The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-05-06
PAPER TEARING
ln Explanation Of a Clever
Stage Trick So an Amateur
Can Do 1t.


The amateur conjurer or twenty
eve years ago who was called upon
% do trick frequently responded
by tearing up sheet of cigarette
paper, rolling the pieces into a tiny
ball, and then reproducing the sheet
intact "a few minutes later This
was done BY substituting whole
piece that was concealed between the
fingers for the torn pieces which, in.
turn, were hidden in the mouth when
the performer pretended to wet his
finger SO as to open out the crum-
pled-up sheet.
The trick was almost forgotten,
when it was revived d short time ago
by public performer, in a shape
more suitable for stage presentation.
Instead of a sheet Of cigarette paper
. strip Of red tissue paper was used.
This was about an inch in width and.
yard or so in length. Barring his
arms and opening wide his fingers,
to show. that nothing was concealed
there, the performer in question tore
the paper in two, then, folding the
pieces together, tore them in four.
and so continued until no one piece
was more than two and half inches
in length These were gathered to.
gether. rolled up, and finally pulled
out in one entire piee, as it was at
first. AT no, time had the perform.
er's hands come near his body.
How the man who revived this
trick did it / cannot say positively,
for he never told me- have heard
that he used what il known as a
'hold out" a delicately constructed
steel lazy-tongs which. concealed in
the sleeve, enables the man who
cheats at cards to introduce a desired
card into the hand or take out an
undesirable one.
It is worked by lever controlled
by the one who uses it and is an ex-
pensive affair. l have never tried
this method, and cannot answer for
it, but there is a way of doing the
trick Rthat can recommend, and
that is with thimble. Not the OF
binary sewing thimble, but one made
Of thin brass, modelled and colored
to represent the first joint of a
thumb When properly made and
placed in position it is almost i'm
possible to detect. 1t is in this thin
BILE that duplicate strip of tissue
paper is hidden, and it is there the
torn pieces are slowed away before
the close of the trick. 1t requires
no little practice to do the trick
neatly and properly, but it is worth
the time spent on it.
One objection to the above method
is the difficulty of getting we'll
made thimble, and further objec
ton is in the use Of apparatus at all
To meet these objections ! would
suggest another method of which
every one may avail himself.
In this method two strips of tbs
sue paper are used; red is the bet
ter, if red can be found that will
not rub of when wet, but If that
cannot be had white will do. The
size is that already mentioned. The
duplicate piece is plated, not rolled
and concealed in a little pocket made
of the same paper as the strips. This
pocket is pasted on the back of the
strip that is to be torn about the
center. In tearing the strip the per
former tears off one end of the peck
ct, and, securing the duplicate strip
holds it between the second and third
fingers of the left hand. When the
strip is torn into pieces two and one
quarter inches in length the perform
er rolls them into tiny wad. which
he conceals between the tips of the
index finger and the second finger Of
the right hand.
Holding the left palm upward, the
performer places between the tips Of
the first finger and thumb the dupli
cate strip and the wad OF torn bits.
With his right forefnger and thumb,
which, without calling attention to it.
he manages to show are empty. he
seizes one end of the duplicate piece
and, as, he draws it out a foot or sol
blows on it. To do this the left
hand naturally approaches the
mouth, and into it. at the first oppor,
tunity, is popped the little wad. With
this move the trick is done, but the
performer continues to pull out the
strip and blow on it, until its full
length is revealed. This form of the
trick, which is explained now fol-
the FIRST time, has puzzled many pro
fessional magicians.