The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-02-05

Person Nay See-Some of the Tricks
Which Won Success for Heller.
A few years ago the amusement
loving citizens of New York were mvs-
titled beyond measure by the second
sight performances of Robert Heller.
They were the talk Of the town for
many days, because they seemed 20 be
outside the pale of ordinarr feats of
legerdemain, and to have an almost
supernatural character This diaberie
was never explained in any authorita-
tive way that carried conviction to the
ordinary mind, although every one
formed his own pet theory as to how it
was dOae, which theory was generally
upset subsequently, by Heller himself.
The clever performer did some re-
marhable things in the way of second
sight, He could take up a quaint old
com that was brought to the thpatcr
Tor the express purpose of puZZlin@ him.
and Miss Haidee Heller, blirdfo! ded.
would tell its nationality. color and
date. While he held a lady's watch in
his hand, she would describe it appear-
ance and even give its number. and.
best OF all, when person in the audi
cnce opened Il book at random Miss
Heller would tell the number o. the
page ut which it was opened, and read
the contents Of the page. This trick
especially made crcdulouS New Workers
fancy there was some unknown power
at work in the mental or psychological
makeup of Miss Heller or Robert Heller.
and they were utterly at sea rs to how the
thing was done. Letters were written
to the newspapers purporting to dis
close the secret, but falling widely short
OF the real truth; magazine articles Were
published on the subject; theatre parties
and social clubs found an interesting
topic Of discussion in this mighty prob
lem; but everybody after awhile, de-
cided, with Dund.eary. that it was one
OF those things that mo feller can find
out. "
-, Robert Heller fully realized the popu-
lar perpleNity on the subject. and he
would occasionally in his witty. chatty
style pretend TO give the secret away.
something after this fashion. at the
close Of an entertainment: Ladies' and
gentlemen-Iou may say this is mar
netlSm, sprtuaiiSm. rheumatism. or
what YOU please, but YOU Will probably
decide after ali that il is simply Heller
ism" This sally. after the curiosity of
the audience was whettcd with the ex-
poctation of being able to pluck out the
heart OF the mystery. usually brought
down the house. and everybody left the
theatre with the pleasant sense of hay
ing been delightfully."- puzzled beyond
their powers OF comprehension.
SO long is Heller could make for
tune ont OF the SecOnd-sight business it |
Is not at all strange that The story ofhiS !
art was never accurately told. and that /
many bright minds puzzled themselves /
over it and never discovered the truth is I.
testimony TO the remarkable system
which was mastered BY him and his ant |
pupil. Miss Heller. 1t is the purpose of |
tins article, however. to give i'm brief /.
such an insight into Heller's methods as
will enable the veriest tyro TO at least 1
understand how the trick WAS accom- !
plished, even if he should not have the !
natural ability and quicknesS of percep- |
ton to master its details sufficiently |
well to repeat it before parlor full of |
amazed listeners. The disclosures here |
in made come substantially from a I
weil-known young amateur of Brook |
lyn, Mr.. Harry s. Livingston. who !
learned from Heller own lips some OF |
his well-known secrets and from f. |
j. Dale, who was an assistant of the |
magician on the stage, or .'confed-
crate, as cynical spectators would saw.
for some time, and was the assistant of /
MIR. Livingston for two wears. Mr.. Liy-
ingston, who has followed the pursuit
of scientific magic purely from a love
OF the art, and is seen in public only in
connection with entertainments for
''sweet charity's sake" has in his
$4,000 collection of magical apparatus
many articles used by Heller in his per
formances in the old hall in Twenty
fourth Street, now known as the Maii-
son Square Theater. As Heller is dead, |
and Miss Heller is reported to be in
London delighting Englishmen of the
world and American tourists in the role /
OF dispenser of beverages that delight
the interior man, no harm can evidently /
come to any one by 4 plain recital of the
whole matter. The few magicians who
pretend TO possess the gift of second
sight have much simpler systems, which
are far less surprising to the AVERAGE
spectator than Heller's, and in com
parison are puerile and unworthy of
consideration.
Heller had several methods of per-
forming the trick, which he would
change from night to night TO prevent
discovery at the hands of those per
'istent persons who attended his seances
every evening in order to finally dis
commit him by discovery By using
gevera methods a night everybody
would be more mystiied than ever. In
he first place, Heller formed as basis
# his operations a list of over four
hundred articles, which would cover al
most everything that an audience would
le likely to bring to a theater. This
vas subdivided into group of thirteen.
These series were committed to memory
y Heller and his fair assistant in the
eder in which they were arranged. For
Instance, here is one of the series that
vas used to give the color of an article. I
G the first thirteen letters of the alpha :