The evening times., 1898-04-16
DONE BY A vAaRANT WIZARD.
Among the Astonishing Things He
Did Was to Say Presto.

(From the Buffalo Express.)
A squat little fellow with sallow COM
plexion. curly black hair Roman fea-
lures and Italian accent strolled into
the buffet of the Iroquois at $3.50 o'clock
last night. He was about twenty-four
years old, smooth shaven, wore dark
suit. tan evercoat and black derby hat
He walked up to the Hon Cornelius
Coughlin, leader of the Democracy of the
South, and smiled.
PRESTO he exclaimed in a soft gut
tural and he plucked a lemon out Of
Mr.. Coughlin's left ear.
PRESTO he repeated and picked a
knife out of w J, Connors' right eye.
"Prestol'' he said again and took a dol
lar out of Frank,sL. Bapsts nose.
He threw the dollar up in the air and
it vanished. He stuck the knife In the
lemon and tossed d-them ceilingward and
they never Gamer back-at least no one
saw them. He held out his hand, palm
upward, closed it, opened 1t. and 10! IL
held a deck of cards. He shuffied the
cards quickly with fan shuttle.
Look at the cards as I shuttle" said
he to William X Kinch. Don't tell
me what it is You've thought? There's
your card" and he threw a card face
downward on the marble top of the
table.
Kinch looked at Che card.
Wrong he said, and threw the card
down again on its face. That's the nine
of diamonds" i looked and thought of
the five of clubs. -
Pick up the card" said the wizard.
Kinch picked IL up. 1t was the five of
clubs.
PRESTO said the magician.
He handed the deck of cards to James
Kennedy, who was sitting beside w. J.
Connors.
Look at card he said.
Kennedy peeped at card.
Pass the deck on said the wizard.
Kennedy handed ii to Connors, who
peeped at a card and handed the deck
to Coughlin, who also peeped at a card;
then they shuffied the deck and handed
II back TO the wizard, who shuffed the
deck and took off the top card. He hand
ed it to Kennedy Kennedy looked at it.
Wrong" he said. and handed 1t to Con-
nors
Wrong" said Connors, and handed it
to Bapst.
Wrong, said Bapst, and handed ii to
Coughlin.
Wrong" said Coughlin.
The card was the ace of spades.
Look at the card again. said the wiz
ard.
lOuSHnil lOohtt All saw IL NsiAH
was the three of clubs, the card Coughlin
had selected in his peep into the pack
The wizard handed the card to Bapst,
who looked at il, and 10, ii was the jack
of clubs, Bapst's card. The wizard hand
ed 1t to Connors, and To- it was the queen
of spades, Connors's card. The wizard
handed 1t to Kennedy and IL was the ace
of spades again.
Wrong" said Kennedy. MY card was
tho three of diamonds q"
That's the three of diamonds" said
the wizard.
All looked 1t was the three of dia-
monds.
BY this time the cafe was crowded with
people. Every one was jostling and eager
to see what would happen next. The
wizard plucked cards from everywhere.
and sent them spinning into nowhere.
He asked Commissioner Martin Maher
to bIindfold him. They not only tied
handkerchief over his eyes. but waiter
tied a towel over the handkerchief. Then,
blindfolded. the wizard had the four men
select four cards without his touching the
deck. They put the cards back in the
deck. shuffied it, cut it into three piles.
and laid the piles on the marble table.
The wizard borrowed a knife from
Kinchs left ear and opened it.
Presto said he, and scattered the
cards over the table with the point of The
blade.
Then ore by one he picked out the four
cards the four men had looked at. and
impaled them on the tip of the knife. He
was blindfolded all the while and had
not touched the deck with his fingers.
The spectators began TO feel creepy. The
wizard removed the bandages from his
eyes and took up a collection. His hat
held a number Of silver pieces. He
jingled them and turned the hat upside
down. There was nothing In 1t. He
bought a drink. The glass seemed to
vanish down his throat. He turned and
took it out Of drummers hat He laid
20 cents on the cashiers desk pointing
at it, and il vanished. He snapped his
fingers and demon lay on the desk He
threw the lemon up in the air and walked
out. The lemon vanished and the wizard
found IL in atman,s hat in the lobby Of
the hotel.
He halted and tore button off Mr..
Coughlins s coat. He put it back and told
Mr.. Coughlan TO blow on it, Mr.. Cough
lin blew and' the button was back in
place, and bore no sign of having been
removed. He threw a card up ten feet in
the air. 1t sailed back and rested on his
open palm. He did IL again He tossed
the card a third time and il vanished
Then the wizard vanished leaving "A lot |
OF dazed and creepy men behind him.