Year: 1877




The police of London are smart, but
Notwithstanding their ability the prob
lens, What has become of the Countess
of Dudley's jewels and who took the
missing Gainsborough? are still un-
solved. 1t is no wonder thieves are
bold when so many Of their moves have
been crowned with success and detection
defed. They must be wonderfully ex-
pert, these disciples of Fagin. In the
case of the Countess of Dudley's jewels
they were stolen out of the maids arms
as she held them in a box at rail-
road depot. The theory now is that
whoever snatched them hurriedly
pushed the box into an empty railway
car and returned and took them away
leisurely an hour or two afterwards,
when the excitement, searching, ETC.,
were over. The Gainsborough picture
was cut from its frame on the very day
of its sale for 10000 guineas. 1t was
locked up in strong building, in that
extreme central locality, Bond Street,
before which policemen were patrolling
all night.


Another audacious robbery took place
the other day in broad daylight at a
railway station. A certain member of
Parliament-an eari-arrived at pro-
vincial railway station and found he
had half an hour to wait. He strolled
about the depot leisurely, but spoke to
no one, and no one came near him so
far as he knows. AS he was about to
enter the train gentleman sitting inside
said to him: "Have you not broken
your watch chain? I see it is hanging"
The chain had been cut, the watch
stolen!


A lawyer once told me that upon one
occasion when he had a thief for a
client he asked him to show him, to
satisfy his curiosity, how he had done
this very same thing which was then
creating great discussion in the COM
munity. But before he had finished
speaking the thief smilingly showed his
learned counsel his watch, which he had
abstracted as desired; and when the
lawyer expressed astonishment at such
marvellous dexterity, and laid his hand
on his vest pocket in surprise, he found
his watch was back again, safe and
sound. The redoubtable Maskelyn
himself would not be ashamed of such a
neat bit of sleight-of-hand as this.


Speaking of that celebrated conjurer,
let me mention that this week he has
effected some improvement in the
already wonderful cabinet trick invented
by the Davenport Brothers. Maskelyp
now causes Cooke (his partner) to be
tied up alone in the cabinet, thus ex
ploding the theory that the two help
each other to unite the knots. He
also enyelops Cooke completely in s
fsherman's net, which is sewed up and
then examined by vigilance committee
from the audience; whipcord is also
used for lashing the wrists and ankles
as being more difficult to unite thar
rope; and, still, in spite of all this
the cabinet doors are barely closed
before hands appear, banjos and guitars
are played, and trumpets blown; and
when the doors are frantically opened
there sits Cooke, quite calm and secured
as firmly as when first tied.


Still the great feature of this enter
tainment is the wonderful automatic
card player, Psyche. Prof. Pepper, O.
"ghost'' renown, has invented some
thing Of this kind, which 1 hear is almos
as marvellous as Maskelyn's.


But both are surpassed by new Pari
invention, if it has not been overlauded
/ hear that smart Partisan has invented
an automaton which gives a sensible
reply to any questions asked it, and il
every case makes the response appro
pirate. We shall see this thing in it
ull perfection at the approaching ex
hibition in Paris. As yet the invento
has not had time to construct figure il
human shape for his automaton talker
and at present the replies come from
box, small trunk full of the wires an
wheels of an intricate machinery, whiel
only makes the performance seem NOR
strange and ghostly.