HOW TO DO

THE BUCK AST

Containing a complete description of the
mysteri es of Magic and Sleight
of Hand, together wi th many
wonderful experi ments.
BY A. ANDERSON.
ILLUSTRATED.,
NE W Y OHK:
F R A N K T O U . S E Y , Publisher,
04 AND HI! ,\OFNN MOORE STREET.
Entered accordi ng to Act of Congress, in the year 1805, l i j
F R A N K T O U S E Y ,
in tho Office of tho Li brari an of Congress at Washi ngton, D. C.
HOW TO DO
T HE BLACK A R T
I N T R O D U C T I O N .
THE chief requi si tes for success i n tho performance of
tho bl ack art is manual dexteri ty and sel f-confi dence;
ni mbl e fi ngers and a cool temper.
Any one who exhi bi ts feats of l egerdemai n, will do well
to remember that ono of the best methods of di verti ng tho
attenti on of tho audi enco from the acti on of your Angers,
is to keep tal ki ng; the more di verti ng your tal k, the less
attenti on wi l l tho audi ence gi ve to your mani pul ati on of
the obj ect whi ch has to bo moved or changed wi thout thei r
knowl edge.
Never attempt to perform any tri ck in publ i c ti l l you
have practi ced i t in pri vate, and are perfect in i ts perform-
ance.
Don't repeat a tri ck if you aro asked to do so, but tel l
your audi ence you wi l l show them ono of tho same nature,
though a l i ttl e di fferent. If you 4re asked to repeat, you
may be sure some one half guesses how tho tri ck is done,
and wi shes to make certai n.
Don't tel l your audi ence beforehand the parti cul ars of
tho tri ck you are goi ng to exhi bi t, as thereby you half be-
tray yoursel f.
And, shoul d the tri ck be detected, keep your temper.
T h e J u mp i n g F a t he r .
Cut a piece of sheet-brass i nto the shape of a lozenge,
about two inches and a half l ong and one inch broad.
Bend it exactly in the mi ddl e, but leave the two poi nts
sufficiently wi de apart to give a spri ng to the two sides
when they are brought together. Roll a thi n stri p of
paper once or twice l ound the poi nts of thi s spri ng, after
bri ngi ng them together, and make it fast wi th a piece of
wafer; but, as thi s fasteni ng woul d not hol d l ong (the
wafer bei ng wet), secure it also wi th a piece of thread,
whi ch is to be removed, of course, when the spri ng Is
requi red. Have three feathers of vari ous colors and sizes,
and when about to perform the tri ck, hol d the spri ng
above described concealed in the hollow of the hand. Bor-
row a penny and throw it i nto a basin, whi ch, of course,
you must previously show to the spectators that they may
see i t Is empty. Throw in at the same ti me the l i ttl e
spri ng, and then place the three feathers in the basi n, ar.d
request the company to choose whi ch of the feathers is to
j ump out. When they have made the choice, place the
feather selectedunder the pretence of arrangi ng the fea-
thers in a parti cul ar mannerupon the end of the spri ng.
Now i nform the audi ence that the feather is made to j ump
by no mechani cal means, but by vi rtue of a wonderful
chemical preparati on. Have some colored water ready in
a l i ttl e bottl e and pour over the spri ng. The wafer will be
rapidly softened, and che spri ng, suddenl y l et loose, will
j erk the feather i nto the air. Then take up the basin,
empty the spri ng and the coin i nto the hand, and restore
the money to the owner.
H o w t o B r e a k a S t o ne w i t h a B l o w of t he F i s t .
Select two stones, flints are best, each from three to si x
inches long, and about half as thi ck ; lay one flat on the
ground, and place one end of the other stone upon it, rais-
i ng the reverse end to an angl e of forty-flve degrees, and
j ust over the center of the stone (wi th which it must form
a T), supporti ng It in that posi ti on by a piece of thi n twi g
or stick, one, or one and a half inch l ong. If you now
Bharply stri ke tho rai sed stone about the mi ddl e, wi th the
l i ttl e linger side o the fist, the sti ck wi l l give way, and
the stone be broken i nto fragments. The stones, however,
must be l ai d very careful l y and so that they may not slip,
otherwi se the experi ment will be sure to fail.
