Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-28
MAGIC'S MARvELS.
Heller, Herman, Kellar, Houdin
and Other Black Art Masters
GIVE SOME "REMINISCENCES.
Tricks of the Trade-So-Called Second Sight
Mystery Of Robert Heller's Sister.
The Chinaman's Keen Sense of Humor.
Il Illusion: of the Suspended Venus.
The Tin Cup and Handkerchief
Tricks Explained.

Tricks Explained.
Copyright 1891. for the Gazette and all
rights reserved.l
Few men are better read in the great
book of life than prestidigitateurs or
magicians, whose business it is to deceive
the eye and perform seemingly the most
marvellous impossibilities, that confound at
once our reason and our understanding, by
hidden means SO simple that when they are
explained to US we are filed with anger
and disgust at our own stupidity at having
failed to discover them, and in having
thought their result miraculous Really
frtistic prestidigitateurS must be deep and
| profound students of human nature, for
upon their ability to recognize the peculiar
tiles OF an audience and to keep it amused
by a constant flow of conversation adapted
to its level, their success must largely de-
pend. They must be men of great natural
intelligence and quickness of perception or
they can not be accomplished magicians,
and they are always men who have Travelled
and read much.
For all these reasons and because have
been from childhood an enthusiastic anna
teur prestidigitateur, having successfully
tried conclusions in private with many OF the
most celebrated magicians in our own and
other countries, | have ever found much
pleasure in the society of professors of the
black art. From each and every one whom
have met have obtained some most in
teresting "reminiscences, and ! feel sure
that a iudicious selection of these cannot
fail to entertain my readers.
ROBERT HoUDIN's GREATEST TRICK.
Many years ago, when but mere lad, 1t
was my rare good fortune, while residing
in France with my parents, to meet with
the late Robert Houdin, unquestionably one
q - out
the world has ever seen, and to hear from
his own lips the story of seeming miracle
which he performed before Louis Philippe
and his family at the palace of st. Cloud on
June 8, 1916. Borrowing six handkerchiefs
from his royal audience, and having each
person present write on slip of paper the
place where he or she desired the handker-
chiefs to be found, he gave the slips to King
Louis and requested him to select from
them the place he preferred. The king
chose one which read: sLet the handker-
chiefs be found in the box of the last orange
tree on the right hand of the avenue at ST.
Cloud.' The conjuror expressed his readi-
ness to comply with the request, and the
king Immediately sent off party of men to
keep guard over the orange tree. Houdin
put the handkerchiefS under bell OF
thick glass, waved his wand, took up the
bell and showed white dove in place of
the handkerchiefs. Then the king, with a
skeptical smile, sent orders to the head
gardener to open the box of the orange tree
chosen, and to bring whatever might be
found there This was done, and pres
sutky there was brought in an iron Golfer
covered with rust. Well cried the
king, ''here we have a Golfer. Are the
handkerchiefs in it2'
s'Yes, sire" replied Houdin, "they have
been there long time"
"A long timee Why it is only quarter
of an hour you have mad them
True, sire; yet | would prove to you
that the Golfer and the handkerchiefs it
contains have lain in the orange-tree box
for sixty years.
The king now observed that key was
required to open the box, and Houdin told
him to take the key hanging by a ribbon
round the white doves neck. This key was
covered with rust, yet it opened the Golfer,
and the first thing revealed was parch-
ment bearing these words: To-day, June
6, 1856, this iron Golfer, holding six hand
kerchiefs, has been placed amid the roots
of an orage tree by one Balsamo, Count of
Cagliostro, to aid the accomplishment of
magical feat, which will be done this day
sixty years before Louis Philippe of Or
leans and his family" Below the parch-
ment, sealed with Cagliostro's seal, which
was known to the king, was a packet and
in this packet were the six borrowed hand
kerchiefs.
auIs.,s THE FAKIR OF AVA.
10Y all the magicians who have ever ap-
peared in this country, unquestionably one
of the best was a man styling himself the
Fakir of Ava, who first performed here
about 1916. Prior to his advent Americans
had seen, for the most part, mere jugglers
fellows who burned cotton in their
mouths and then blew out gaily colored rib
bons, but the Fakir of Ava was marvellous
revelation of the possibilities of the magic
rz+,.n Of ta,.ty
about the man. He always endeavored to
convey the idea that he was an Oriental,
and he looked, indeed. as il such were the
case. He had the dark, olive complexion,
the long, flowing black hair and beard, and
the dark. piercing eyes of child of the
East. He dressed in the Oriental fashion,
with long, flowing robes of rich material
and a turban, yet his speech was unmistak-
ably that of an English cocbney.
1t was long time after l had made his
acquaintance before could induce him to
give me some insight into his life. Then he
gave me the brief outlines of his history as
follows: You must know" he said, ''that
was born in London. My parents We're
both Hebrews. and proudly claimed to be
able to trace their descent directly back to
Abraham They were small tradespeople
anu would have brought me up to the shop,
>but reyolted at the idea, and running away
from home enlisted in the British army,
serving with It IN INDIA ana Burman.
II had always had a great fondness for
iugglery and legerdemain, and was an ac-
complished amateur in those arts at very
early age While in India and Burmah l
ayailed myself of every possible opportunity
to study the tricks of the native magicians,
swho are unequaled by those of any other
country. From the Indian magicians /
learned not only many tricks that seem
positively miraculous to the uninitiated, but
also great deal of Hindonstanee patter, of
which, as you know, l make great use in my
public performances.
Leaving the army and returning to Eng
land, devoted my energies to giving entey,5
tainments in magic. 1t was from the magi2s
clans of India that l acquired my key
mystery trick, which has done more to
establish my reputation than anything else
do.n
This 'skey mystery" to which the fakir
alluded was perhaps the most wonderful
feat of magic ever accomplished in this