The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-20

body suggested that they make up a par
ty to visit the Center market in the MORN
ing, and watch the professor have fun with
the country people. Hermann assented,
and told the crowd to meet him at Fred
Mussey's Office at 7 a. m.
1t was in the middle of winter, and a
blizzard sprung up in the night. but the
crowd was on hand promptly, all except
Hermann. The fire had gone out in Mus
Sey's office, and they sat around shivering
for an hour, and then swore for an hour
longer, and at 9 o'clock sent messenger
boy with note of remonstrance to Herr
mann's hotel Pretty soon the messenger
came trotting back with a merrily worded
reply stating that the professor had for
gotten on the previous evening that he had
taken a solemn obligation many years be-
fore never to get up before noon. But that
if the crowd would come over to the thea
ter that night they could judge which was
the better surprise, the vanishing lady or
the vanishing Hermann" 1t is only JUS
tice to say that the professor subsequently
set up supper on the strength of his joke.
He was never happier than when dis
playing his magic before an audience that
had real faith in black magic as well as
white, and couple of seasons ago he had
an excellent opportunity While he was
playing an engagement at the Grand OPP
era house in Washington. Capt. Whitman,
of the Eighth cavalry, was on here with
party of Brule Sioux and Arapahoes from
the reservation, transacting some business
with the interior department. He took his
dusky wards half a dozen of them all told,
to see the performance at the opera house.
The Indians were down in the second or
third row, and Hermann saw his chance
as soon as the curtain went up. He didn't
do a thing but have fun with those fnno-
cent Indians all the evening. He found
canary bird concealed in the hair OF one
of them and pulled a live rabbit out from
under another's blanket. He gave one OF
them a Iady's handkerchief to hold and
when he took it back pulled 1t out into
cotton bandage, about eight feet long. He
let them pick cards out of a pack, and
then had his Esprit hand on the stage tell
them what cards they were holding, and
altogether convinced them before the even
ing was over that if they were not actually
holding converse with the devil himself
that the small man with the pointed beard
must be very bad medicine"
But the climax came when Nine. Herr
mann appeared to do her vanishing lady
trick, which was that year arranged In
a chair with drop canopy over 1t, I'M
der the programme title of 1.-The Caliph
of Bagdad." Nine. Hermann was seated
in the chair, and two of the audience
were called on the stage to hold her hands
after the canopy was dropped over her,
to make sure that she did not get away.
One of these safeguards was a young fell
low in evening dress, but Prof. Hermann
called Stumbling Bear for the other.
Nine. Hermann smiled sweetly on them
as she extended them two delicate little
hands through the sits in the canopy.
The cover was then dropped over her
completely, and Hermann, stepping back,
fired pointblank at the chair with six
shooter. AT the report of the pistol the
cover of the chair was whisked away
and the chair was empty Nine. Herr
mann's fingers had slipped from the hands
that held her and she was gone The
house broke out into roar, of course.
and the young man in evening dress arose,
smiling somewhat sheepishly, and started
back to his seat. But Stumbling Bear
was petrified In spite of the applause
in the house behind him, he remained
fixed as a statue, his hand extended just
where he had held Nine Herrmann's
fingers, and stared at the chair as though
he was not sure whether he was crazy
or whether everybody else was. He would
probably have been standing there yet
but Nine Hermann stepped out from
the wings, and tapping him lightly on the
shoulder, laughingly shook hands with
him. That broke the spell, and the In
dian walked slowly back to his seat shak-
ing his head, probably thinking to him
self just about what Hamlet said to Ho-
ratio.
Another story that Hermann was fond
of telling was where he had perhaps as
credulous, if a somewhat more distin-
guished subjects. He was in CONSTANT
nople and was given a special audience
with the sultan The next day was set
for a private display of the wizards
powers at the palace so he was on the
alert for something startling. The sultan
had a very handsome watch which Herr
mann got a good look a in the course of
the interview. He too stock of that
watch, and going out Immediately secured
the bazars till he had gotten one that
was ringer for it.
The next day at the palace after two
or three minor tricks, he asked the loan
of the sultan's time piece and quietly sub
shutting the bazaar watch for it handed
that back and requested his exalted high
ness to drop it into an iron mortar which
was one of the stage properties. Then
Hermann took pestle and coolly ground
the watch up into small pieces. The sui
tan looked on rather displeased at the
liberty and didn't see much fun in it when
the wizard scooped up a handful of
springs and wheels and bits of case and
asked his highness if he had a jeweler
who could put them together.
AS no one would undertake the Job, the
professor loaded the fragments into an
old blunderbuss, took a pot shot at one
of the sultan's bodyguard, and then ex-
tracted the original watch unframed
from the Nubian's mouth 1t was qret-
ty expensive trick and one that it would
not do to repeat very often. But the pro-
fessor was playing that trip for a repu-
tation, and in a few days he got back
his investment with interest in the shape
of a gold medal set with diamonds.