T o M e l t M o n e y i n a W a l n u t S he l l wi t h o u t I n j u r -
i n g t he S hel l .
Bend any thi n coin and put it i nto a half a wal nut shell:
then place the shell on a l i ttl e pl ate to keep it steady.
Then All the shell wi th a mi xture made of three parts very
dry powdered ni tre, one part of flowers of sul phur and n
l i ttl e fine sawdust. Set l i ght to thi s, and you will And
the metal mel ted at the bottom of the shell in the form of
a button, whi ch will become hard when the burni ng mat-
ter around it Is consumed.
H o w t o P u l l o u t o t Y o u r M o u t h Y a r d s o f R i b b o n ,
etc. , o f wh a t e v e r C o l o r y o u P l eas e.
Pul l i ng ri 6bons out of your mouth is a l aughabl e tri ek,
and Conj urers make money by i t. They will sell to you
ri bbons of any l ength, by putti ng i nto thei r mouth the end
of one l ength, as they pul l out another to the exact end of
every yard, maki ng i t appear as if the several pieces were
all one. They%ecretly ti e knots whi ch they rest agai nst
thei r teeth ; then they cut off the same wi thout bei ng seen,
because the movements of thei r Angers aro hi d by paper
shavi ngs hel d in great quanti ty between thei r teeth,
whereby the behol ders are doubl y deceived, seei ng as much
ribbon as will All a hat, and the same of whatever color you
please to requi re, drawn by even yards out of tho mouth,
and the j uggl er tal ks as if hi s mouth was empty. There
is a common street tri ck of drawi ng out a whol e pyrami d
of tape from the lips, but the above is a far greater tri ck.
T h e B u r n i n g F i v e - Do l l a r B i l l .
If you dip a five-dollar bill in pure brandy, and hold i t
in the flame of a candle unti l it takes Arc, it will spread
all over in a sheet of ilame, and yet do no harm to the no to-
whatever.
F i e r y W r i t i n g i n t ho Da r k .
Place a small piece of solid phosphorus in a quill, and
wri te with it some words upon paper. When the paper is
carried into a dark room tho wri ti ng will appear beautiful-
ly l umi nous.
W r i t i n g b y t he R a y a of t he S un.
Dissolve a sufficient quanti ty of chal k in aquaforti s, to
make it of tho consistency of milk, and add to that a
strong solution of silver. Put thi s liquor in a gl ass decan-
ter, well stopped; then cut out from a paper tho l etters
you wish to appear, and paste tho paper on the decanter,
which you will place in the sun in such a manner that its
rays may pass through the spaces cut out of the paper and
fall on the surface of the liquor. That part of tho gl ass
through whi ch the rays pas3 will turn black, and that
under the paper will remai n whi te. Y ou must be careful
not to remove the bottle duri ng the time of operation.
Y ou may mark frui t while growi ng by pasti ng on it your
initials in paper, and allowing it to remai n on the tree
exposed to the sun for a few days. The part covered by
the paper will bo l i ghter colored than the other part.
A L o u d R e p o r t , l i k e t h a t ot a G u n , c o mi n g f r o m
a T o ba c c o P i pe .
Mix a powder composed of one ounce of sal tpetre, one
ounce of cream of tartar, and half an ounce of sul phur,
pulverized separately, then mixed. Put a single grai n of
thi s powder into a tobacco pipe, and when it takes fire It
will produce an astonishingly loud report, though wi thout
breaki ng the pipe.
T o W r i t e i n t ho Da r k .
Two pl anes of ebony, of equal l ength and breadth, simi-
l ar to a paral l el rul er, and joined at each end by racks, tho
si de of whi ch i s graduated to tho wi dth of the lino ro.
qui red, will serve as a sure gui de ; and a bl i nd person, or
a person i'.i the dark may, by the use of thi s i ntrument,
wri to wi th tho greatest accuracy. If ivory tabl ets, or a
sl ate, is used, a line wi re drawn wi th a stcol poi nt, may be
readi l y fel t by the poi nt of the pencil.
P h i l o s o p h y P uz z l e d.
