The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-27
A VEST POCKET PHONE.
Tiny Plant Constructed I'm Paris For
Magician.

Magician.
From the Philadelphia Record.
AN italian magician. Pigliani, has been
very successful performing clever trick
in Paris which has earned for him the
cognomen of the Man Ear" He has
been performing In a very large hall in
Paris, and during the evening his assist
ant at the other end of the room finds
some excuse to ask a question of per-
son in the audience. far away from the
magician on the stage. In an instant the
answer comes from the lips of the magi-
clan instead of his assistant, to whom It
was addressed. The effect Is very puz-
zling. 1t is then explained that the ma
giclan had anticipated the question by
his art of mind reading. The assistant
then adroitly selects certain persons who
happen to be sitting near him and gives
them the opportunity of asking any ques-
ton Each avais himself of the chance,
the answer comes with astonishing
promptness from the man on the stage,
who is probably fifty feet away. Pigliani
has booked himself on the subjects which
are most likely to be dealt with by a
questioner, and has great fund Of gem
eral knowledge which he draws from. II
he does not have at hand the information
asked for, he says so, but he does It so
quickly that the effect is truly puzzling
The explanation that the man is a mind
reader is only for the purpose OF throwing
his patrons from suspecting his real meth
DDS, but the trick is done by the aid of a
miniature telephone plant. This was con-
structed for him by Troupe the Partisan
electrician. The latter exposed the trick
after Piglani ended his engagement in
Paris and had started on a tour of the
continent 1t is regarded as a marvel of
the electricians art. In the first place the
floor of the stage and the auditorium Is
generously studded with metal plates
hardly larger than a nail head and these
are connected by wires hanging under the
floor. The magician on the stage wears
a heavy wig which conceals a pair Of
tiny rubber covered transmitters hardly
larger than dime, which are fastened in
his ears. The necessary wires are also
hidden by his looks. The wire passes down
under the colthing and ends In plate
sunk In the shoe sole, The confederate
wears a shirt bosom Of a hard specially
prepared cellulod, which acts as the dia-
phragm Of a telephone transmitter. This
is fitted with the necessary apparatus and
wires, the latter terminating in the plates
in the sole of the shoe.
AS each Of these men stand on a couple
OF these metal plates, the circuit Is es-
tabllshed ana a whisper uttered In the
near presence OF the shirt bosom Is car
ried to Pigliana. The number Of metal
plates allows the men to move around and
avert suspicion. The thing is simple
enough, but no one contemplates that a
telephone plant could be crowded into so
little space.
The Illusion which Pgliani has so sue
cessfully secured was destroyed by the
electrician in order that the latter might
get proper credit for his work which Is a
marvel of scientific mechanism. He dis
plays a duplicate phone outht which he
made on the same lines as the one built
for the wizard and It Is attracting great
attention from the few that are invited TO
inspect II. .4