Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-07-31
=: MAGICIANS TRICKS.
"
kAKE-BELlEVE MIRACLES PERFORM
ED BY MODERN MORTALS.

You AnOW How.
Magic art has undergone many remark
able transformations since Robert Hou-
din, the father of all modern magic, lived
in Paris half century ago. Perhaps no
one could compare with him in celebrity,
excepting the original Hermann, who
died at Carlsbad couple of years ago.
and from whom the Hermann who at
present perambulates America took his
name and learned what be knows. The
present Hermann was known as Neu-
man, and was an assistant to his greater
prototype. He was always remarkable
for one thing, and that is his very great
dexterity in sleight of hand tricks. To.
day there is nobody that can compare
with him in this line of work, what is
known as palming. In fact anything
that can be done with the hands alone.
excepting 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.
THE FLYING BIRD CAGE.
Hermann, however, has never been
an inventor He finds his tricks ready
made for him abroad and buys their Sc
cret. As a result he is compelled tc
travel around with vast paraphernaha
that the old magicians would have looked
upon with great contempt. In fact, the
tendency Of modern magic has been the
elaboration of the cumbersome, and
Hermann needs whole roomful of fur
niture to carry out one of his illusions.
The brightest mind in magic at the
present day Is prestidigitateur 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
ern inventions in magic. The one that
brought him first into prominence IN the
line of invention was the flying birG
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 $40, 600
out of it. He only paid $500.
Two or three seasons ago in New York
the Vanishing Lady was accepted as a
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
Hermann under the nalne of Black Art,
and with Kellar under the name of ORR
entail Occultism. The trick is precisely
the same with them both, and is merely
an illusion of blackness. The whole
stage e draped in the blacklist Of black;
the magician, be it Kellar or Hermann,
is completely robed in white, so that he
stands out clearly in the gloom surround
ing him. Then he orders various objects
to appear, a cup, sword, table, a
chair.
MAGIC Is WANING
These things seem to suddenly start
into being, and yet the device is of the
simplest. The objects in question are
concealed behind 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 same manner Mrs.
Hermann or Mrs. Kallar stands on the
stage draped in white, but holding up
black cloth between herself and the au-
dience. At the word of the magician she
drops the cloth and stands revealed To
the uninrtiated the trick is most puzzling.
1t is the same way that the bead de-
tached from the trunk appears 10 be car
sied around the stage. The illusion is
that the trunk is closed in black, and
standing against the blackness Of the
scene, cannot be distinguished; the head
being white, alone appears. This is per-
haps the cleverest OF all De Kolta's in
ventions.
OF mechanical tricks Maskelyne, of
London, and Kellar are the most noted
inventors. Psyche, or the hand that taps
on glass table in response to the ma
gician's command, is an invention Of
Ke1ar, and is simply piece of very deli
cate and intricate machinery. 1t is very
similar to the Clio of Maskelyne, and
both have a family resemblance to KEEL
lars chess board, originally invented by
AIaskelyne. Magicians generally give
the palm to Kellar for all tricl1sof a
mathematical kind He has a marvel
ously quick mind in this respect, and
the most abstruse problems he can solve
in q few seconds-apparently, of course,
allowing it TO be done by some mechani-
cal figure.
Whether all this comes within the ex-
act domain OF magic does Tot so much
matter as that such tricks are now &C
cepted in magical entertainments and
vastly more enjoyed than the old pistol,
card and rabbit tricks to which some
magicians still adhere-tricks that neces-
state the use of a confederate, AID
which are, therefore, OF little account
and at which even locals laugh.
The future of magic is hard to fore
tell, Everything in the sleight-of-hand
way has become familiar, and outside of
De kolta there is no inventor of any
thing new. The result Is that recent
prestidigitateurs, such as Hermann, are
compelled TO add TO their own some sort
of variety entertainment 20 fill out the
evening. Even Kellar had to so back ID
the old Indian basket trick for a novelty.
New York Journal.
Plucsy Girl
Edward Brady q Philadelphis LAWYER has