Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1896-06-13
''HANKY PANKY.
cd many years ago was a rather
J. H. coNNELLY.

crryrI amateur performer Of "parlor
magic" and, through my liking for it
and the purchase Of apparatus, became
acquainted With number of profess
sional "magicians.' men who in public
called their art "prestidigitaiion' and
privately referred to it as "hanky
panky." One Of the brightest was
Charlie Hines, known 70 the public as
Sheik Russian.
When | first met him, he was accom-.
panied and assisted on the stage by a |
very pretty woman. ''the Princess Gut
mare" who in private life had been Mrs
Tom Briggs. The Briggs domestic hor-
lion had been rather confined for her
tastes, perhaps little gloomy BY com
parison with the footlight world as seen
"from the front" but fancy She was a
little disillusioned already when en-
countered ter.
Mrs Briggs became Charles stage
assistant while her husband was away
in Mexico as engineer of railway or
mine-I never clearly knew which and
when he learned of it, which was not
until several months later, he took the
matter SO philosoPhically that 1t was
thought he never would make any trou
bic about It. He had only expected to
be gone ten months when he went
away; but having nothing particular to
come back for when his home was
broken up, he staid in Mexico nearly
two years, and il was only on business
accounts that he even then returned.
Perhaps he would have gone off again
without even thinking Of the woman
who had dropped out Of his life or the
man to whom She had dropped hao he
not taken some trouble making advice
from Bacchus and when in a sufficiently
ugly mood happened to notice an adver-
Using poster bearing pictures Of Sheik
Russian and the Princess Guiaare, then
performing in town.
The stage door keeper tried to keep
him out, but was promptly knocked
down and Mr. Briggs passed triumphant
behind the scenes. Almost imme-
diately he caught sight of Charlie on
the opposite side of the stage just
going on TO do the goldfish trick, and
with mischievous quickness put in prac-
tice an mpllshment which he had
acquired among the greasers the
throwing of the bowie knife Forum
ately it was a long throw across the
stage, AMI though the aim was good and
the knife flew point foremost In a most
business like fashion, its force was so
far spent by the time the target was
reached that when it struck the convex
button Of a heavy goldfish dish in Char
lies breast pocket it glanced, darted off
to one side and stuck quivering in the
floor, without doing any more harm
than cutting long cash in the magi-
clans coat Before Mr. Briggs could
do anything more to make himself dis
agree able, he was seized, and to avoid
scandal quietly put out of the back
door, with an admonifion to go and sin
no more Charlie and the ex-Mrs.
Briggs were very badly scared,
and in their excitement frankly told me
who the invader was, ana the probable
reason ne might have imagined he had
for his rudeness Tho amusement sea-
son was nearly over and at my suggest
ion they secluded themselves until Mr..
Briggs went away to Mexico again,
which he did without making any effort
to hunt them, 50 far a, they knew, and
perhaps thought no more about them
when he became sober During the
three following wears We h,ard no more
of Mr.. Briggs Then came rumor
that some jealous Mexican had fatally
carved him, and the extreme probability
of such thing added to It's desirability
point of view held BY the Sheik aud the
Princess, impelled crcdense to the
story.
The Shiek Russian made great nit in
Deadwood His new variation on the
old "pistol trick" created positive fu-
rore, for it was in itself really good, and
the way he orked up to 1t greatly in.
creased its effect When about to per.
form it, he would expose the two ways
in which it was formerly done In one
of those the apparent barrel Of the pistol
dropped its bad into the performers
hand when he pressed a certain spring
and the report. when the weapon was
the ramrod socket The other was per.
formed BY the use Of bullets formed Oh
plumbago, which were easily crushed
the ramrod in loading, these sham bull
lets being substituted by slight of hand
for the leaden ones. Having fully ex.
planned and illustrated the old ways
Charlie would take apart the pistol he
was about to use, pass around separately
for inspt ction its barrel, stock and lock
which would al his request be put to
gether by some spectator Then hand
full of solid leaden bullets wer5 offcret
from which one marked hy two OF thrc,
persons would be dropped by one o
them into the barred onto the charge o
rammed home. To assure himself tina
the ramming IA been thorough
he exclaimed was essential to his safeti
he would press the bullet down firml
with the end Of his baton, the pistol stil
/ III -, a