Thi s feat 1s real l y an excellent one, and has astoni shed
crowds of spectators. I t was one of tho favori tes of a l ato
professor, by whom it was promul gated. Before you per-
form it in publ i c you must practi ce i t unti l you are perfect
in pri vate, for it woul d be a pi ty to spoil i ts effect by mak-
i ng a bl under in i t. Begi n by stati ng that you aro about
performi ng what you have no doubt wi l l bo regarded as a
very extraordi nary manoeuvre, and you will l eave the com-
pany to decide upon what pri nci pal of natural phi l osophy
i t is accompl i shed. The mode of performance is as fol-
l ows : Lay a piece of wood across tho pal m of your l eft
hand, whi ch keep wi de open, wi th tho thumb and alt tho
fi ngers far apart, lest you bo suspected of supporti ng the
wood wi th them. Next take your l eft wri st in your ri ght
hand, and grasp i t ti ghtl y, for the purposo as you state, of
gi vi ng the hand more steadi ness. Now suddenl y turn tho
back of your l eft hand uppermost, and as your wri st
moves in your ri ght hand, stretch out the forefi nger of
your ri ght hand, and as soon as tho wood comcs under-
most, support i t wi th such forefi nger. Y ou may now shake
the hand, and after a moment or two, al l ow the wood to
drop. I t is two to one but the spectators will suppose i t
to be produced by tho acti on of the air, and try to do i t
themsel ves; but, of course, they must, unl ess you have
performed the feat so awkwardl y as to bo discovered, fai l
in i ts performance. If you have no obj ecti on to reveal the
socret, you can do it agai n, and whi l e they are gravel y
phi l osophi zi ng upon it, suddenl y l i ft up your hand and
expose the tri ck.
8 HOW TO DO THE BL ACK ART.
T o M a k e a R i n g S us pe nd b y a B u r n t T hr e a d.
Soak a piece of thread in strong sal t and water, ti e it to
a weddi ng ri ng, and you may burn it in a flame, but it
will sustai n the ring.
* T he H a n d k e r c h i e f C ut , T o r n a n d Me n d e d .
. Two of the company are requested to como forward, and
a handkerchief is given to them, which they are to hold by
the four corners; afterwards several other handkerchi efs
are borrowed from tho company, and as they are gathered
they are put into the first one to make a bundl e; when a
dozen have been filled up, the two persons who hold the
bundl e causo a thi rd person to take one of them out by
chance, and this thi rd person is requested to exami ne the
marks, etc., and to cut oil a corner wi th a pair of scissors ;
other persons may also cut off pieces if they choose, after
which the handkerchief is entirely torn to pieces. All the
shreds are to be collected, and after being spri nkl ed wi th
some drug, are folded up, and tied ti ght wi th a ribbon to
press them into a smal l compass; they are put under a
glass, and unfol ded; the company recognize the marks,
and the astonished spectators cannot perceive any rent in
the handkerchief.
Explanation,One of the company is in confederacy,
who, havi ng had two handkerchi efs exactly alike, gives
one to the confederate who is hidden behind the scene and
throws the other on the stage to be used in the tri ck. Care
is taken to put thi s one on the top of the heap, al though
they are seemingly mixed at hazard. The person to whom
you address yourself to take one by chance takes natural l y
the uppermost, and, if you perceive that another is taken,
you request them to mi x them well, under pretence of
completing the trick, and then, under pretence of settl i ng
them, you regai n the confederate handkerchi ef, and hand
the bundle to some other of the company, whose counte-
nance indicates less suspicion, who puts hi s hand to the
bundl e of handkerchiefs, and good-humoredly takes out
tho first. When the handkerchief has been torn and well
folded, it is put under a glass on a table, near a parti ti on.
On the part of the table where it is placed there is a small
trap, whi ch opens to l et it fall i nto a drawer. The confed-
erate, hid behind the scene, passes hi s hand into tho table
to substi tute the second in tho place of the first handker-
chief ; ho then shuts the trap, which so neatly fits the
space it opens i nto as to appear one uni nterrupted surface,
and deceives the eye of the most acute and incredulous
spectator.
!
The Burnt Handkerchief,
Borrow a pocket handkerchief from one of the company,
turn up your coat sleeves, show that you have nothi ng
concealed about your hands or up your sleeves, burn a
piece out of the center of the handkerchi ef, blow it outand
roll it up, and touch it wi th your wand, exclaiming at the
same ti me: "Handkerchi ef, as you were 1" shake it out,
and you will find it all ri ght agai n.
