Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1885-04-03
MAGIC REVEALED.
. lystorics OF LeaEcdcrInain and
Second Sight Explained.
pcr-on MtN ~Jnc of ia" Tricks
Malrh Won ~utr,>s for Heller.

:, 1. ia. >,.t.,n h, which i;i:ndfoideo
rcr-on M,y -"~ some "f ia" Tricks
Walrh Won >urr-.s for Heller.
\ few Years ago the anu 'ement
'r,iu- ci t,'n- of N'-w York wc:, mvS
tn 4 hrto1i measure by III" srculd |
-i.u' Performance, -! Romrt Heller.
lh', were the talk uf the town foi
mtuN dls~. brca,Sr they seemed To bs
ul,-id" the lalc ri ordnar, ieatS OF
lr.o'rl IA in. aud 10 have IN almost
Supernatural character This d.aber,
VA. never explained in any authorta
tive way that carr.cd convict ON TO tn,
ord nary mind. although every ont
l"'m,d Li~ own pet theory Is 20 how il
v..> done. which theory WAS general,
II set subsequently, by Heller himself.
The clever loilormcr did some re
u arkah'c thing, in the way Of second
,'lh, H. could take up Il quaint OLD
,.n that VA, brought to the ihca,e'
lur the express purpose of puzkling h m
and Mss lIa;d,c Heller, blrdfolded
would tell H. nationality. color and
date While he held lady $ watch il
hi- hand. she would describe its appear
nurr and even give its number. and
ir-i uf I'll. when u person in the audi
,mcc opened book at random Miss
III Her would tell the number of the
rngr at which il was opened, and read
the contents of the page. This trick
c-lr'-ialN made credulous New Yorker
fancy there was some unknown power
~ work in the mental or psychological
makeup of Miss Heller or Robert Heller.
aud thry were utterly at sea Is to how the
thing was done. Letters were written
&" the newspapers purporting to dis
/ rlo.c the secret. but falling widely short
Il the real truth; magazine articles were
/ published on the subject; theatre partie.
nud social clubs found an interesting
! iupc uf discussion in this mighty prob.
! lem; but everybody after awhile. de,
DID. with Dundrcary. that it We, one
! ol those things that no feller can find
! out.
Robert Heller fully realized the popu.
lar pcrplc>i,y on tie subject. and he
would occas onally in his witty. chatty
slNlc pretend Ia give the secret away,
something after this fashion. NJ the
riu-c of an entertainment: ladies and
rc ciji,men You may say this i mag
I i.,ii.m. sp rl,ualsm. rheumatism. or
what YOU please. hut YOU will probably
decide after all that it is simply Heller
,su." This sally. after the curiosity OF
the audience was whettcd with the ex-
cctation Of being able TO pluck out the
heart If the mystery. usually brought
down the house. and everybody left the
theatre with the pleasant sense of hay
mg been delightfully."- puzzled beyond
their powers of comprehension.
80 long n Heller could make q for
tune out of the second-sight business it
i not ut all strange that the story of his
art was never accurately told. and that
many fright minds puzzled themselves
over il and never discovered the truth is
testimony to the remarkable system
which was mastered by him and his apt
pupil. Mis-, Heller. II is the purpose oil
this article. however. to give in brief
such au insight into li"llcr's methods 4.
viii enable the veriest tyro to at least
understand how the trick was accom-
plished. even If he should not have tho
natural ability aud quickness of percep
tion Ia master its details sufficiently
we'll 10 repeat it before a parlor full O
amazed listeners. The d dsclosures here
IN made come substantially from Z
wcll known young amateur of Brook
kn. Mr. Harry :. Livingston. who
learned from Hrller's own lips some O
his wcll-known secrets and from +
J. Dale. who was an assistant of The
magici'n on the stage. or ''cOnfed
crate. as cynical spectators would say
inr some time. and was the assistant o.
Mr.. Livingston for two years. Mr.. Liv
ingston. vino has followed the purs,li
uf scientific mage purely from low
ol the art. aud Is seen in public only il
connection with entertainments fO
: sweet charity's sake" has in hi
) slu.uoo collection oi magical apparatu
, many articles used by Heller in his per
, forriancrs in the old hall in Twenty
b fourth street. now known as the Madi
, son : luare Thcaler As Heller is dead
b aud Mis- Heller is reported to be il
London delighiing Englishmen of tin
. w"ri aud American tourists in the ro.
. of dispenser of beverages that deligh
. the interior MAJ. no harm can evidentl
come to any one by pain recital of tn
whole matter. The few magicians VIII
pretend Ia posses The gif. Of secon,
: sight have much sin.plcr sy stems, whicl
l nrr lar L. o., surprising to the avera g
> spectator tian l!.llcr's. AMI in com
pari.pu are pucrile and unworthy o
consideration.
Heller ha | several methods OF pei
forming the trick, wh ch he wOul,
, change from night To nj ,ht to prcyen
discovery NJ the hand, Of those pei
/ sistent persons who attended his seance
, every evening in order to finally dis
comit him b, discovery. by uSin
several methods night everybod
would bc more m.stiiicd than ever. l
thc first pace. Heller formed rs basl
of his opcrai 'ols n LIST of over fOu
hundred articles. which would cover a
most everything that AN audience wnul
bc likrl, To bring to thcater. Ihi
, W.. sub lvidci into group OF thirteen
rar-c srrirs were committed to memor
hv Heller and his fair assistant in tn
uri,'r in which they were arranged. 70
Instance. here is one of the series tha
~ WA ,i-cd IL give tie color of an article
or the iir-i III ricen letters Of the alpha
% bet. or the nurnrral herewith stated
A. will be seen. the color. lettel
r. or number Was obtained by the way j
which the que iioa was framed.
a, | can Nau unme tnlsg ... Brown-l-a.
tnn Xuu give thlsY ....... Whte-2-b.
tnn Xou tell In, Rcd-3-c.
In What's thisy . iSlue-4-d.
!. Mhnt I, this, ......>.....vio .violet-5-c.
And thisy ... - Black-6-f.
This 10 WHAT ... ......... .Grecn-I-g.