The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1906-10-30
Exposed And Innocent Instru-
ments Become Complex.
Mechanical Devices Play Important
Part In Great Feats OF Legcr-
l domain.
ILLUSIONS OF THE STAGE

objects in the window, in which Is
manufactured most OF the magicians'
apparatus used in North and South
America, and a good deal that is used
in Europe and the Orient. Persons
Interested in the occult would be sur
prised to see on the books of the es-
Enlistment the orders from India
itself for apparatus to be used in
conJuring tricks by native Indians.
The little shop is the headquarters
of magic in America. The walls are
covered with portraits Of famous per-
formers, the place is full of souvenirs
OF them and the proprietor can tell
May stories of them and their art.
| He has. for instance, the vanish
ing cage of Buntier de Kolta, which
Mrs. de Kolta presented to him after
the death of the conjurer, Sleight-
of-hand men declare that de Kolta
was the greatest prestidgitator that
ever lived. He never used a trick
Invented by any other person, and he
IS said to have Invented more tricks
which have been copied by other per-
formers than any other man.
This vanishing cage was a favorite.
1t was simply bird cage. containing
a live canary, which he held out in
plain view OF the audience. Then
the whole thing disappeared.
That was all there was to 1t, but
1t was most mysterious. The cage
was collapsible and disappeared up
de Kolta's sleeve. The art consisted
in making It disappear invislbly and
without hurrying the canary.
De Kolta made this cage with his
own hands. Most prestidlgitators
have been expert mechanioians. Many
of them have originally been watch
makers or optical instrument manu-
facturers. The next most prolific
sources of supply have been the pro-
fessions Of chemistry and medicine.
A souvenir OF Alexander the
Great" Hermann shows the pleasure
which that prince OF the art took in
his own hocus pocus. This was too
small la trick to use on the stage, and
he invented it merely to amuse his
friends in his own home.
1t is a little cabinet OF ebony. IN
laid with morher-oittearl, contain
ing thirty-two small drawers, just
the size of a playing card, all num-
bered. The observer was asked to
choose one OF the 81 cards and to
name the drawer in which he would
have It appear. The card always APP
peared In the right drawer.
The conjurer's art lay in compell-
ing the selection OF the right card
the drawers had false bottoms and
springs. and a card like that selected
had been previously concealed In all
Of them, waiting for a deft pressure
to bring 1t to light in the drawer Sc
lected.
Visitors to the proprietor of this
little shop of mace sometimes sit
down unawares upon plain. old
fashioned sofa, which they are sur
prised to learn was once the throne
of high priestess OF the occult. Miss
Haldie Heller, In her famous second
sight act with Robert Heller. This
trick awakened wide interest 80 years
ago. 1t seemed most mysterious and
inexpIicable. and puzzled even those
who knew that 1t was a trick.
Miss Heller sat upon the sofa
blindfolded, with her back to the au-
dience. Heller, In the audience, bor-
rowed objects from spectators, and
Miss Heller described them some
times. Not word was spoken by
Heller nor could she see him to get
her cue b. his gestures.
The apparatus did 1t all. The sofa
was wired for an electric battery. A
confederate sat in the audience, his
chair connected with the battery, the
electric push button under his seat
A code was arranged by which Miss
Heller knew exactly what to say.
The performance was rendered
more mysterious by Holler's talking
to her in part of the tests. Some peo-
pie supposed, of course that he was
giving her the cue with his questions.
But when the same results were OBJ
tanned in silence the suspicious were
also mystifed.
Apparatus is an elastic term WHEEL
used in connection with legerdemain.
Some pieces OF apparatus can be con-
cealed betwee ntwo fingers. Others
fill boxes 10 feet long.
The earlier magicians used cumber-
some apparatus. Frikell, Finn,
born In 1918, who was knighted by
the king of Denmark and received
diamond rings and the like from
most of the sovereigns of Europe, rev.
olutionized the art. He used no APP
paratus at all.
This tendency prevailed for maay