Explanation.Before commenci ng thi s trick provide
yourself wi th a small piece of calico, or linen, api ece about
three inches square, and place it, not under your coat
sleeves, but under your shi rt sleeve on the left hand, and
then you are ready to perform the trick. Borrow a hand-
kerchief, show that you liavo nothi ng concealed about your
hands or sleeves, taki ng care not to turn round the hand
to the company which contai ns the piece in the sl eeve; at
the same ti me take the handkerchief and lay it across your
l eft hand, put the ri ght hand underneath, and take the
piece from your shi rt sleeve and bri ng it forward to the
top; then ask the owner if you may burn the handker-
chief ; very likely he or she may say "No," then you say:
" Thank you," and begin to burn i t; tell hi m t hat you will
burn it down to as far as your fingers, because you know if
you burn it further what the consequences will be; then
when you have burnt nearly all the piece, blow it out, and,
as you roll up the handkerchi ef, place the piece remain-
i ng unburnt between the thumb and forefinger of the ri ght
hand ; keep on rolling up the handkerchief, and when you
wal k up to your tabl e for your magic wand you drop the
little piece behind it, and'at the same time taki ng up your
wand, excl ai m - " Handkerchi ef , as you were, " and on
s haki ng i t out i t wi l l be f ound to be al l r i ght agai n.
T he W a t e r T r i c k .
P rocure two pieces of glass about si x' i nches square, j oi n
a nyt i vo o f thei r sides, and separate tho opposi te sides
i wi t h a piece of wax, so that thei r surfaces may f or m an
angl e of about t wo or three degrees; i mmers e thi s appa-
ratus i n water, and the water wi l l ri so between the pl ates
and f or m a beauti f ul geometri cal l l gure.
T he T u mb l i n g E gg.
F i l l a qui l l wi t h qui cks i l ver; seal i t at both ends wi t h
good har d wax. T hen boi l an egg. T ake a s mal l pieco of
shel l off and thrus t i n the qui l l wi t h the qui cks i l ver; l ay
I t on tho gr ound and i t wi l l j ump about ti l l al l the heat is
gone. I f you put qui cks i l ver i nto a bl adder and wa r m i t
aftor you have bl own i t out and secured i t, i t wi l l s ki p
about i n the same manner.
T o M a k e B l o o d F l o w F r o m a K n i f e .
Get a s mal l pieco of sponge and di p i t i nto some red
l i qui d havi ng tho appearance of bl ood. P l ace obis behi nd
your ear. T ur n up your sleeve and exhi bi t yur hands to
s how there is nothi ng i n them. T hen take a common
tabl e- kni fe and hand i t r ound for exami nati on. On tak-
i ng i t back grasp i t f ul l y i n your hand, that you may have
an opportuni ty of taki ng hol d of the sponge unpercei ved.
S ay that, whenever you perf orm thi s tri ck, whi c h is bor-
rowed f r om the bl ack art, you are af rai d somo di aool i cal
agency may wi ther your arm, and you shoul d request that
one of the spectators wi l l make a cross on your el bow.
Whe n the person who compl i es wi t h your request comes
f orward, bend your ar m back, rai s i ng i t a l i ttl e and bri ng-
i ng f or war d the el bow, whi l e the hand is natur al l y
brought near the ear, and the sponge may be taken up un-
percei ved. Whe n tho cross has been dul y made, you
s houl d strotch out your ar m at f ul l l ength, and squeezi ng
the handl e of the kni f e agai nst the sponge, bl ood wi l l bo
seen to drop f r om i ts poi nt. Y o u can, of course, hi do tho
sponge af terwards , as you have to wi pe your hand after
perf ormi ng thi s tr i ck, and can sl i p i t unpercei ved i nto
your pocket handkerchi ef.
T ho C a r d Na i l e d t o t he W a l l b y a P i s t o l S hot.
