The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-11
MONS. DE K0LTA.
The Great CODjurpr Tells About
Some Of His Tricks.
Ee Let's People Believe That Re Uses Electric
ity to Aid Him in His Performances.
Working at New Illusions.

A few days since a representative OF the
New York Herald met Mons. de K0ta, the
great conjurer, and engaged him in CONVEX
sation on the subject Of lis att In answer
to the question, "What is the most neces-
Sary qualification for a conjurerY he said !:
That depends upon what kind of a con-
Juror you are talking about. For the ordi-
nary tricks with cards and boxes and wands
and the usual small apparatus one sees on
the coniarer's table the one and only one
qualification necessary is manual deXterity
Every conjurer must possess that to begin
with; but what l regard as my greatest
feats are those which depend upon the
clever appli alton of natural laws. The
c0nju rer In that sense has no more need OIL
manual dextCrity, or what you call sielght-
0f-baBd, than the physicist or the chemist
experimenting in his laboratory. 1t Is 10
this higher kind Of cnnjuring that | owe my
reputation. Let he show you what mean.
NJ de KOlta took from the table lump
of sugar. and right before my eyes, and
certainly not more than loot distant,
made it pass from one hand to the other, or
disappear from bota hands without my De-
ing able 10 detect how the change was
ACCOMPLISHED. His movements were not at
all rapid. On the contrary be would very
deliberately close his right hand on the
Iump hold it closed for moment, ask me
II | were sure the sugar was In That hand,
and then when l said | was, would open II
quite empty, while the sugar was seen
quietly resting in the palm OF his other
"Tbat sort Of thing" he continued, oil
Illustrates the ordinary and cheaper form OF
conjuring. If you are unable to d1tect the
deception right here before me 1t Is plain
that you could not hope TO detect similar de-
ceptions when practiced on the stage. The
other night at the Eden Musee you saw me
find cards and other thing In the pockets OI
persons IN the audience. l did II this way.
look"
Taking a pack of cards which the garcOn
brought him-and they were the ordinary
playing cards used IN the cafe-M. de hUIta
made them
PASS so RAPIDLY
From one hand to the other that, although
il was dune right under my nose, i was
positively unable to see the cards as they
passed.
Now you see I hold up my left hand
with nothing Ia il. \ GU see the palm wide
open, and now, although my right hand,
which holds the pack, is fully foot distant,
l spring two, three, half dozen cards at
time inlO my left hand and catch them with
out allowing you to see where tie cards
come from. 1t does not make the slightest
difference how closely you watch, in fact,
tie closer you watch aud the nearer you are
TO me the be ter / like il, for the greater
is your establishment Nne-tenths OF the
stock tricks done upon the stage are OF this
nature"
Il suppose, professor, if you were cap
able of dIsuOnOTable action you could
cheat in a game Of cards TO almost any eX-
tent?'
An amused smile under the maEcan's
bushy brown beard was the only answer.
Il Will deal hand at poker" be said,
giving me the pack 10 shuttle. Then he
dealt me five cards, showing each face up
ward as he slipped il If the pack and then
placing Il face downward before me. / had
a straight royal flush In spadeS-At least |
would nave taken Oath that there was a
straight royal flush lying on tile table before
me-but when l picked up the same five
cards they had changed into four aces, while
II. u kotl himself held the stras ht royal
fuss ! had Just seen linn deal me.
Il would not be a safe man 10 play poker
with, he remarked simply, and then went
on 70 talk about the higher forms Of C0njuT-
ing-uot tricks, TO use lis language, but
scientific problems.
DO YOU use electricity in any OF your
tTicks?"
LET PEOPLE THINK DO,
As | find that an excellent means Of throw
ing them OF The track. Whenever an audi
euce sees something which is entirely be-
yCud their comprehension they explain it
by electricity. That accounts for every
thing, according 10 them, and nine times
out Of tea electricity had nothing 10 do with
what they saw, tie Illusion being produced
by mechanical means and appliances. |
have no douDt, for instance, that many
people who have sean my pOrtrai t-draWing
trick al tile Musee believe that the pen ls
worked by electricity. But hOw2 Others
hrrtlr Ia
pan togBph. l will not say that II might
not be accomplished by such means, hut
assure you that IL not the explanation In
my case. To show You 10 what perfection
l have brought this trick / viii say that il
would be Just as easy for me 10 have the
pen draw The portrait Of any unknown per-
son from the audience who might come
upon the stage as TO reproduce the likeness
Of public men. Indeed, ! have frequently
given the performance In that way"
Il suppose YOU are constantly working at
new Illusions"
Necessarily. because as soon as one
thing is brought out a host of imi 'at0rs
spring up, and by doing the Trick in a bung-
ling way spoil the public interest in 1t. At
this very moment ! have almost perfected
what Will be the triumph Of my career, nor
viii this be an Illusion, but an actual ap-
plicaton OF a natural law which | have dis
covered. My statement will probably be
re eiyed with incredibly. but ! claim, and
will shortly demonstrate before one OF the
scientific societies Of Paris, my ability to
modify the action of gTayitRtOn. Yes sir |
am able to overcome the shock produced by
falling bodies. A month ago, while expert
mentlng
AT MY HOME IN PARIS,
! succeeded in letting a weight of five kilos
fall from the ceiling into a basket of fresh
eggs without breaking one of them. | can
drop the most fragile body from the top Of
the tallest building without its being In any
/ can do more than that-throw you from
such height with perfect safety"
Would you mind, Professor, making the
experiment on yourself, TO begin with ?"
ION, certainly not, as often as you please,
only that Is something which would REQUIRE
careful and elaborate preparation. When |
have finished my engagement at the Eden
Musee | shall devote myself entirely TO this
new investigation, and expect to exhibit my
discovery at the Chicago Exhibition. 1t
Will be one OF the grandest SpeCtacles ever
put on the stage and will challenge the
whole scientific world, for, as you will
easily see, once | nave succeeded in modi-
flying the action of graVitation, there is no
limit to the application of the new princi-
pie"
"Do you mean to tell me that your dis
cOveTy would make you invulnerabiy
against an object thrown at your head ?"
Undoubtedly 1t would" answered the
Professor.
Suppose / were to fire at you with a re-
yOlYer would you be able to overcome the
shock Of the bulleIp
NJ. de Kolta, after moments reflection,
said that he believed he would be able In
time to accomplish such a seeming impOssi-
bllty as that, but did not deny that he