Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1896-10-15
FAMOUS GUN TRICK.
rhe Secret of "Catching Bullets" N,
Longer Mystery.

Longer u Mystery.
Most people have been more or less
puzzled to know how the man who
poses before six ritlemen with shotted
guns manages 10 "catch the bullets"
The trick has often been performed by
Hermann and others of his kind, and
always with belief that while it was
trick, it was yet unfathomable. Fred
ericlS Bancroft, himself professional,
gives the whole snap away. Mr.. Ban
croft says:
",ro begin with, as recently done it
was performed with the aid of six sol
diers under the command of sergeant,
At the rise of the curtain the squad
marched upon the stage and took
position in oblque line on the right,
when, after they had been brought to
attention and order arms, the sergeant
crossed the stage to the left third en-
trance for the assumed purpose of de-
posting his gun and taking from the
same place salver on which the bull
! let's were to be placed. This salver was
6x12 inches and about one inch deep.
In the center there was a small hole
or well large enough to hold six cart
/ ridges. Concealed in the interior OF
: this salver was another compartment
exactly the same size as the exposed
well containing six blank cartridges,
which were hidden from view.
Underneath this salver and concealed
by the hand in which the sergeant car.
ried the salver, was small peg con,
trolling the two compartments. The
salyer was taken by the sergeant tc
the committee, who deposited thereon
the six bullets which had been loaded
and sealed. The sergeant then passed
among the audience and various per
sons took the six cartridges from the
salyer and placed marks upon the bull
let's. They were then deposited bach
in the well. The sergeant then marched
on the stage with the salver held al
arms length, but as he was crossing the
platform he moved the compartment,
down and the blank cartridges up into
the place occupied by the loaded cart
ridges. The loaded cartridges naturally
were then covered up and nothing wa!
exposed but the blanks. This salver h'
then handed to the soldiers, and eacl
one took a cartridge. This is wher'
the mystery comes in, because every
body in the audience was ready Il
swear that the salver with the cartridges
had never left their sight, that th'
sergeant had held it at arms length
and that each soldier had taken &
cartridge therefrom and held it aloft
What they failed TO notice was that
the soldiers held the cartridges with
the rim up, and not the bullet end up.
After the soldiers had taken then
cartridges the sergeant crossed the
stage to the third left entrance fol
the purpose of returning the salver and
securing his gun. This is where the fine
work of the trick comes in. The minute
he deposits the salver two confederates,
who are in the third entrance, take the
cartridges, extract the bullets and put
them on plate which has been heated
so as to make the bullets feel warm
The performer, who has been standing
in the center of the stage all this time
then walks over to his entrance for the
purpose of securing the plateupon which
he proposes to catch the bullets. In the
meantime the soldiers have loaded their
guns with the blank cartridges and
marched to the platform in the audi.
torium and faced about ready to fire
The performer secured the plate and
bullets at the same time, and conceal
ing the bullets in the palm of his hand
he held the plate before him and nodded
to the sergeant to give the command
to fire, which was done and the per
former then turned the plate over will
the bullets on it amidst great applause
The greatest care is taken to see tha
the soldiers have no ammunition of any
, kind, and as there are but six loaded
cartridges in use, and as the magician
does not give the signal to the sergeant
TO fire until he has received the six bul
let's, 1t is easy to be seen that there car
he no danger connected with the feat
as he has the bullets in his hand before
the soldiers fire.
| When | saw the amount of space de
: voted by the papers to this feat ant
noted with what excitement the au
dience witnessed TIE act ! could no
: help thinking with Puck: "What fool
| these mortals be-"