A card is desi red to bo dr awn, and the person who chose
i t requested to tear of ! a corner and keep i t, that ho may
kno w the card ; the card so tor n is then bur nt to ci nders,
and a pi s tol is charged wi t h gunpowder wi t h whi c h tho
ashes of tho card aro mi xed. I ns tead of a bal l a nai l ,
whi ch is mar ked by some of tho company, is pl aced i n tho
barrol ; the pack of cards is then t hr o wn up i n tho ai r, tho
pi s tol is fired, and the bur nt card appears nai l ed agai nst
tho wal l . Tho bi t of tho corner whi ch was torn off I s then
compared wi t h i t and is f ound exactl y to fit, and tho nai l
whi c h fastens i t to tho wal l I s recogni zed by the persons
who mar ked i t.
Exjilanation.When tho performer sees that a corner
has been tor n f r om tho chosen card he reti res and makes a
s i mi l ar tear on a l i ke card ; r etur ni ng to the theatro he
asks for the chosen card and passes i t to tho bottom of tho
pack and substi tutes adroi tl y i n tho placo the card whi ch
he has prepared, whi c h ho burns i nstead of tho first.
Wh e n tho pi s tol is l oaded l i e takes i t i n hi s hands, under
tho prctence of s howi ng how to di rect i t ; he avai l s hi m-
self of thi s oppor tuni ty to open a hol e i n the barrel near
the touch- hol e, thr ough whi c h the nai l fal l s by i ts own
wei ght i nto hi s hand. Havi ng s hut thi s passage careful l y
ho requests some of the company to put more waddi ng i u
the pi s tol ; whi l s t that i s doi ng, ho carri es tho nai l and
card to hi s confederate, who qui ckl y nai l s the card to a
square piece of wood, whi c h stops hermeti cal l ya space l ef t
open i n the par ti ti on and i n the tapesfry, but whi ch is not
percei ved, as i t is covered by a piece of tapestry s i mi l ar to
tho rest of the room, and by whi c h means when the nai l ed
card is put i n i t is not perceived. The piece of tapestry
whi c h covers i t is nicely, fastened on the one end wi t h two
pi ns, and to the other a thread is fastened, one end of
whi ch the confederate hol ds i n hi s hand. As soon as the
report of the pi stol is heard the confederate draws hi s
thread, by whi c h means tho piece of tapestry fal l s behi nd
a glass, and the card appearstho same that was marked,
i and wi t h the nai l that was put i n the pi stol . The pi stol
' is, of course, made speci al l y for the performance of thi s
tri ck.
N. B. I f any one suspects that the nai l has been stol en
out of the pi stol , you persi st i n the contrary, and beg the
company at the next exhi bi ti on to be f ur ther convi nced;
you then are to s how a pi stol ; whi c h you take to pieces
to s how that al l is fai r. Wi t ho ut preparati on you charge
i t wi t h a nai l whi c h is mar ked by a confederate, or yon
s how i t to many persons to avoi d i ts bei ng markedi n thi s
case the card is nai l ed wi t h another na i l ; but to persuade
the company that i t is the same, you bol dl y assert that the
nai l wa3 mar ked by several persons, and you request tho
spectators to vi ew i t and be convi nced.
Ar i t h me t i c a l C o n j u r i n g T r i c k s .
Combi nati ons of numbers someti mes produce resul ts that
are, to say the least, very astoni shi ng. T o tel l a person's
age after that person has perf ormed a very i ntri cate calcu-
l ati on, of whi c h you see nothi ng but the resul t, smacks
rather of the di abol i cal , and i n ol den ti mes mi ght have l ed
the magi ci an to the stake. The f ol l owi ng is an i ngeni ous
t r i c k:
T o t e l l w h o has t he R i n g , a n d o n wh i c h F i n g e r .
Y o u procure an ordi nary finger r i ng and gi ve i t to the
company, tel l i ng them to settl e among themsel ves who is
to wear i t, and you wi l l af terwards di scover who has i t.
Whe n they have arranged that matter you cal l upon them
to f or m a l i ne, and you number them, they keepi ng thei r
hands concealed. Al s o you are to i ns truct them that i n
the ari thmeti cal cal cul ati ons the r i ght hands count as 1,
the l eft hands as 2; that the fingers are numbered 1 to 5
the t humb bei ng No. 1; and that the j oi nts of the fingers
are numbered f r om 1 to 3the nai l j oi nt bei ng No. 1.
