The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-03-15
A FEAT OF CONJURING
The Popular Coffee Trick and
How 1t Is Performed.
METHODS OF THE MAGICIAN.
Changing White Paper Into Milk, Blue
Paper Into Mocha and Bran Into Cut
Sugar % Comparatively Easy When
You Have Been Shc~n the Way.


A trick always popular with the pro-
feSslOnal conjurer Is that known us
the coffee trick" though some high
tnlutin title. as. for Instance. "Alar
about Mocln." Is better for u pro-
gram. II has the advantage. too of
not conveying any idea of what the
trick Is To he. The trick II us suita.
bic for the drawing room us for the
stage. ana an amateur with little
practice may do 1t easily. Remember.
with II little praciice. for. like every
thing IN cuniuring. not only II little
hut sometimes II great deal ot practice
is necessary II the performer desires
to do his tricks with ease and skill
aud so us To bpwildrr his audience.
When about to present this trick the
performer has on II table three wooden
boxes. n large goblet shaped glass jar
aud two German silver shakers" or
cups. such nS are used In mixing lem
on juice. ice. etc. for glass of lem
Onade. In one of the boxes IN
quantity of bran. in another some
pieces of chopped up white paper and
In the third Il similar lot OF blue pn-
per. These. with two pieces Ot black
velvet. each about nine inches square,
and II paper cylinder. are all that ap-
pear to be used In the trick Picking
up one shaker. the performer ILLS 1t
with white paper and immediately
puurs II back into the box. Again he
dips the shaker into the box and, with
Il Shovpllng motion. ills Ii and stands
II on u table so that every o. nav
see II. The other shaker he fills IN
the same way. but with the blue pn-
per. Finally the glass Jar Is filled with
bran and stood on table by Itself.
over one shaker Is spread one of the
vplvet squares aud On top of II is
placed n small round metal plate. The
other shaker Is covered with the sec.
ond velvet square. but without any
metal plate.
"Iirmpmber." says the performer
this cup Is filled with white paper
and that one with blue" and. pulling
the velvet piece Off one cup. he 'puurS
from II into SuAl pitcher about a
plnt of milk The milk of human
kindness nS extracted from the daily
press" Removing the metal plate und
the velvet from the second cup, he
puurS from 1t into the first cup steam.
| ing Mocha coIlN'e; no grounds for
complaint" llcking mp the paper cyl
iuder. he drops II over the upper pnrt
at the glass jar, aud, ifring II M III
most immediately. II Is found that the
bran is gone aud the jar Is tlled With
lump sugar
II Is Showy trick which Is general
ly followed by applause, that sweetest
OF music to u performer. Here is the
explnnution'
! In each hOX OF paper Is a duplicate
shaker one Hllpd wirh milk the other
with coffee. Fitted into the mouth ot
each shaker is n shallow metal saucer
the edges tluring ont SO ~ to rest on
the mouth of the cup. AZ one Point on
the edge of each snucer IL soldered Il
semicircle of still wire about the size
of o dime. so that the performer may
easily grasp II. On each snucer is
glued some bits of the paper with
which the shaker Is supposed To he
tilIed. These shakers stand upright In
the hox IN such position that the wire
plpce of the saucer will he toward the
performer when he Is ready to remove
the velvet cover Az he shovels the
pnper into the shaker he leaves that
one IN the box. grasps the Other, tiiled
With milk or coffee and brings Vt out.
some of the loose bits OF paper cling
ing round the top, These he brushes
or cnrelesSly and in doing so, when
necessary, adjusts the shaker so that
the wire finger piece viii be in the
proper position. lu covering the shak'