Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-28

Conjurers' Tricks Explained and Made Easy
The following is q feat always the cause
of great amusement to the audience. The
help of one of the spectators. The individ.
ual who volunteers is invited upon the stage
and requested to wear the hat. Three cards
are next selected from pack by different
persons and placed within wide-mouthed
tube fitted upon the barrel of pistol A
piece of paper, black on one side, is made
in the shape of cone, with the black part
inside, and is shown to be quite empty.
The hat is then covered with the cone and
the pistol fred at it. On removing the
cone the three selected cards are found
fixed in the band of the hat, and the closest
examination will give no clew as to how
they got there. Here is the explana-
tion: The hat is previously prepared, and
is given to confederate, who takes care to
occupy a front seat at the performance, and
to offer his hat for the use of the professor
before anv one else is ready. The three
cards are fixed in the band of the hat, and
then piece of cloth, so shaped as to fit over
the crown, is put on, and at little distance
the hat appears to be quite an ordinary one.
AS the cone is taken off it is pressed rather
tightly, and brings the cloth away with it,
audience noticing anything inside. Three
duplicates of the cards fixed on the hat are
''forced" on the audience-an operation re-
quiring some little sleight- and
when it is required to show that they have
vanished from the tube false slide in the
latter is pulled over them, and the pistol
appears to be empty.
The production of bird-cages from an
empty handkerchief is thus performed: The
sides of the cages turn over SO as to rest
upon the bottom, and the tops push down,
so that they occupy but very little room,
and can be kept in the breast pockets. The
performer simply glides his hands into his
pockets under cover of the handkerchief
and takes out a cage by the ring upon its
top, the bottom, being weighted, drops sew
erai inches and the sides take their proper
positions, SO that when it is uncovered it
appears to be quite solid and ordinary
cage. The "Vanishing Bird Cage" is rather
larger than those used for production
from the pocket, but yet it collapses
into very small space. 1t has a
strong spring fastened at one corner,
which spring runs inside the peform-
er's right shirt sleeve, and is secured to the
sleeve at the elbow. The cage is apparently
thrown up in the air; but while the ewes of
the audience are distracted for second
from the performers hands the cage col
lapses and flies up the shirt sleeve the mo-
ment the conjuror releases his hold. If the
right arm of the performer is scrutinized
very closely it will be noticed that the cage
causes his shirt sleeves to bulge somewhat
below the elbow The trick is really an ex-
cellent one, as few people would credit that
SO large cage could be suddenly so con-
tracted as to pass through the small aper-
ture at the conjuror's wrist, and the fact of
his coat sleeves being turned back above his
elbow makes it difficult to believe that the
cage goes away in that direction.
To be able to "foroe" cards by means of
sleight-o t-of-hand, a considerable amount of
dexterity is required; but those who find
that method beyond their powers can easily
accomplish the feat by the employment of d
forcing" pack, though this plan has its
disadvantages, as the pack can not be given
for examination by the audience, and the
performer is also restricted to the use of
three particular cards. The pack consists
of 36 cards, but only three different ones are
employed, the pack being made up, say, of
IL tens OF spades and the same pumber of
each of aces of clubs and queens Of hearss
These are grouped together SO that all
the spades are on the top of the pack, the
clubs in the middle, ard the hearts under
meath. The conjurer induces three members
of his audience each to select card, hold
Ing the pack face downward, and with the