Of course they ai i know who has the ri ng, on whi c h fin-
ger and whi ch j oi nt of the f i nger; you have to find out,
and you do i t thus :
Y o u bi d the best ari thmeti ci an of them fix i n hi s o wn
mi nd the number of the person who has tho r i ng; l et hi m
mental l y mul ti pl y that number by 2, then add 5 to the
product, then mul ti pl y that s um by 5, then add 10 to the
product, then add tho number of the hand on whi ch the
r i ng is, i. e 1 i f i t is on a r i ght hand, 2 i f on a l ef t ; then
mul ti pl y by 10, then add tho number of the finger, 1 i f on
thumb, 2 i f on forefi nger, etc.; then mul ti pl y by 10 agai n,
then add the number of the j oi nt on whi c h the r i ng rests,
then to that s um add any number less than 50, you nam-
i ng the number ; then tel l you the grand total . F r o m that
grand total you s ubtract the s um of 3500, and whatever
was tho l ast number added, the resul t wi l l bo f our figures
by whi ch you tel l the person the baud tho finger and thc-
j oi nt upon whi c h the r i ng wi l l bo found. I l cr o is an ex-
ampl o:
Suppose the r i ng is gi ven to ei ght people, who dcci dc
amongs t themsel ves that No. 4 shal l pl ace i t on the fi rst
j oi nt of tho forefi nger of hi s ri ght hand.
Mul t i pl y hi s number by 2
8
Ad d
13
Mul t i pl y by 5
: - 05
Ad d 10
75
Ad d 1, the number of r i ght hand
70
Mul t i pl y by 10
- 700
Add 2, the number of tho finger
= 762
Mul t i pl y by 10
= 7620
Ad d 1, for the number of the j oi nt
= 7621
Ad d any number under 50, say 40
--= 7070
T he resul t, whi c h he tel l s you, is 7670, f r o m whi c h you
s ubtract 3500, pl us 49, the l ast number added; you find
r emai ni ng -1121, whi c h shows that No. 4 person has the
r i ng on No. 1 or r i ght hand, No. 2 or forefi nger, No. 1 j oi nt.
A P e r s o n h a v i n g G o l d i n one h a n d a n d S i l ve r i n
t he o t he r , y o u t el l i n wh i c h h a n d i s t ho G o l d
a n d i n wh i c h t he S i l ver .
Tel l tho person that the hand hol di ng the gol d counts 4,
the si l ver hand 3; or you may choose other numbers, but
the gol d mus t bo even, and tho si l ver odd. B i d hi m mul -
ti pl y that whi c h is i n the r i ght hand (3 or 4 as i t may bo
gol d or si l ver) by 3, and mul ti pl y tho l ef t hand number by
2. T hen bi d hi m add the t wo products together, and ask
hi m i f the s um total Is an odd or an even number. I f i t is
an even number, ' the gol d wi l l be i n hi s r i ght ha nd; but i f
i t is an odd number, tho gol d wi l l be i n hi s l eft. I f gol d
and si l ver chance to bo scarce, s ubs ti tute pence and hal f
pence.
T o An d o u t a P er s on' s B i r t h d a y b y Ar i t h me t i c .
Y o u tel l a person that you wi l l find hi s or her bi r thday
by cal cul ati on, and begi n by bi ddi ng that person wr i t e
down, i n figures, wi thout l etti ng you see i t, th.e day of tho
mont h on whi ch born ; then i n a l i ne wi t h i t the number
the mont h takes i n the Cal enderas 1 for J anuary, 2 for
F ebruary, 3 for March, etc. T hus , a person born on the 1st
of J anuary woul d put down 11, whi l e one born on tho l ast
day of tho year woul d wr i te 3112. T hen bi d the person
mul ti pl y thi s number by 2; then to tho product add 5;
then mul ti pl y by 50; then to the product add tho correct
ago l ast bi r thday; f r om that s ubtract 305, and then to
that remai nder add 115. As k the person to tel l you the
resul tthe l ast r ow of figuresfrom that you can tel l the
day and mont h of bi rth, and the age l ast bi rthday.
