lid. Finally.
the watch appears around a pigeons
neck, or hanging to u chairback, after
q pistol has been fired, or one of many
ways, according to the fancy of the
magician. One end of the little box
swings out on pivots when relieved
from its catch by hard pressure at
one end of the bottom. 1t can read
l.
that in the interval between the de-
posting of the watch and the handling
of the box to some one to hold. the
watch slips out into the magician's
hand, and a watch movement hidden
in the lid of the box keeps up the de-
ceptive ticking. Such q box sells for
$12. ta
The Indian box trick, which is
favorite trick with magicians, is just as
simple. In this a big rough box is
brought on the stage, and several gen
tlemen are invited to examine it. They
find an empty box, as roughly made as
a packing-case. The nails seem to run
through the corners. the ends clinched
in the wood. The magician's assistant
is put into bag. Its end is tied up
and sealed The box is tied round and
round with rope, as we'll as locked.
The bagged-up-man is laid on the tied
up box. and screen Is drawn in front
for a short time. When the screen is
drawn back. the empty bag is seen
with unbroken seal lying on the box.
which, when its cords are united and
the lock is opened, is found to contain
the man. The only difficulty is the
bag part There must be two bags,
one within another. The junction of
their months is concealed by the magi-
clan, who,, with great show of zeal.
ties the mouths with his handkerchief
at that portion, and then invites the
committee to tie and seal the protrud-
ing ends of bag which Is really along
side his assistant inside another bag.
confined simply by the handkerchief.
The nails of the box are shams at one
end. being simply heads and points
which do not meet The end swings in
like trap-door when properly manip-
ulated. The assistant lays the sealed
up bag on top of the box, creeps in the
end. easily pushing past the rope. and
then returns the end to its place. Thus
the lid of the box on which the COM
mittee expended their exertions re-
mains undisturbed.
Spiritual tricks" the professor said,
'are taking well this season. They
are worked by means of mechanical
padlocks, and require very little skill"
The reporter was shown some of
these padlocks. They seem to be just
like ordinary padlocks, but in some a
touch ON a particular rivet throws
them open, and others have clockwork
in such manner that they open of
their own accord in a fixed time.
Bound by such padlocks, it is an easy
thing for any one to show spirit hands
or faces through the hole of cabinet
as soon as its doors are closed, and be
found sitting in the same position as
securely bound when the doors are
opened.-M Y : San.