The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-09-19
AN AMATEUR WHARF.
He Challenges tho RedoubtabIe Herman
Tn a Trial nj skin.

-S N@n6oo SAA0 h0uVuUkbUA0
to . Trial of Skill.
Some Of the best performances of leg
erdemafn, or slight Of hand, are not seen
on the stage. 1t Is much easier for a
prestidigitateut, standing several feet
distant from his audience and on a higher
elevation, toperform tricks to deceive the
eye than when he is In the midst Of a
company so closely grouped about him
that he can be touched by an out
stretched hand. Professor Hermann is
probably the most skillful of all perform
ers In close company, but there are
others who are proficient to a remark
able degree under such circumstances,
and they are not all professionals.
A few nights ago a little party sat at
one of the tables Of the Casino roof gar
den. Among them were Albert Aronson,
Captain Brainbridge, a few newspaper
men and McCloud McKesson, a young
amateur, who was amusing the party by
some clever tricks. Mr.. McKesson would
allow any member of the company to tie
any kind of a hard knot in a handker-
chief, which he would instantly cause to
become united by merely swapping it
with his finger or slightly shaking the
handkerchief. Taking a silver half dol
lar in one hand, he apparently passed it
beneath a hat on the table. When the
hat was lifted q lemon was found instead
Of the coin, which Mr.. McKesson then
removed from Mr.. Aronson's vest pocket.
After several other tricks had been per-
formed MI. Aronson espied Professor
Hermann at another table. "By Jove..'
he exclaimed, SID like to see if Her.
mann can unite knots as McKessoH
does"
The professor came over to the table
at Mr.. Aronson's invitation, and Mr..
McKesson tied an extremely hard knot
in the handkerchief. Mr.. Hermann
looked at Mr.. McKesson quizzically for
q moment, threw the handkerchief in
the air, caught it as it descended, and
the knot was there no longer. By this
time q large crowd had gathered about
the table, and for several minutes the
two performers kept their impromptu
audience laughing. Suddenly, no one
could tell how, Mr.. Herrman's russell
shoe appeared on the table. No one had
seen him take it from his foot, but there
1T was on the table. Then it disappeared,
and was found a moment later in some
body's hat. Somebody then had it under
his coat, no person present being able
to discover how and why it vent. A
shoe is too large an article to be con
cealed in the palm of the hand, and the
feat, which is known as ':palming," hav.
ing been performed in the ncar presence
of at least thirty men, seemed almost
phenomenal.
Among the other tricks by Mr.. Nc,
kesson was n that he said no one else
could do. Taking a sharp knife he ap
peared to make an i~nciSion in his thumb
The blood flowed freely and fell in rapit
drops to the floor. Wiping the BLOOD
away with his handkerchief, Mr.. Nc,
Kesson exposed the thumb again, anG
offered to treat the party to wine if any
one present could detect ever an abra.
sion of the skin. The blood had stopped
flowing and the skin was unbroken. An
other trick was heartily %applauded. Mr..
McKcsson placed four little bits of
moistened paper on the narrow blade of
a small knife, two on each side. He
then wiped them off one at a time. show
ing the blade clean. He then turned
the blade over and the bits of paper
were there again. Turning it again they
had gone, and they appeared to come
back and disappear at every turn of the
blade. The movement was rapid, and
when he stopped all the bits of paper
were on the blade as in the first place,
Prof. Hermann said he liked to see am
ateurs so clever.-NeU York Tribune.