F or i nstance, suppose a person born on the 1st of J anu-
v
ary, 1809, that person woul d put do wn 1 for the day, 1 for
the month, =11; or i f born 28 of F ebruary, woul d put down
28 for the day, 2 for the month, =282. I n the l atter case,
282 mul ti pl i ed by 2 . . . = 501
Ad d 5 . . . . . . . . .
Mul t i pl y by 5 0 . . .
Ad d ago l ast bi rthday (17)
5G0
28150
28107
28302
28217
S ubtract 305
Ad d 115
I I o then tel l 3 you the resul t, 28217. Wel l , a gl ance wi l l
tel l you whether the person is 7 or 17 years ol dyou And
he is 17; he was born i n the 2nd mont h of tho year, and on
tho 28th day of that month.
T o M a k o a C a r d J u mp o u t o f a P a c k a n d B u n
a l o ng t h o T abl e.
T hi s is an extraordi nary tr i c k i f wel l managed. T ake a
pack of cards, and l et any person dr aw a card he may
fancy best, and af terwards put I t i nto the pack i n such a
manner as to k no w wl i ero to pl ace your hand on I t agai n;
then take a piece of wax, and pl acc i t under tire thumb-
nai l of your r i ght hand; then fasten a hai r to your thumb,
and tho other end of tho hai r to the card ; now spread tho
pack of cards open on tho tabl e and say : " I f you are a
f ri end you wi l l j ump out of tho pack. " T he r i ght card
wi l l then j ump out on tho tabl e as you move your hand
towards you.
H o w t o C ha nge P o u r Ac e s i n t o F o u r K n a v e s .
Make a pack of ei ght cards, f our knaves and the same
number of aces; place each knave and ace evenl y to-
gether, and pl ace the ei ght cards at tho bottom of a com-
pl ete pack of cards. T hen shuffl e tho pack i n such a man-
ner that ono ace may l i e uppermos t, or so that you may
kno w where i t lies al wayB ; l et your pack, wi t h three or
f our cards more, l i e close together, i mmedi atel y upon and
wi t h that ace; then ma ki ng some speech to amuse the
audi ence, contri ve to wor k your fingers i n s huffl i ng qui ck-
l y so as to confuse them, whi l e you appear to dr aw the
f our aces (ono af ter the other), and l ay them on the tabl e,
face downwards , whi l e, i n real i ty, al though you s howed
them the aces s i ngl y, by tho adroi t movements of your
hands you repl aced them i n the pack, and s ubs ti tuted the
f our knaves, whi ch, cr yi ng " P resto change 1" you t ur n up
and s how them, as i f tho f our aces were trans f ormed i nto
f our knaves, muc h to thei r amus ement and surpri se.
C a r ds M y s t e r i o u s l y C ha nge d.
T ake two cards, one di amonds, the other spades. S pl i t
them i n such a manner as to reduce the pai nted side to
hal f i ts usual thi cknes s ; then, wi th, a razor, peel off scales
of paper ti l l i t becomes of the consi stency of ti ssue paper.
Now cut, out a spade pi p and a di amond pi p. S pread a l i t-
tl e tal l ow on the back of both pi ps. S ti ck tho di amond
pi p upon the queen of spades, so as to conceal the spado
pi p, and the spade pi p upon tho queen of di amonds, cover-
i ng the di amond pi p. The appearance of the cards so al ter-
ed wi l l by candl e l i ght be compl etel y decepti ve. Cal l on
the spectators to l ook at the cards f r om a di stance, then
place them i n a hat to be hel d al oft, and put tho other i n a
second hat, both about f our paces di s tant. T ur n the
sleeves of your coat up, and hol d out your hands to prove
to the company that there is nothi ng conceal ed i n them.
T hen wal k up to one hat and remove the false pi p f r om tho
card wi t hi n i t, and passi ng to the second hat, wi t h your
hands stretched out to s how that they are s ti l l empty go
thr ough the same process as wi t h the fi rst. No w s tand i n
the mi ddl e of tho room and cry o u t : " Oncetwi ce
thri ce I P ass. " T he two hats may then be l ooked i nto,
and the cards taken out and s hown, to the as toni s hment
of the spectators at the r api d and mys teri ous change.
T r i c k s w i t h M o n e y .
