Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-02-10
HALFANH0UR OF MAGIC
The Way a Prsstidisitios nysuasa
q Party
of Smokers in q Restaurant -Spintualssm
"a Great Fraud Beware ofths
card-Sharpers.

Hlul0R III I1SuiohooAS ef -,
rant Last night smoking and talking
laxily when . small man with red Dun
dreary whiskers and sleepy.looking
ey.s strolled in and looked carefully
around.
There's Goldberg" said one Of the
men, suddenly rOusing himself ana
beckoning 10 the newcomer. "I'm ono
of his pupils"
care you going on the stage"
"Ob, no; simply do it for the fun OF
the thiLg. A great many New York
men study sleight of.haud and magic
just as girls study the piano and the
harp. Goldberg-he'll be over here
when. he gets through talking with that
n,an-bas . study, and the pupils 90
there at certain hours Of the day. He
teaches them all q number OF elemen.
tary tricks at so much . lesson, and
then charges from SO to $50 extra for
explaining tricks that are known 70
fame"
Are there many teachers Of that
sort?'
Quite number.
society Men
devote wears OF desultory study to
slight.ot hand tricks. Here he comes
Aow,n
The magician sat down with sigh
and lighted cigar.
"I'm tired" he said presently. GIVE
been at IL since was nine years old. IL
is always interesting to bamboozle peo-
pie. BY the way" he said to his pupil,
IL played that WORKOUT platter trick
again at the club"
That's 3 hoary-headed old chest
nut, ;" said the pupil refiectively.
81 know 1t. It's az old rs
A Minstrel Joke,
and yet 1t always takes. The trick, ne
explained, is no trick at all. After do.
ing a number Of mystifying acts, and
just before the party breaks up, take
large platter, put 1t In the middle OF the
table, and tell the party to put their
hands on the plste, and the one who
withdraws his hands first Is TO set up
the wine for the party. They all rush
up and put their bands on the plate
without thinking, and then they stand
around like q lot Of schoolboys, each
resolved never to let go. Meanwhile l
get my coat and 90 home. Sometimes
they stand for an hour and sometimes
for less than five minutes
Some one spoke later on Of Spiritual
ism.
1T is the creates, fraud Of the age"
said the Professor vehemently. That
and second sight are simply cloaks for
for magicians' tricks. / don't deny that
ono mind has decided In influence over
another, but do deny the honesty OF
SpTilualistic seances and mind read.
ipCs."
How much can you influence any
orcm
81 will show you the whole extent Of
my power Of any other mans Id this
resI ect," said the Professor, taking q
pei Gil from bis pocket. He borrowed .
visiting card from one OF the party,
held 1t under the table and wrote . fig-
ure on 1t. Then he folded 1t up until 1t
was like ball and tossed 1t across the
table to the writer.
"Put that bit OF pasteboard In your
pocket, please and button your coat
over it. Now, I'll tell you what pro-
pose to do. Give me another card.
Observe
| write on this card q series Of numbers
it doesn't make much difference how
many-they are:
5, l,3, a. ,9,s.
Now, propose by an effort Of my
mind to make you select the number
from this list which Is written upon the
folded card in your pocket, aud which
you have not seen. Take the pencil
and card, tossing them across the Ia
BILE, land cross out one OF those num-
bers. Look me in the eye for q moment.
NOwu
The writer deliberately chose the fig
ure 1, and was about to cross II out
wien he suddenly resolved TO take the
!. He changed his mind again, and
abruptly drew the pencil through the
tgure2 2.
Take the card out OF your pocket,
please, and open It,"
When the card was unfolded the fig.
urc was written In the middle!
Il don't claim that / can do that
every time" said the Professor, taking
no notice OF the amazement Of the 9th.
ers, "but 1t seldom fails. Sometimes |
at q time. This is done twice, and
leaves three more II nine are written.
Then / let him out two more, and the
ole left standing is the one In his
pocket. There Is small trickery about
it,"
He then, at their request, tried the
experiment on the other five members
Of lie party. He was successful Ia every
iDstsnce.
THAT is all there Is Of
BpiFsiuaIism Or Had. RsAAing
ssid be; "the rest L. simple trickery like
this" AS he spoke he stretched one
hand across the table, gently took q 81
bill from the hand of q waiter who was
banding II in change TO one Of the par
~ aid cfumpled IL up in his hand,
which lie still held far over the table.
Then he showed II to the man aud IL
Was changed To q $40 bill, Goldberg
tOssed II to him and he at oncethrust II
into his pocket with the remark that he
was SlS winner.
Are you surew asked the Professor.
.Of course. know when put so
I'LL in my pocket"
Its q 81 BILL" said the Professor
quietly. "The original - bill Is in the
celery. glass.
The man pulled out the bill, found 1t
Was 81, threw it across to the Professor
pulled the 81 out Of the celery-glass, and
CAPPED.
where's that twenty"
Here In my hand"
We'll, motion Is quicker than sight"
Wrong again. Motion cannot be
quicker than sight. The reason you
didn't zee me substitute one OF those
bills for another Is because distracted
your attention at the instant, I made
the changes. Show US
a Poker HanA
IL you've got cards with you"
81 haven't any. I've left mind at the
club"
A pack was procured by the waiter,
who regarded the magician with awe -
be said:
Very many poker. players, men OF
the world at that, do not believe that
one sxpert cardsharp couId po into =,