The Dickinson press., 1890-07-19
THE BOWERY WIZARD.
HIS WiTCHERY MAKES EVEN THE
SKELETONS GRIN.

A Reporter Visits His Den and Sees
Many Curious Things-Tho Professor
Talks About the People He Has Met
and What They Have Thought of Him.
There is aqueer little shop in Bowery
basement where half the jugglers and
magicians in the country order their
"props." 1t 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 crowd
reading the signs and examining the
mysterious wares in his showcase. If
you go down the narrow stairway you
will see no one within, but if you wait
few moments curtain will be drawn,
giving you momentary glimpse of a
dimly lighted room beneath the side
walk, and the magician will 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 ho does his life.
There it is that he conceives tho magic
devices which line the walls without.
The Bowery magician's den was i'll
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 entered by the staircase, and there
was evidently no other means of ingress.
The dark curtain in the dark little cor
ner only explained tho mystery when it
was later pointed out by Professor Maui
rer.
The magician did not have on his per-
forming costume. He was in his shirt
sleeves and Wore old trousers. His hands
We're black and grimy, as though he had
been working at forge.
Professor Maurer began to tell of this
various countries he had visited There
was a plate of eggs before him. AS he
talked he picked up n wand and absent
mindedly balanced one of the eggs Oh its
tip The moro 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 tho
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 it passed into one end and out
at the other. The magician caught it in
his hand and then slowly closed the up
lifted palm. The egg vanished. The
reporter found 1t in his inside vest
pocket.
"Let me take your hat" said the pro.
fessor.
The reporter passed it over. AS he
did so something tapped him slightly on
the top Of the head. The reporter looked
up, but saw nothing. A slight chill
came over him. Was there anything be-
hind him? He turned to look, and caught
a glimpse of skeleton hand as it van
ished into air.
The magician did not appear to know
what was going on, for he kept OF 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 animal!' his hat
was saying; and when the reporter re-
piled ga fox terrier" fox terrier was
taken from the hat. A live cat came
next, and after it followed several other
articles. The thing was becoming mo-
notonous, when suddenly there was a
flash of binding light. There was bliln-
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 Oh tho
wall dropped his jaw, while his eyes
blazed with unearthly fire. The cat
walked about nervously with it's back
hair up and it's tail swelled nearly double
its ordinary size. Whenever anything
funny was said all the skulls would drop
their jaws with click.
The professor performed many of the
stock tricks of the magicians right be.
fore the reporters eyes. Articles ap.
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 was travelling" said the pro-
fessor, II used to have some very funny
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. l have had western
miners offer me large sums if would
give them wand that would detect gold
on the mountains. I 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 and sought some magic
way out of them. On three occasions l
have been summoned in an emergency
to 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 am performing /
never mention what 1 am going to do,
but simply name the articles am going
to work with and let the audience see
the result. That makes it greater sur
prise to them. never show trick twice
in succession. I never look at my hands
while performing, but keep my eyes or
the audience and talk to them.
"Many jugglers and magicians make a
mistake by hurrying, but that often
spoils the effect. take every opportu-
nifty can to see others perform, whether
they are good or bad performers, and
have learned not little from the faults
have seen in the latter"
A vanishing lady" bowed as the re
porter left the shop, and demon pea
cock" scrceched a hellish FAREWELL
New York World
English Justice-Prisoner, you pound
ed this complainant, eh7
Prisoner-Yesser, y'r honor.