Wichita eagle., 1886-10-21
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MAGICIAN UNMASKED.
WONDERFUL TRICKS EXPLAINED BY
oS: WHO PROCESSES TO KNOW.
All Very Simple and Easily Understood
Psyche and His Three-Legged stool
Cabinet Tricks Made Easy-A Miraeui-
ous Growth OF Flowers.

Cabinet Tricks Made Easy-A MiracuA-
ous Growth OF Flowers.
The writer sat through one OF moaern
mag;ciens sleight-of-hand performances
SOM pirtts AGO and noticed once or twice
that his right-hand neighoor took nnusual
interest in the entertainment. Not that
he seemed particularly pleased, Tor he
more than once gave vent to eXclamations
indicating anything but JOY OF astonish-
ment. As the audience fled out at the
conclusion Of the cabinet seances the
writer made some commonplace remark
to the gentleman who had sat next to him.
One word led to another, and five minutes
later the two were seated together in a
resort near by.
"The posters and announcements of this
'graat magician make one smile" he said
during q pause in the refreshments.
'Frcm them one would think that be was
going to prove mixture of the
devil and Dr. Faustus, while. on the con
trary, tne tricks he performs were old
when / was a boy and the speaker
strokcd his long beard angrily - few OF
them are Of later date, bat they were
copied from European magicians, so
called They are ali very simple and easily
understood Take his leyitation act for
instance The posters represent him
sailing all over the auditorium. That,
of course, is mere theatrical adver-
tisinc. He does not even leave
the stage. The theatre is darkencd
and stuffed dummy with phosphor-
escent mask is swung about the tkeater
by a wire AS for Psyche, as he called il,
it is nothing but piece of mechanism
worked by a man concealed below the
stage The magician repeats the question
or problem in Il loud voice, and all the
men have to do is to move the hands right
and there you are.
PSYCHIC AND HIS STOOL.
Il saw the same thing worked III Lon
don years ago. The machines are sold there
for SO by the carload. These figures may
be worked in two ways. One is by forcing
or sucking the air through them in the
same manner that the monkeys III tobac-
conist's windows are made to smoke. The
other way is by means of a key by which
the swinging arm can bc moved rs easily
rs the hands Of watch. The three legs
of the stool on which Psyche is placed are
hollow and are fitted on tubes which pass
through the stage and are connected with
an air pump The air passes through The
=
easily as the air passes through your nos
trils and operates your lungs. a silver
plated wire can be put through the glass
cylinder TO operate the head or hand with
out being seen by the audience, and thus
cause Psyche TO perform his feat5 with
the greatest ease.
"The feat oG passing the knight over the
chess-boarl Will teach You in five min
utes or forfeit 500. Those cabinet tricks
have been seen and explained a thousand
times, So that every schoolbOy under
stands them. The confederate who cuts
the knots and ties them again as soon as
the magician takes his seat in the cabinet,
is concealed just behind the front apart
ment of the cabinet on 4 small platform.
There is q door in the center OF the back
OF the cabinet which turns on a pivot, so
that he tho confederate can enter and go
out OF the box rs quickly as possible and
show his face at the window, ring the
bells. beat the tambourine, thrust his
hands out, cut the magician loose or tie
him fast, as he requires. He can tie or
unite the cords placed On the magician 5
person in very short time
SEVERAL MODERN MIRACLES.
"You saw him do those alleged spiritual
That furniture IS made of the lightcst
possible kind Of wood. Upon the table
and chairs he has some fine wire places
into which he slips his fingers and moves
the furniture where he pleases. | have
seen the same thing done by means OF
fine nails driven into the wood. BY eX-
tending his fingers against these man
can get purchase enough to lift the oh
ject.
"You noticed the apparently miraculous
growth of lowers in the pots! Go to-Inor
row night and watch him closely. 1t is
an old trick, and when was q boy used
TO amuse our people with il. The trick
consists simply in changing the empty
cone rapidly as the performer passe;
toward the pot How about the no.
coffees Oh, my dear boy, that is done by
dropping into ii piece of unslal1ed Inns
that has been concealed in the palm oi
the hand Aud those drinks? That's as
easily explained as the other In tht
bottom of the tumblers are essences o1
various kinds Of liquor. The same liquor
generally sweetened water or thin wine
is poured into the tumbler, and the re
suit IS something tasting like the liquo
asked for.
Then you know the performer has coz
federates all over the house. Some OF tn
men who come upon the stage during tn
cabinet tricks are in his employ, rs IS ais
the man in the gallery who cries out tha
Psyche is wrong. He has been place
there for that purpose so that the pei
former can prove that Psyche is right.
/ didn't want to bore you | could s
straight through his programme an
show up every trick he does. ."-Chicag
News Interview.