Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-14

now A CoSJURyR Is Unmarried BY HIS AUDI
ENCE-woSDERs PRODUCED BY USFoREsEES
MEASs-How PRESENCE OF MIND OFTEN SAVES
THE MAGICIAN.
IL is one. sometimes two. and at the utmost
three. against a thousand. These are the odds
that confront a conjurer on the stage. The
zone" is himself, the two includes the assist
ant, and the three" takes in q second
assistant. The thousand" represents the audi
ence and when l say that it is lone against n
thousand l neaa against" in all that that
word expresses. No intelligent audience is
willingly deceived, and to deceive is the sole
mission of the conjurer. Consequently every
spectator for the moment becomes mis- arch
enemy. A thousand eyes are pitted against one
mans sleight of hand and a Thousand keen wits
Gre massed against one mans GOODNESS, nerve
and Judgment.
propose to describe today how some Of
these friendly battles have come out. | want to
tell you about some encounters have had with
members of my audiences. and OF encounters
have personally witnessed, and show you how
greatly a magician stands In need OF ready wit,
possessed OF which he is seldom at a loss to
turn apparent defeat into brilliant victory.
IL was during tine early years Of the war that
j became the apprentice and assistant OF the
famous fakir of Ava (Harris Hughes). one of
DAYS the assistant had TO do all the fine work III
most Of the tricks, and therefore. after few
weeks of careful study, 1 was sent down among
the audience TO borrow rings. which i changed
for brass rings had in my pocket, and to force
cards upon such spectators as they were offered
tn. The incident have in mind occurred in
New Haven. COun., in 1852.
We had been working very successfully q
trick called the rising card trick. This was
done as follows: | was sent into the audience
,.,Kl Il Of rGaI r1a II N4fa Il
20 different persons. forcing them to take the
cards had prepared for them. When these
cards had been selected by the spectators. and
when they had been put back with the pack
and shutfled up. walked back to the stage
with the cards in my hand. On my way
changed these cards to another stacked pack /
bad with me that had been especially prepared
for this trick by having thread attached to
such cards as had been picked out. This new
pack handed to the fakir. who, before the au-
dience. put IL into glass goblet. The threads
reached back ON the stage, where l went at
once, and was able at will to raise any card in
the glass But We had still another mystery.
We had a small electric bell hanging on the
stage which We called the speaking" bell.
When the flkir addressed question to the
bell requiring an affirmative answer rang the
bell twice. When it needed a negative reply
rang ii once. After the cards had been placed
in the glass the conversation between the fakir
and the bell would probably be as follows:
DO you know what card am thinking of"
Two rings.
Has any one in the audience selected the
same card?"
Two rings.
as the spectator a MANI"
One ring.
Then she must be lady. Well, does she
Uit in the front row."
One ring.
I'm the second?'
Two rings
..The first lady from the center aisle?"
Two rings.
''Was the card diamond"
Two rings
"a hearth
Two rings.
"a picture card?''
Two rings
1.-THE king?'
Two rings