The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-18

IL al tricks and ma gle were sup
posed 80 De performed by the
| power Of the Prince 81 Darkness ant the
| practitioners of the art of magic pursued
their business at the risk Of being arrested
and condemned 10 death for witchcraft
But even after this idea was exploded,
contIrors still affected the dress and mys-
terry OF the oid-time magiciaas. They wore
long. flowing robes, fancifuIiy embroidered
with the signs ~ the zodiac. which. besides
in1pressing their audiences greatly were
very useful for the concealment of objects
which the eoniuror wished TO produce sud
denly. The stage also vas fancifuiIy
d!aped and the table covered with a long
| cloth. concealing assistants. With such
| meretricious aids and secret confederates.
Conjuring vas easy.
To a Frenchman il due the credit for re-
nouncing ali such aids. and Of performing
novel tricks in an apparently open man
ner. jean Eugene Robert the father OF
modern conjlring, was the son OK watch
maker. and was born at Blois in 1906 His
genius for mechanical construction was
early apparent. and while at school he
made some elaborate wooden works, which
were set in motion by captive mouse
Despite this pronounced bent for uechan-
les. his father placed him in a LAWYERS
office His first deed there was TO arrange
| large birdcage, so that the inmates had
70 work for their living. pulling up buck
cts from well for a drink, and hauling
up little wagons OF seed for their dinner
About this time his father had intrusted
10 him for repairs mechanical snuffbox.
and after six months work In the early
morning. young Robert succeeded in max
Ing similar box. On the lid there was
a picture OF a wood; when a spring was
touched. little rabbit run out OF il and
began TO eat on the roadside. Then a man
and dog appeared. and the former. rails
ing his gun, fred at the rabbit, which fed,
followed by the dog.
Convinced by this and other efforts Of
his son that Jean would never make a
lawyer, Nj. Robert allowed him to devote
his time To mechanical work. in which he
soon became an adept When twenty-five
years old he went 10 Paris. where he met
and married Mademoieeile Houdin. whose
name he added to his own. as is frequently
done In France. At the exhibition OF 1899
NJ Robert-Houdin was awarded a silver
medal for mechanical ingenuity. He con-
structed writing table at which a man
was seated with writing materials. This
figure on being asked any question i'm
mediately wrote down an answer to it.
For this purpose Houdin had prepared
set OF answers which would fit any Ques-
ton. and by secretly setting in motion the
machinery, after the question had been
the reply before his eyes Another auto
maton Of Houdin's was a bakery with
cooks working inside: one OF them came
TO the door, and on receiving an order for
a certain kind Of cake disappeared in the
house. and Immediately returned with IT.
In his spare moments Houdin was as
siduously practising the art Of coniuring
and in 1916 he opened a little theater in
the Palais Royal. His performance was
different from that OF all other magicians
He had no ponderpus double bottomed
boxes and tables: he renowned the use OF
cnnfederateS and the long astrologer's
robe, appearing in simple evening dress
For the gorgeous and cumbrous apparatus
Of the Old conturor. Houdin substituted
genuine skill. "the quckness OF the hand
which deceives the eye Of which the
modern tuggler 50 gibly talks. was intro
duced by H0udin. and his tricks were as
novel and fresh "a his methods. Nearly
all the best tricks Of today were invented
by Houdin. He had a crystal clock which
struck any hour a spectator called for.
glass box, swinging in the air. into which
marked coins mysteriously passed. The
feats ~ producing a bowl Of water with
gold fish swimming therein from a hand
kerchicf Of pouring out a giassful ot any
wine and Nquor from an Inc Xhaustible
bottle. - were all designed by Houdin. and
last. but not least, so also was the mystery
OF second-sight. All Paris focked 10 see
theae wonderful performances. and Houdin
soon amaSsed n fortune. and retired to de-
vote his time to experiments In mechanics
and electricity.
But In 1856 he consented. 10 resume his role
as coniuror and 80 10 Algeria as the
representative Of the French government.
The Arabs OF that country lived in a state
Of intermittent warfare with the French
constantly rising in rebellion like the In
dian tribes on our northwest frontier
Just as the latter are constantly melted
TO rebel by their nullahs or priests whom
they regard as divinely inspired AZ the
Arabs were under the control OF the mara
bouts, who retained their religious author
fly by performing foats OF native magic
In order to prove the superiority ~ the
French Houdn was invited 70 visit Al
gi.rs and expose the paltriness % the
mara bouts tricks by performing his own
wonders
To witness Houin's first performance
in Alsicrs the ueighborlug tribes were in
vjted The theater was speedily filed with
them and the French officials who al
tended In al their pomp and glory Inter
prefers were scattered through the house
in order 10 repeat Houlin's remarks TO
the natives in their own language With
true Oriental dignity and gravity. the
Arabs witnessed the first few tricks In sto-
III silence hut the taking ~ huge can
non bail from a borrowed hat aroused
great excitement, The Arabs being Mo-
hammedans o. not drink wine. 80 for his
inexhaustjH" bottle Hou1in substituted an
InexhauStibe bowl. from which he poured
o-t steauling hot coffee The Arabs tasted
the r~>t cups ;fm5;iy bat ali fears aS % It's
evil origin vanished. and coffee was in
great request
T~nen came the great tricks Of the even
i0g-e~pecialy PREPARED - astonsh the