The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-08-02
THE BOWEBY WIZARD,
HIS WlTcHERY MAKES EVEN TIE
SKELETONS GRIN.


Many Curious Thines-The Professor
Talks About the People He Has Met
and What They Have Thought OF Him.
There is queer little shop in Bowery
basement where half the jugglers and
magicians in the country order their
props" It is presided over by Otto
Maurer, a student Of occult science, who
has bewildered all sorts of people
throughout the civilized world. You
can never pass the dingy entrance to his
little den that you will not see a crowd
reading the signs and examining the
mysterious wares in his showcase. If
you 20 down the narrow stairway you
win see no one within, but If you wait a
few moments curtain will be drawn,
giving you a momentary glimpse of a
dimly lighted room beneath the side
walk, and the magician win appear be-
fore your eyes.
He may not seem particularly overjoy-
ed to meet you, for his habitatiOn is full
Of dark secrets, and his black art inter
ests him much more than intercourse
with his fellow men. What there is in
the dark little chamber behind the cur
tain no one besides himself can tell He
guards its secrets as he does his life.
There 1t is that he conceives the magic
devices which line the walls without.
The Bowery magician's den was in
vaded by a reporter recently. There was
apparently not a soul there The report
or looked around. There was picture
ON the wall. He turned suddenly and
was startled to find the original of the
picture face to face before him. He had
not sntered by the staircase, and there
was evidently no other means Of ingress
The dark curtain in the dark little cor
ner only explained the mystery when it
was later pointed out by Professor Mau-
rer.
The magician did not have ON his per-
forming costume He was in his shirt
sleeves and wore old trousers. His hands
were black and grimy, as though he had
been working at forge.
Professor Maurer began to tell of the
various countries he had visited. There
was plate of eggs before him. AS he
talked he picked up wand and absent
mindedly balanced one Of the eggs ON its
tip. The more he talked the more eggs
he balanced, one ON top of the other,
with the bottom egg still on the wand.
In some unaccountable manner all the
eggs but one suddenly disappeared. The
wand was hardly bigger around than
lead pencil and was solid stick, but
while the reporter watched the remain
ing egg 1t passed into one end and out
at the other. The magician caught it in
Il al, II
lifted palm. The egg vanished. The
reporter found it in his inside vest
pocket.
Let me take your hat, !" said the pro
fessor,
The reporter passed it over. AS he
did 30 something tapped him slightly on
the top Of the head. The reporter looked
mp, but saw nothing A slight chill
came over him. Was there anything be-
hind him? He turned to look, and caught
glimpse of a skeleton hand as it van
ished into air.
The magician did not appear to know
what was going on, for he kept or chat
ting all the time. But instead of talk
ing with his mouth his voice seemed to
be coming through his hat.
"What is your pet animalP" his hat
was saying; and when the reporter re-
piled "a fox terrier" fox terrier was
taken from the hat. A live cat came
next, and after 1t followed several other
articles. The thing was becoming mo-
notonous, when suddenly there was a
fash Of binding light. There was brim-
stone in the air, and If it had not been
for the clear sky without one would
have thought the place had been struck
by lightning. One of the skulls on the
wall dropped his jaw, while his eyes
blazed with unearthly fire. The cat
walked about nervously with its back
hair up and its tail swelled nearly double
its ordinary size. Whenever anything
funny was said all the skulls would drop
their jaws with a click.
The professor performed many of the
stock tricks of the magicians right be-
fore the reporters eyes Articles APP
peared and disappeared or were turned
into odd forms as he willed. Birds
were fired from pistols and bouquets
from shotguns, There was no end to
the peculiar tricks
"When l was travelling" said the pro
experiences. You can find any number
of persons today In little towns, particu-
larly in this country and France, who
still believe in witchcraft and sorcery.
This class of people look on me as satan
himself, and believe that am gifted with
supernatural power. have had western
miners offer me large sums if would
give them wand that would detect gold
on the mountains. l have had young
women in France beg me for some potion
that would bring their sweethearts to
them. Old men and women have told
me their troubles aud sought some magic
way out of them. On three occasions /
have been summoned in an emergency
10 sick beds.
MANY of the tricks perform require
sleight Of hand, but there are some which
You could do yourself if you only knew
the secret. When l am performing /
never mention what / am going TO do,
but simply name the articles l am going
to work with and let the audience see
the result. That makes it greater sur
prise to them. / never show a trick twice
IN succession. l never look at my hands
while performing, but keep my eyes ON
the audience and talk to them.
MANY jugglers and magicians make a
mistake by hurrying, but that often
Spoils the effect. l take every opportu-
nifty can to see othersYerform, whether
they are good or bad performers, and /
have learned not little from tn, faults
1 have seen In the latter"
A vanishing lady" bowed as the re-
porter left the shop. and a ''demon pea
cock" soreeched a hellish farewell. -
New York World.