Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1913-07-31
OUR BOYS
and GIRLS
PAPER TEARING.

-
The amateur conjurer of twenty
five years ago who was called upon to
do trick" frequently responded by
tearing UP sheet of cigarette paper,
rolling the pieces into a tiny ball.
and then reproducing the sheet in.
tact few minutes later This was
done by substituting a whole piece
that was concealed between the
fingers for the torn pieces which,
in t3.rn, 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 a short time ago
by a public performer, in shape
more suitable for stage presentation.
Instead of red tissue paper white was
used. This was about an inch in width
and yart 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 piece, 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 die it / cannot say positively,
for he never told me. ! have heard
that he used what is known as
hold out" delicately constructed
steel lavy-tongs which, concealed in
the sleeve, enables the man who
cheats at cards to introduce desired
card into the hand or take out an
undesirable one.
1t is worked by lever controlled
by the one who uses it and is an ex
pensive affair. I have never tried
this method, and cannot answer for
it, but there is way of doing The
trick that can recommend, and that
is with a thimble. Not the ordinary
sewing thimble, bat one made OF thin
brass. modelled and colored 10 repre-
sent the first joint of thumb. When
properly made and placed in position
it is almost impossible to detect. 1t
is in this thimble that a duplicate
strip of tissue paper is hidden, and
| it is there the torn pieces are slowed
away before the close of the trick.
II 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 objection
| is in the use Of apparatus at all. To
meet these objections I would sug'
| gest another method Of which every
one may avail himself.
In this method two strips Of tissue
paper are used; red is the better, il
a Hed can be found that will not rub
OF when wet, but if that cannot be
had white will do. The size is thai
already mentioned The duplicate
piece is plated, not rolled, and COD
cealed in 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 perfOrmel
tears off one end o. the pocket, and
securing the duplicate strip, holds II
between the second and third fingers
of the left hand. When the strip is
torn into pieces two and one-quartel
inches in length the performer rolls
them into a tiny wad, which he con
ceals between the tips of the index
fingers and the second finger Of the
right hand.
Holding the left palm upward, the
performer places between the tips Of
the first fingers 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 foot or so
blows on it. To do this the left hand
naturally approaches the mouth, and
into it, at the first opportunity, Is
popped the little wad. With this
move the trick is done, but the per
former continues to pull out the strip
and blow on it, until it's full length
is revealed. This form of the trick
which is explained now for the first
time, has puzzled many professional
magicians. Nicholas.
| A4s.