Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-03-04
AMERICAN NERVE AT PAR
Conjurer Takes Liberties with King
Edward and startles British
Royalty.

To mystify his majesty King Edward VII,
a man who has seen everything that there
is to see and knows the tricks OF every one
from courtiers to cooks, is to achieve the
almost impossible. Yet that is the partic-
ular feather which graces the cap of Max
Malini. young New York conjurer who is
about to return to America after success
full trip abroad. during which he was a
guest of the duke OF Portland at welbeck.
Mr.. Malinl had been specially engaged to
entertain a distinguished party. including
King Edward and the queen, and found
that he was expected to do his conjurng
and legerdemain at the very elbows OF his
audience. as it were. In fact he was never
further away than few feet from the king
even when trying to puzzle the royal eye
and mystify the regal mind with his most
novel tricks. That he succeeded so we'll is
great tribute to his ingenuity and skill.
When the king entered the room Mr.. Ma
ini. taking this as signal to begin his per-
Torrance, opened fire. when his majesty in
terrupted him by saying:
Mr.. Malini the queen is not here yet"
The entertainment, therefore, did not
commence until Queen Alexandra entered
the room. Her majesty gave Malini smile
Of recognition. for he had entertained her
before at a party at Lady de Grays house.
The conjurer. after a few simpler tricks.
which, nevertheless, puzzled every one, cut
button from the duke of Portland's coat
and mysteriously replaced it, with no sign
of its having ever been removed. He made
coins appear In the most unexpected places
and took liberties with the royal garments
by having King Edward discover pack of
cards in his waistcoat pocket. where no
one had seen them placed. Even the queen s
handkerchief was brought into the tricks.
and was found first in the duke of Port
lands hat and next In the kings glove,
which he had held in his clinched hand all
the while.
For three-quarters of an hour the king
and the others watched the conjurers per-
Torrance with unbounded interest, his maj
esty making the same exclamation, WON
derful!" at the completion of each new feat
But 1t was when the famous bllndfold trick,
invented and used exclusively by Malini,
was done that his enthusiasm and mystif-
cation rose to their greatest
This trick consists in handing a pack OF
cards to the audience and having several
OF them select a card These cards are not
removed and each person simply makes a
| mental record OF the card. he has chosen.
| Tho cards are then shuff1ed and placed face
downward on the table. Malini. blind.
| folded, then, with the point of little dag
| ger, picks from the deck the cards that
were chosen by his audience. The kine
was completely staggered by this trick
| This is not surprising, however. for ever
President Roosevelt, for whom Malni gave
| an exhibition at the White House a short
time ago acknowledged himself bafied by
! II.
Il wish to thank you personally for the
! great pleasure YOU have given me-" saiC
King Edward to Malini at the close of the
performance.
II never performed before more appre
ciative or completely interested man thar
| the king of England" says Malini. il
speaking of the event HE was pleased
as child with each trick. | have saved
the pack of cards / used in my tricks fo
him. and shall have II framed in gold ant
preserved. / would not sell a single care
of the ffty-two for $500
Malni in spite of his Italian name. is
German by birth but came with his parents
to this country when a small boy In New
York he began TO study and practic,
! slcight- hand, and soon became an ex
pert. lie has appeared before the mos
select audiences here and in Europe an,
makes a speciality more of private enter
tainments than OF public exhibitions. though
he has done both.-New York World