The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-05-04

and Convenient Hooks.
LoudoN ARIVaL
l suppose that everybody under.
stands that a conjurer depends consid,
erably upon his costume for assistance
in performing many Of this most myti.
flying tricks,
The old.iashionod conjurer had an
easy timo Of it. He wal artiul enough
to appear in some fancy costume which
enabled him to conceal anything, from
u ~irying.pan down to q five cent piece.
But the modern public is too wide
awake TO stand that sort OF thing, and,
nowadays. up to date artists must up.
pear in the conventional evening dress
Of civilization.
Fortunately. the %swallow-tail coat Is
so cut as to lend considerable assistance
to one who has TO hastily produce or
conceal any article he may want ut tho
moment, and taking advantage OF this,
the coniurer provides himself with
from nino to a dozen extra pockets.
Tho pockets are at the back OF tho
trousers on n Lowell with the knuckles,
these, Of course, carefully hidden by tho
coat tails. The swallow.tail is thus
serviceable in concoaling watches, cards,
handkerchief or anything it may BIO
necessary to put away hastily. Tho
tails OF the coat themselves contain
four little pockets; the lett hand flap OF
the breast coat contains u large pocket
used for what as known Us loading"
large objects, and such c%onjurers US still
perform with live animals ian Ok.
tromely cruel practice, by the way con-
Ccal them here.
have often been asked whether con-
Jurors aro not nervous lest the rabbit
or the guinea pig should kick or squeal,
hut, as q rule, fellow coniurers tell me
that in the case OF rabbits, guinea pigs
aud doves, they are very quiet when
once accustomed to the work. Some
c%onjurers have small, invisible pockets
on their sleeve, in which coins can be
made to disappear in the most tragic
manner Attached 10 the front oil the
waistcoat is u piece OF elastic, which
passes around the body and comes out
Of q little hole in the side OF the waist
coat at tho back. At tho end Of this
elastic there is u small tin cylinder,
| coniCal ut one end, in which the magi.
clan can put IL handkerchief, or, il made
little larger, u bird. Tho couiuror holds
ahandkerchicibeio your eyes, appears
to be rolling it up, while all the time he
is ramming it into the cylinder, lets ii
90, makes d few passes with his hands
and you find that the handkerchief has
disappeared.
Tie vanishing bird trick, which, ! re.
greet to say, kills a great number Of ca.
naries. is performed by means OF nc
Cessories, in which the costume plays u
part. The bird cage itself is made to
collapse into a cigar.shaped tube. The
center Of the cigar shape is naturally
fatter than the ends, and, II the birds
are fortunate, it is secretGd there, and
may como out Of the ordeal alive.
Should, however, the bird get at either
end ii Is crushed todeath, or should the
lcgl ret through the bars they are
certain to be broken. A conjuror nee
told me that he had dono the trick 200
times with one bird, but | should very
much doubt it.
What happensi3 this. Tho bird cage
~ TAllNly IDOkeu " tue clu VI u llCCo
OF whipCord, which passes up the sleeve
and across tho body Of the performer,
and then down the other sleeve, wnere
it Is tied to tho wrist. 1t will thus DO
seen that tho cord is considerably
shorter than will be required to stretch
from each end OF the arms il they aro
extended. Tho cage, being in tho per.
formers hand, is rapidly compressed
and made to assume its cigar shaped
form, and is dragged up the arm at
lightning speed by the simple process
| OF extending tho two arms. This very
simple trick has puzzled millions Of
people. 1t is performed so rapidly that
oven il you closely watch the coulurOr
| doubtIf you will know what he is do
ing. Aitcrwnrl tho Conluror usually
prctOnds TO find tho bird among tho
audience. As n matter OF fact he takGs
another bird ont Of his pocket, and by
ono Of tho simple lodges Of conIurinV
appears to take 1t from some ones neck
or head, or some other convenient place.
Every conjuror has clothes made ac'
cordingyto his own design. Most OF tho
leading performers 20 to n well known
city tailor, and the task Of making the
suit is by no means an easy ono. Tho
clothes huyo to be frequently seen dur.
lng tho process Of making and triul on
many times before they ARE completed.