Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-07-22
MAGICIAN UNMASKED.
WONDERFUL TRICKS EXPLAINED BY
ONE WHO PROCESSES TO KNOW.

All Very simple and Easily Understood
Psychic and His Three-Legged stool
Cabinet Tricks Made Easy-A Miracui-
ous Growth of Flowers.
The writer sat through one of a modern
magiciau's sleight-of-hand performances
some nights ago and noticed once or twice
that his right hand neighbor took unusual
interest in the entertainment. Not that
he seemed particularly pleased, for he
more than once gave vent TO ordinations
indicating anything but joy or astonish-
ment. As the audience filed out at the
conclusion of the cabinet seances the
writer made some common place 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 q
resort near by.
"rhe posters and announcements of this
great magician make one smile, he said
during a pause in the refreshments.
"From them one would think that he was
going to prove "a mixture of the
devil and DIR. Faustus, while, on the con-
trary, the tricks he performs were old
when ! was a boy" and the speaker
stroked his long beard angrily. ~ few Of
them are OF later date, but they were
copied from European magicians. So
called They are all very simple and easily
understood Take his levitation act for
instance. The posters represent him
sailing all over the auditorium. That,
of course, is mere theatrical adyer-
tising He does not even leave
the stage. The theatre is darkened
and stuffed dummy with a phosphor-
escent mask is swung about the theater
by wire. As for Psyche, as he called il,
IL is nothing but piece Of mechanism
worked by q man concealed below the
stage. The magician repeats the question
or problem In loud voice, and all the
men have 10 do is to move the hands right
and there you are!
PSYCHIC AND HIS STOOL
II saw the same thing worked in Lon
don years ago. The machines are sold there
for S15 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 in tobac-
conist's windows are made to smoke. The
other way is by means of key by which
the swinging arm can be moved as easily
as the hands of a 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
glass cylinder and operates the figure as
easily as the air passes through your nos
trils and operates your lungs. A silver
plated wire can be put through TIE glass
cylinder 10 operate the head or haud with
out being seen by the audience, and thus
III rfsl
the greatest ease.
The feat Of passing the knight over the
chess-board will teach you in five min
utes or forfeit 800. Those cabinet tricks
have been seen and explained 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 tpalt-
ment of the cabinet on a small PLATFORM
There Is door in the center OF the back
Of the cabinet which turns on pivot, So
that he tthe cOnfederateJ can enter and 60
out OF the box as quickly as possible and
show his f1ce 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 maglCians
person in Il very short time.
SEVERAL MODERN MIRACLES.
"You saw him do those alleged spiritual
istic tricks with the tables and chairs!
That furniture is made of the lightest
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 mis- fingers against these man
can get purchase enough TO lift the OBJ
ject
You noticed the apparently miraculous
growth of flowers in the pots9 Go to-mor-
row night and watch him closely. 1t is
an old trick, and when was boy / used
to amuse our people with it. The trick
consists simply in changing the empty
,one rapidly as the performer passes
toward the pot. How about the hot
coffeeS Oh, my dear boy, that is done by
dropping into it piece of unslaked lime
that has been concealed in the palm of
the hand. And those drinksS That's as
easily explained as the other. In the
bottom of the tumblers are essences Of
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 liquor
asked for.
"Then you know the performer has con-
federates all over the house Some of the
men who come upon the stage during the
cabinet tricks are in his employ, as is also
the man In the gallery who cries out that
Psyche is wrong. He has been placed
there for that purpose 80 that the per-
former can prove that Psyche is right II
1 didn't want to bore you | could go
straight through his programme and
show up every trick he does. Chicago
News Interview.
Three (;races Without Their Heads