The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-25
EVERY MAN HIS OWN WIZARD
PROBES OR HOFFMAN

of an inverted tumbler and back again.
AT the outset of the trick the performer
has on his table, laid evenly one over the
other, couple of pieces of white paper,
about seven inches by six. On these stands,
| upside down. champagne tumoier of
| clear white glass. He picks up the glass.
exhibits and replaces it, still inverted, on
the paper. AS he does so. he draws from
under 1t the upper sheet, and after show
ing this on both sides. twists it into cone.
open at both ends. and OF such a size as
just to fit over the glass, securing it in
shape with a pin. This he places over the
glass, which it should overtop by about
two inches. He then borrows a penny,
and announces that, by his magic power,
| he will make IL pass right through the glass
on TO the table. First, however. he lifts the
paper cone once more, that all may see
that there is nothing under the glass. Hav-
ing done so and replaced the cone, he drops
| the penny through its open end and at the
same time pronouncing the mystic Pass
The coin is heard TO strike the bottom of
the glass. 1T has arrived. L daresay you
heard it so through" he remarks, and
lifting the cone, with the glass inside it,
shows that the coin is lying on the white
paper, having apparently passed through
the glass. THAT is easy enough" he ex-
plains. 1.-The real difficulty is to make the
penny pass up again through the glass:
but with a powerful effort of the will
daresay 1 shall be able to do so. Presto.
Pass.' He now lifts the cone without the
glass. The penny is no longer on the paper,
but is seen to be lying on the upturned
bottom of the glass
The deceptive item in this case is the
tumbler. which is prepared by pasting a
piece of white paper over its mouth. and
when dry trimming off any superfluous
paper that may project beyond the edge.
There are cheap glasses of German make
which have the brim ground fiat. and which
will be found very suitable for the purpose.
The two pieces of paper on the table must
be of the same description as that with
which the glass is covered, and between
them, on the center of the lower sheet,
must be laid penny. The glass is then
placed upside down on the upper sheet,
just over the coin.
When the performer picks up the glass
to exhibit it. he grasps it low down. be-
tween the forefinger and thumb. Thus held,
1T may be shown pretty freely, without
disclosing the fact that the mouth is COW
| cred. In replacing it, he draws away, as
already stated the upper sheet of paper.
The concealed penny is now Immediately
under the glass. but is still hidden, by rea-
son of the covering of the mouth.
| With this explanation the reader will
| readily understand how the supposed pas
sage of the coin is effected. The borrowed
penny falls on the bottom of the glass, and
remains there, the one shown by the lift
ing of the glass being the one which has
been under it from the beginning. When
the glass, still in the paper cone. is placed
over this. it is again concealed. and when
the cone alone is lifted the penny originally
dropped is disclosed. resting on the bottom
of the glass, having ostensibly come back
again.
THE BEWITCHED PENKNIFE.
Among what may be called "off-hand''
tricks, demanding no apparatus and only a
nominal amount of preparation. this one de-
serves an honorable mention. 1t is an old
trick but comparatively little known, and
in the improved form / am about to de-
scribe, will often be found to produce
greater bewilderment than many more pre-
tentious feats.
The visible apparatus consists of pint
} champagne bottle and a borrowed pen
knife. The performer, taking his seat at a
table places the bottle In front of him anc
| drops the penknife. open. into it, He ther
/ | waves his hands about over the bottle pro
: fessedly making mesmeric passes. After Z
I | little while the knife begins jump III
and down in the bottle. When the influ
ence is sufficiently developed it will rap on
. desired numbers, or answer simple ques
tions. jumping three times for "yes," One
| for no. and twice for cant say" afte
| the approved spirituaiistic fashion.
f This surprising phenomenon depends OF
the use of very old auxiliary of the con
o jurer, piece of black thread, in this cas-
Q about two feet in length. (The precis
q length most suited to the performer mus
n be ascretained in the course of previou
: practice) One end of this is attached b.
means of a bent pin to the right trouse
: leg, just above the knee. The opposite END
. to the extent of couple of inches, is an
t ointed with beeswax. This portion is the
/. rolled into ball, and finally into a littl
: cylindrical plug, about three-eighths of a
e inch in length, and six or eight times tn
f thickness of the thread. This little plus
: like the pellet of in former trick,
:. pressed till needed against the lowermos
t button of the performers vest. While ex
It aiming and making some casual remark
O about the penknife offered for his use thi
& should be one of light weight and pref
t erably with square ends) he gets this littl
a plug between the forefinger and thumb. an
e i'm the act of opening the knife so places
that it shall be clipped between the but
of the blade and the end of the spring
d The knife is then dropped into the bottl
n and is made to perform above stated
| ~ Il