Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
YOUR OWN WIZARD.
It's Very Easy to Be a Prestidigita-
teur After You Know How.
THE SECRET OF SLATE WRITING.
How Big Pile of Taper Ribbon is Taken
From an Empty Hat.
RUNNING A FINGER THROUGH FELT

spirit states. The real skill is in managing
to have proper questions asked and in shift
| ing the states invisibly. La Nature tells
how the slate writing is done as follows:
Two ordinary wooden framed states are
presented to the spectators, and examined in
succession by them. A small piece of chalk
is introduced between the two states, which
are then united by rubber band and held
| aloft in the prestidigitator's right hand.
Then, in the general silence, is heard the
scratching of the chalk, which is writing be-
tween the two states the answer to a ques-
tion asked by one of the spectators-ths
name of a card thought OF or the number OF
spots obtained BY throwing two dice. The
rubber band having been removed and the
states separated, one of them is seen to be
covered with writing.
A False Cover on Ons Slate.
This prodigy, which at first sight seemssto
be so mysterious, is very easily realized.
The writing was done in advance, but upon
the written side of the slate upon which tbs
writing was made, there has been placed q
thin sheet of black cardboard which hides
the characters written with chalk The two
sides OF this slate thus appeared absolutely
clean. The other slate is given out for e1.
animation, and. after it has been returned
to him, the operator says. "Do you want
to examine the other one also?" And then,
without any haste, he makes pass ana
logous to that employed in shufling cards.
Then the two hands separate anew, and the
slate that has already been examined, in
stead of the second one, is put into the
hands of the spectator. This shifting, done
| with deliberatiol, is entirely invisible.
During the second examination the slate
| upon which is the writing is laid fiat upon
| a table, the written face turned upward
| covered with the black cardboard. The
slate having been sufficiently examined
and been returned to the operator, the lat
ter laws it upon the first and both are then
surrounded by the rubber band. 1t is then
that the operator holds up the states with
the left hand, of which one sees but the
thumb while upon the posterior face of ths
second slate the nail of his middle finger
makes sound resembling that produced BY
chalk when written with.
Getting the Questions Asked.
When the operator judges that this little
comedy has lasted quite long enough, he
lays the two states horizontally upon his
table, taking care, this time, that the nom
prepared slate shall be beneath. 1t is upon
it that then rests the black cardboard, and
the other slate on being raised shows ths
characters that it bears, and that are stated
to have been written by an invisible spirit
that slipped in between the two states.
Our readers will not ask us how We
manage to know in advance what should bo
written upon the slate. 1t is useless to say
that deceit is allowable in prestidigitation.
Loaded dice alwavSturn up the same NUM-
ber and nothing is easier than to know the
name of the card that spectator will draw
from pack composed of 81 similar cards, il
one is not skillfnl enough to cause him to
take the forced card.
Prestidigitators frequently borrow from
their spectators a hat that serves them for
the performance of very neat tricks which
are not always easily explained We
shall describe some of the most interesting
ing to you that the felt of your hat is of bad
quality, and, to this effect, he will pierce 10
here and there with his finger, his magic
wand, an egg, and with host of other Oh.
jects.
Finger on q Stick-Pin.
This is all accomplished by using half .
finger made of wood or paper mache, to the
base of which is attached long needle or
pin. The prestidigitator, who has concealed
the finger in his left hand, thrusts the poins
into the top of the hat, whose interior Is
turned toward the spectators. Afterward,
raising the right hand, the forefnger OF
which he points forward, 'e seems to be
about to pierce the top of the hat, but, in.
stead of finishing the motion began, he
quickly seizes in the interior, between the
thumb and forefnger, the point of the
needle, wiggles it around in all directions,
turns the hat over, and the cardboard
prestidigitator's own finger. The same
operation is performed with wooden
half-egg. or hali-rod, III o. Sd which, n. Tx. hks
in the interior of which are hidden the true
rod and egg. We may likewise solder .
needle to half of five franc piece and thus
vary the objects employed for this recre-
alton to infinity.
In order to take from hat large guam
tity of paper in ribbons, and then doves,and
even duck or a rabbit, there is no need Of
special apparatus nor of great amount OF
dexterity. Nor is there here any need of q
high hat; simple straw hat Tor cap, at a
pinch will suffice. The prestidigitator holds
pressed close to his breast and hidden un-
der his coat a roll of the blue paper pre-
pared for the printing apparatus OF the
Morse telegraph, and which is so tightly
wound that it has the aspect and conscience
of q wooden disk with q circular aperture
in the center. In turning around after tax
ing the hat, the opening OF which rests
against his breast, the operator deftly intro
duces into it the roll OF paper, which has
the proper diameter to allow 1t TO enter BY
hard friction as far as to the TOD OF the hat,
and stay where it is put even when the has
is turned over.
Smuggling q Dove Into a Hat.
"Your hat my dear sir, was doubtless .
little too wide for your head. for 1 notice
within it q band of paper designed to dimins
ish the internal diameter" says the prestt
digitator, while, at tine same time, he draws
from the hat the end that terminates the
paper in the center OF the roll. Then he re-
verses the hat SO that the interior cannot be
seen by the spectators. The paper imTnedi,
ately begins to unwind of itself and to fall
very regularly and without intermission.
When the fall of the paper begins to
slacken, that is, in general, when no more
than third of the roll remains, the prestidigs
itator turns the hat upside down, and, with
the right hand, pulls out and rapidly re.
wolves in the air the paper ribbon, whose
caDricious contours succeeding one another
before the first have had time to fall to the
floor, produce q very pretty effect. The
quantity of paper extracted from the has
appears also in this way much greater than
it really Is, and at length forms pile Of
considerable bulk.
This experiment may be completed in the
following manner: Tie operator, approach.
ing his table, which, upon a board suspended
behind it, carries q firmly bound pigeon,
quickly seiZes the poor animal in passing
and conceals it under the pile Of paper,
while he puts the latter back into the hat in
order to see, says he. whether all that has
been taken out can be made to enter anew,
Ouay's Designs on Mexican States.
wonder what Senator Quay intends to
do with chihuahua, Coahuila and Sonora
the Mexican States for whose purchase he