The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-16

| Tim and w. S. NJ. Pinkham: Sumter, q.
| Nelson; Suwannee, +. i. Reece and J.
| NJ. \. Peacock; Taylor, J. r. Kelly popu-
list Folusia, G. p. Heaiey and w. S.
! Ihayer; Wakulla, T.. J. Baker; Walton,
=. ID. McSween; Washington, j. r. Wells.
THE BULLET-CATCHING TRICK.
Hermann, the Magician, Tells How it
Res Been Done, but Not How He
Did It.
Hermann, the magician in an article
published in the Boston Sunday Herald. in
which he describes some of his wonderful
tricks, writes: The huuet-dring test nlu-
sion or trick, call it as you may, recently
performed in the Metropolitan opera
| house, New York, for the benefit of the
Herald free ice fund. probably attracted
more attention than any in this coun-
try, and numerous We're the solutions Of
fered and explanations given.
Now, the idea of being fired at with
powder and ball is by no means original
with me, nor is 1t new. To the manner OF
its execution only do l lay the claim of
originality. So marvellous was the an
nouncement that performer would al
low himself to be fired at with powder
and ball that the French government en-
| ployed Robert Houdin to 90 to north
Africa and convince the Arabic chiefs
! that the FrenChman was a very superior
| individual. His mission was to strike ter
ror into the hearts of the Arabs by show
ing them that a F'renchman might at VIII
| render himself bullet-proof, and it was re-
corded that Robert Houdin took a pair Of
dueling pistols and loaded them with
powder furnished by the Arab chiefs, and
] Wi lrr 4 hill
received the fire of these pistols without
sustaining the slightest injury.
After bullets previously marked had
been loaded into pistols furnished by the
Arabian chief and we'll rammed home the
chief fired point blank the length of the
dining room table at the magician. He
smilingly caught il between his teeth and
returned it to the arab to the great aston
ishment of all present. Then Houdin
picked up the remaining pistol on the ta-
Bile, and with the remark, Your aim is
not so deadly as mine" he fired against
the white wall of the room and caused
spot OF blood to appear exactly where the
bullet struck.
This feat was performed in this man
ner: The pistols were of large caliber and
Houdn had prepared himself for the trick
by running melted wax into the bullet
mould allowing it to remain long enough
to partly cool; the mould was inverted
and the hot wax was allowed to run out,
leaving thin shell the shape and size of
an ordinary pistol bullet The hole Where
| the hot wax escaped, was sealed .ub and
the whole bullet thus created was black
ened with lampblaek, so that it resem-
bled regular leaden bullet Then the
| performer took another hollow wax bullet
| with little thicker she'll than the first
one, and filled it with buIlock's blood,
which was sealed in and the bullet dis
colored. On the night of a, performance,
which was at the close of q dinner he
took the two leaden bullets handed him
| by the chief, examined their pistols, saw
! that they were empty, and in their pres
ehce put III the two charges of powder;
| then he caused the bullets to be marked
and returned to him He dextrousIv
| paImed the leaden bullets and substituted
! those mode of wax, the one that was to
| be fired at him was dropped into the bar
! rel OF the pistol and the Wad over IT was
| ranmed down sufficiently hard to reduce
! the wax to powder which was harmless
! the length of the long dining table. He
| then took the one containing the blood
! and fired it at the white wall. he having
! been careful not to break it by not ram
ming 1t too hard. The effect on the
Arabs was indescribable, and there is no
! doubt that Houdin's trip to the north of
Africa resulted as he intended-for the
! benefit of the French government.
another way Of performing the shoot
ing trlck Is by having the pistol or gun
made so that the tube that connects with
the poWder-pin if it be a flint lock- or
with a cap If 1t be a percussion lock, in
stead OF running into the breech OF the
barrel proper runs down into the tube
! that contains the ramrod Then the com
! mlttee is called upon to mark the bullet
! load the piece and fire at the performer.
Now, the false barrel or ramrod tube
has previously been loaded with strong
charge OF powder and wad only, the ram
! rod is laid aside, the piece speaks as loud
! ~ as though the charge were fired from
the regular barrel while no part of the
| barrel proper is charged with powder and
! the leaden bullet remains undisturbed the
one marked by the committee having been
palmed by the performer, is presented,
and the thing is DONE
Still another way of performing the
trick is by having the ramrod with A
! clamp inside a hole cut at the end, so that
| when the bullet is dropped in the barrel of
! the piece and rammed down the ramrod
! clutches it firmly, and the harder the
| charge is rammed, the more firmly the
| bullet is fixed to the end of the ramrod,
! but both are drawn and laid aside to-
| gether leaving nothing but the blank
| charge to fire at the performer
or course, these explanations are given
| of the manner in which the trick is per-
! formed with the od-fashioned muzzle
! lodulHS weapons, and. the only eNplana-
! tlon can give Of the way in which il is
| done with breach loading guns and metal
| lie cartridges furnished by the United
states government is to take the regular
/ Springfield rifle, the regular ammunition,
! tell the codiers to aim straight and fire
together, and DO the trick the same as it
was done at the Metropolitan opera house
| before over 5000 people.
Consistency IS a jewel, and / would not
! be consistent did 1 not retire behind the
| curtain Of mystery when it comes 10 an
| explanation Of the manner in which the
thing can possibly be done with breech-
/ loading weapons.