The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-26
BULLET-CATCHING SECRET.
One of the Famous Tricks of Herr
mann and Others Explained.

One of the Famous Tricks of Herr
mann and Others Explained.
From New York Commercial Advertiser.
Few persons of the many thousands who
have Witnessed the famous bpllet-catching
trick in one or other of its various forms.
know it's real history. The general belief
that it was invented by the celebrated
Prof. Hermann is quite erroneous.
The following interesting Information
was given to the writer by MIR Benjamin
II. Watts. the assistant for many years of
a well known magician who has toured
most of the great cities i'm America Eu-
rope and Asia, giving exhibitions of the
famous trick:
The trick, Mr.. Watts said, was invented
by Philip Ashley the manager of travel
ing show. Before going into this business
he was an American soldier. During his
term of service, Two of his comrades had
a quarrel and decided 10 fight a duel, and
Ashley was asked to act as second TO one
of them. This led to the invention of the
trick.
Eaving succeeded in winning over the
other second, Ashley obtained two blank
tin tubes, closed at one end and just the
right size, shape and color to fit on The
end of the wooden ramrods without being
conspicuous Powder and wadding We're
rammed into the old-fashioued pistols, and
while the antagonists we're selecting the
bullets, the seconds dropped the tubes into
the barrels. When the bullets were drop
ped in they fell into the tin tubes; the rods
were rammed In, the tubes stuck on the
ends and out they came with the bullets
inside them. OF course, neither principal
was injured, and the affair was amicably
adjusted
On turning Snowman. Ashley decided to
make use of the idea in somewhat DIFF
ferent form. A spectator was to ire a
pistol loaded with ball, and Ashley was to
catch the bullet in an apple held on
fork The trick was enormously success
full but it would not pass muster now, be-
cause the method was clumsy and neces-
STATED AStleys going off the stage with
the ramrod and taking the apple The
trick was adopted by other conjurers, and
here begins the trail of blood
The first fatality was the killing of
Snowman in Dublin, by the accidental
substitution of a loaded pistol for the
trick one.
The next appeared at Strassburg in a
sketch called the Son of William Tell The
boy held the apple in his mouth while his
father shot at it. The bullet was supposed
to lodge miraculously in the fruit, which
had. of course been manipulated. The
trick bullet was made of composition
which crumbled on being rammed home
but by mischance a real bullet was used
and the boy was killed on the spot, A
more tragic case was that of murder
brought about by the bullet trick. 1t oc-
CURED about fifteen years ago in then
unsettled portion of Australia. A conju-
rer was announced TO give an entertain
ment one evening, the great turn being
the bullet trick. The bullet was selected
and marked by one of the rough men of
the audience, dropped into the pistol, and
extracted by means of the ramrod in the
usual way The audience waited breath
lessly while one of their number, dead
shot took aim and hred. When the
smoke cleared away, the magician was
seen smiling, with the marked bullet be-
tween his teeth. Just as he was bowling
in Acknowledgement of the applause, a
man jumped on the stage and pointed
pistol al the conjurer's head.
"If YOU are SO good at catchin bullets,
catch this!" he cried as he pulled the
trigger.
The man fell dead Mr.. Watts also told
of a case Of deliberate suicide. A man
named Sartelie loaded the pistol himself
with a real bullet, and took his stand al
the end of the stage for one Of The audi
ence TO fire at hirs He asked that his
mother should be informed of what had
happened if he were killed, which the au
dience regarded as a good joke, but the
significance of which they naturally IN
derstood when he fell dead.
A narrow escape from death was that
of a man named Billy. He had prepared
the pistol and had asked a stupid-looking
young man to come up on the stage and
fire at him. He walked to the end and
took up his position; all was ready when
a man cried out Stop and jumped on
the stage in an excited state. Hf vowed
that he had seen the young man drop
something into the barrel. An examina-
led hraG ~
have done work as deadly as any leaden
bullet
Herrmann's best performance was when
he had had a corporals guard of four
soldiers march into the hall to shoot at
him. -Four bullets were selected ana
marked; the guns were inspected and
found TO be in good order The bullets
were placed on a. tray and handed to the
men. Ii seemed that deception was quite
impossible. When the smoke cleared
away Hermann stood smiling on the
stage, holding the four marked bullets in
his hand.
No ramrods were used at that time;
how, then, was ii done? BY means of
false bottom in the tray. Exceedingly
good imitation bullets were substituted,
and the real ones secreted until the word
was given TO fire. fe
AT one time a mechanical pistol was
used having a movable stud alongside
the trigger. When this was moved the
bullet fell into the holders hand 1t was
most probably a weapon of this kind that
was used by Houdin vixen he was sent
to Algeria by the French government TO
Guido the miracles of the Marabouts and
destroy their ascendancy over the Ara bs.
Peace of Mind-Dabney-"Tm taking
life easier now; my debts are less trou-
blesome." Courtney" Have you at last
4. ~ as