The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-02
USE. MAGIC ON. THE ROAD.
COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS NOW WIN
CUSTOMERS BY LEGERDEMAIN,


Wandering Prestidigitateurs-O
School Drummmcrs Are Supersed-
ed by Sleight-Of-Hand Rivals.
From the Chicago Chronicle.
In his lowly little shop over on Illinois
street a well-known inventor and manu-
facturer of magicians' supplies is playing
a part of considerable importance in revo-.
lutionizing the methods of the drummers
of the country. The old drummer who de-
pended upon various vinous. malt and
| spirituous liquors and budget of not too
refined stories to arrest the attention and
arouse the interest of customers Is slow
| ly passing away. In his place is coming
the commercial traveller who goes out on
the road fortified with lot of tricks and
startling sleight-of -hand feats which ex-
cite the interest and curiosity of his pros
pective customers. The drummers have
| seen the approaching revulsion from the
old school and most of them have been
hustling around educating themselves in
the arts of legerdemain. A few of the
boys have already become experts. Two
or three drummers have been studying
and practicing magic for years and are
now known almost all over the country
for their remarkable Skill
In the future the country merchants and
buyers may expect to be approached by
drummers from a new standpoint. Sto-
ries with a strong Rabelais flavor viii not
see the service they have in the past. They
are now passe and if they ever were effica-
| cious they will not be so any longer When
| the buyer sees a drummer come I'm the
| door next season he must be prepared for
| surprises. He must fortify his nerves so
| that he can withstand the shock produced
| when the drummer tears up 81 bill and
blows the remains into a ten, changes
spots on card while he is closely watch
| ed, or pulls ts9ns off a coat and replaces
| them by a slap of his hand. The smooth
travelling man will reel off trick after trick
until he has his customers halfway
hypnotlzed before he breaches the subject
| of trade. While the prospective buyer is
more or less in this hynotic condition the
salesman will sell him 800 or 400 yards
| of calico, forty or fifty sugar-cured hams
or whatever commodity the drummer
handles.
| A Roterberg at his establishment in IL
| linois street is busy from morning until
/ night teaching drummers tricks and de-
vising new receptions to be practised on
| those who are more or less familiar with
! the conjurers' usual performances. Mr..
| Roterberg instructs the travelling men in
what are called pocket tricks"-that is,
those which can be played with things
which may be carried in the pocket. Hand
/ kerchiefs, pencils, knives, coins, paper and
small objects of special manufacture are
used by the amateur prestidigitateur
The manner of playing some of the best
| tricks was disclosed by the manufacturer.
| One of the most effective ones which he il
| Illustrated is knocking or pulling a coin
| from handkerchief within the center of
which the coin has been placed. The pro-
| fessor says this is the most audacious trick
he knows when 1t Is played in one Of sew
eral ways in which he performs it. 20
When it is done in this way the operator
| places a half-dollar in the middle of a
| handkerchief. Then with the other hand
| he apparently takes hold of the coin with
| the handkerchief between his fingers and
the metal The sides and corners of the
| handkerchief fall downward and anyone
| who wishes to assist is invited to grasp
| the handkerchief 50 that the coin will be
| held firmly In the center of the handker-
| chief where escape is impossible. With a
| little pull on the coin or by striking IL with
| the wand the half-dollar seemingly slips
right through the handkerchief into the
hand of the performer.
| This is one of the simplest tricks ever
| devised When the conjurer seems to
| grasp the handkerchief he Is really TAX
! ing hold of only the middle of the hand
| kerchief. With the hand by which he
| has Just placed the coin in the handker-
| chief he removes 1t while the attention
| of observers Is directed toward the hand
grasping what is supposed to be the half
| dollar. The coin is placed against the
| outside of the handkerchief on the oppo-
| site side from observers and the folds are
drawn around il at the very place where
is m he
rest of the trick is then, of course, plain,
| Even professionals have been often mys-
| tilted by this simple deception.
An excellent trick is taught the drum
mers for making people think they are
| color blind Two little cubes, the size of
| dice, colored on all sides, are all that is
| necessary. The two cubes are held side
by side between the forefnger and thumb.
The drummer shows the two sides, front
and back, as they appear in his fingers.
to his customers and tells them to note
the colors. No two sides of a single cube
have the same colors, and the drummer
either tells his audience that all are af-
hicted with color-blindness or that he can
make the colors change without moving
the cubes.
The observer notes. for instance, that
when one side is shown both cubes are
green, and that on the other side one cube
is white and the otheD green. When the
first side is turned toward him again, he
is astounded to see that, instead OF both
still being green, one has turned to red
and the other to yellow. The trick Ia done
by turning the cubes, but IL is almost
impossible for the eye to detect the slight
counter motions OF the thumb and finger
which roll the little cubes sufficiently to
expose another side,
A clever new trick has been devised by
the introduction of hollow. false finger.
The finger is tinted flesh color and Is made
TO fit on the hand between the third and
fourth fingers II is held in place by two
projecting points. A large silk scarf made
of very thin material is stuffed inside of
the hollow finger, which is then surrepu-
tiously placed on the hand while the per-
former IS standing some distance from his
crowd. His sleeves have been previously
rolled up and he holds his hands high in
the air, opens them and turns them about
| rather quickly so that 1t can be seen moth
Lal