Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-05-02
Greek Tricks Unveiled.
The Startling Miracles of Talented
Magicians-De KOlta's In
yentiOn.

| haps no one could compare with him in
celebrity, excepting the original Herr
mann, who died at Carlsb couple of
years ago, and from whom the Herr
mann who st present perambulates
America took his name and learned what
| he knows. The present Hermann was
known as Neuman, and was an assistant
TO his greater prototype. He was always
remarkable for one think, and that is his
very great dexterity in sleight-of- hand
tricks. Today there is nobody that can
compare with him in this line of work,
what is known as palming. In fact any
thing that can be done with the hands
alone, excepting a deaf mute who travels
| through the cheaper museums, and who is
said to have even far greater ability in
this line, but without the gift of express
| ing himself.
Hermann, however, has never been an
inventor. He finds tricks ready made
for him abroad. and buys their secret.
As result he is compelled to travel
aroHnd with vast paraphernalia that
| the old magicians would have looked up
on with contempt. In fact, the tendency
of modern magic has been the elaboration
of the cumbersome, and Hermann needs
whole roomful of furniture to carry out
one Of his Illusions.
The brightest mind in magic at the
present day is Irestidigitateur named
De Kolta. He holds forth in Paris, and
being almost gentleman of leisure, only
appears about three nights week. He
has made all the most important of mod
eru inventions in magic. The one that
brought him first into prominence in the
line of invention was the flying bird cage,
which is now so familiar that it can be
bought in magic stores for few dollars,
but it made great sensation at the time.
Kellar was the first to buy it from De
Kolta, and took the trick to Australia,
where he made some $4,000 out of it.
He only paid $500.
Two or three seasons ago in New York
the vanishing lady was accepted as very
remarkable novelty. This was also an
invention of De Kolta's. During the past
year another of his inventions - the
Cocoon-has been given in New York,
both by Kellar and by Hermann.
But the one that is now most familiar
and surprising, De Kolta first brought out
two years ago. We have seen it with
Herman under the name of Black Art,
and with Kellar under the name of Ori
entail Occultism. The trick is precisely
the same with them both, and is merely
an illusion of blackness. The whole S age
is draped in the blacklist of black; the
magician, be it Kellar or Hermann, is
completely robed iii white so that he
stands out clearly in the gloom surround
ing him. Then he orders various objects
to appear, cup, sword, table, a
chair.
These things seem to suddenly start
into being, and yet the device is of the
simplest. The objects in question are
concealed behind a black cloth until the
order for them to appear is suddenly
given. The cloth concealing them is
dropped, and they seem to have come out
of chaos. In the the same manner
Mrs. Hermann or Mrs. Kellar stands on
the stage draped in white, but holding up
black cloth between herself and the
audience. At the word of themagician she
drops the cloth and stands revealed. To
the uninitated the trick is most puzzling.
It is the same way that the head detached
from the trunk appears to be carried
around the stage. The illusion is that the
trunk is clothed in black, and, standing
against the blackness of the scene, cannot
be distinguished; the head being white,
alone appears. This Is perhaps the
Of mechanical tricks Maskelyne of
London and Kellar are the most noted in
ventors, Psy cho, or the hand that taps on
glass table at the magician's command,
is an invention of Kellar, and is simply
piece of very delicate and intricate
machinery. It is very similar to the Clio
of Maskelyne, and both have a family
resemblance to Kellar's chest board,
irin oil h,y Halu
giclans generally give the palm to KeIlar
for all tricks of mathematical kind. He
has q marvelously quick mind in this
respect, aud the most abstruse problems
he can solve in few parently,
of course. allowing it to be done by some
mechanical figure.
Whether all this comes within the exact
domain of magic does not so much mat
ter as that such tricks are now accepted
in magical enter tainments and vastly
more enjoyed than the old pistol, card
and rabbit tricks to which some magi-
clans still adhere-tricks that necessitate
the use of confederate, and which are,
therefore. of little account and at even
which locals laugh.
The future of magic is hard to foretell.
Ever ythiug in the sleight of-aand way
has become familiar, and outside of De
Kolta there is no inventor of anything
new. The result is that recent prest1d-
igitateurs, such as Hermann, are com
PEELED to add to thsjr own some sort of
variety entertainment TO fill out the even
ing. Even KeIlar had to go back to the
old Indian basket trick for novelty.
The magician, too, nowadays must
travel around with twenty or thirty trunks
full of material and carload of scenery,
and what is worse still, as popular magic
and parlor magic grows in favor, the
wonder that used to be express ed in pro-
fessional magic grows less year by year,
to that point that it looks very much as
if before long they would all be RELOCATED
to the dime museums or adopt some other
line of business. Hermann has been
wise enough to foresee this and is going
into several outside speculations during
the coming year.