The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-02-07
MAGIC REVEALED
Mysteries Of Ledgedermain and
Second Sight Explained.
Key to the System by Which Embodied
Person May See-Some of the Tricks
Which Won Success for Heller.


A few years ago the amusement
loving citizens of New York were mys-
tilted beyond measure by the second
sight performances of Robert Heller.
They were the talk of the town for
many days, because they seemed to be
outside the pale of ordinary feats of
legerdemain, and to have an almost
supernatural character. This daberie
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 done, which theory was generally
upset subsequently by Heller himself
The clever performer did some re-
markable things in the way of second
sight, He could take up quaint old
coin that was brought to the theater
for the express purpose of pulling him,
and Miss Haidee Heller, blindfolded,
would tell its nationality, color and
date. While he held a lady's watch in
his hand, she would describe its appear
ance and even give its number, and,
best OF all, when person in the audi
ence opened book at random Miss
Heller would tell the number of the
page at which it was opened, and read
the contents of the page. This trick
especially made credulous 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 as 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 Dundreary, that it was one
OF those things that mo Teller can find
out"
Robert Heller fully realized the popu-
lar perplexity 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-You may say this is mag
netism, spiritualism, rheumatism, or
what you please, but you will probably
decide after all that it is simply Heller
ISM" This sally, after the curiosity of
the audience was whetted with the ex-
pectation 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 hav-
ing been delightfully."- puzzled beyond
their powers of comprehension.
So long as Heller could make a for
tune out of the second-sight business it
is not at all strange that the story of his
art was never accurately told, and that
many bright minds puzzled themselves
over it and never discovered the truth is
testimony to the remarkable system
which was mastered by him and his apt
pupil, Miss Heller. 1t is the purpose of
this article, however, to give in brief
such an insight into Heller's methods as
will enable the veriest tyro to at least
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
well-known young amateur of Brook
Ign, Mr.. Harry S. Livingston, who
learned from Heller's own lips some of
his well-known secrets and from L.
j. Dale, who was an assistant of the
magician on the stage, or a ''confed-
crate" as cynical spectators would say,
for some time, and was the assistant of
Mr.. Livingston for two years. Mr.. Liv-
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 Madi-
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 Il 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