The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-11-12

one knew that the woman must necessan
ly disappear through trap in the stage,
and the only mystery lay in the cleverness
with which the feat was accomplished.
Here was no illusion. properly speaking.
nor anything to excite wonder. A trick
TO be really worth anything must be SEEM
ingly miracle, inexplicable TO the mind
of the spectator.
"The best tricks are those requiring the
least apparatus. No ieat of magic ever at
tempted on the stage has created more
profound sensation than did the famous
sphinx when it first appeared in Europe.
Even the scientific men went wild over 1t.
IL WAS the first thing of its kind ever seen,
and for a long time no one suspected
that the body 10 which the talking head
belonged was concealed behind two mir
rorS that stood at All angle with each other
beneath the table. The extreme simplicity
of the means used for deceiying WAS the
most effective point But the performer is
most successful when he employs for the
purposes of legerdemain everyday articles
sucl, as people are accustomed TO. Audi
ences are always entertained to see rabbits,
guinea pigs and other articles taken off
hand out of the hat OF the fat gentleman
front seat near the middle aisle.
''Ihis sort of trick is much more simple
and easily performed than you might sup
pose. l descend from the stage and Dor
row silk hat from any gentlemen who
will give me one. The first things to be
taken from the hat are already concealed
on the inside Of my coat. As l turn and
regain the stage with my back for mo-
meEt to the spectators l quickly drop these
things into the hat Then | face the audi
ence once more and draw the things out
one by one, exhibiting much surprise.
''Some liveanimal may come first, because
it is desirable TO dispose of that as quickly
as possible. Next, perchance, pull out
wig, which always eXcites roar of laugh
ter The other articles to be brought forth
have been previously done up in many
compact little bundles. Sometimes a sin
gle small package contains a quantity of
hen feathers, So tightly done up that when
they are shaken out there seem to be
enough of them TO fill mattress. Each
bundle is so fixed that its wrapping can be
disengaged in a second.
Having pulled out Of the hat all the
things which have been previously taken
from under my coat aud put into it, go to
a shelf under pretense of brushing the tile,
and incidentally slip a number of other arti-
Giles into it. Then | come down toward the
audience, rs if for the purpose of restoring
the borrowed stovepipe, but suddenly
pause and begin to draw out of it many
things several times the size of the hat,
such as bird cages, trunks and so forth, all
of which are so made that they close up in
very small compass.
''The springs that hold them in shape are
released as each one is taken out. OF
course a trick like this requires great
deal of practice and skill, but its effective
ness is almost wholly due to the fact thai
it is performed with 50 commonplace an
object as a borrowed silk hat Perform a
seeming miracle with a broom, brick, or
anything else that is exceedingly common
place and familiar, and your feat eXcites
infinitely more wonderment than if it
were accomplished with an elaborate me
chanical continuance When the Pharoah's
magicians turned their walking sticks into
snakes they knew1how to impress most
strongly the mindsFof observers. Wash
ington Star.