P l ace a quarter on the ti ps of the mi ddl e and thi r d fin-
ger, so that i t s hal l rest there of i ts own wei ght. B y now
tur ni ng the hand wi t h the knuckl es uppermost, and qui ck-
l y cl osi ng the fingers i nto tho pal m, the coi n may be hel d
securel y by the contracti on of the thumb, and the hand
s ti l l appear to contai n nothi ng. T hi s is cal l ed palming,
and, wi t h a l i ttl e practi ce, nearl y every feat df si mpl e leg-
erdemai n may be performed by i ts means. Care, of course,
mus t be taken not to expose the coi n by any reversedmove-
ment of the hand.
H o w to S teal T hr e e Duc ks .
A gentl eman once sent hi s servant wi t h ni ne ducks i n a
bag upon whi ch was the f ol l owi ng di recti on :
" T o MIT. MA TTHEW MOIIUI.T.', WIRA I X DUCKS."
T he servant had less o honesty than i ngenui ty about
hi m, and stol e three of the ducks. He nei ther erased a
l etter nor a word, nor s ubs ti tuted a new di recti on. Now
how di d he manage i t ?
Solution: He merel y pl aced the l etter S before the
numei al s , thus :
" To MN. MATTHEW MUDDL K, WITH S I X DUCK S."
H o w to S h o w t he H e n a n d E g g B a g , a n d f r o m a n
E mp t y B a g to b r i n g a H u n d r e d E ggs a n d
a f t e r wa r d s a I i i ve H e n.
T ake t wo or three yards of calico, or pri nted l i nen, and
make a doubl e bag, at tho mouth of whi ch, on the side
nearest you, you mus t make four or five l i ttl e purses, i n
each of whi ch you mus t place two or three eggs. When
you have filled that sido next to you, have a hole made at
one end of your bag, so that no more than two or three
eggs can come out at once. Y o u mus t also have another
bag, whi ch is so exactl y l i ke the first that i t shal l be i m-
possible to di s ti ngui s h one f r om the other, i n whi ch you
wi l l put a hen, and hang i t on a hook on the side where
you stand. T he tri ck is performed t hus : P ut both your
hands i nto the egg bag, then tur n i t i nsi de out, sayi ng :
" Ladi es and gentl emen, you see that there is nothi ng i n-
side my bag, " and whi l e tur ni ng i t again, contri ve to sl i p
some of the eggs out of the purses; then tur n your bag
agai n and s how the company that i t is empty ; i n tur ni ng
i t agai n you command more eggs to come out, and when
they are al l out but one, you take that one and show i t to
the company ; then drop the egg bag and take up the hen
bag and shake out your hen, pi geon, or any other f owl .
T h e Da n c i n g E g g .
P repare a piece ol bl ack s i l k thread about three feet i n
l ength, wi t h an empty egg fastened by a knot at one end
of i t. P l ace the egg- shel l i n one of your pockets. T hen
take a f ul l egg, and havi ng al l owed the spectators ta ex-
ami ne i t and see i t is not prepared for the purpose, pl ace
i t i n a hat. No w take an empty handkerchi ef and l ay i t
on tho hat, contr i vi ng to place tho empty egg wi t h tho
thread attached, unobserved, beneath the pocket handker-
chief, sayi ng, " I am obl i ged to put thi s handkerchi ef wi t h
the hat, for fear when the egg begi ns to j ump i t shoul d be
broken. " Ha vi ng pl aced the f ul l egg beneath the hand-
kerchi ef step back threo or f our paces, and take an empty
hat i n one hand, whi l e wi t h a number of j ocul ar sayi ngs,
the hat wi t h the egg is moved a l i ttl e di stance away f r om
the body. The egg- shell wi l l i n that way bo brought out
upon the bri m, and i f the other hat is pl aced at a s hort
di stance, tho egg, wi t h a s l i ght j er k, may be made to j ump
i nto i t, and that can bo repeated as of ten as is wi shed.
T o M a k o a n E g g s t a nd o n E n d o n a L o o ki ng- gl a s s .
T o accompl i sh thi s tr i ck l et the perf ormer take an egg
i n hi s hand, and whi l e he keeps tal ki ng and s tari ng i n the
face of hi s audi ence, gi ve i t two or three hearty s hakes ;
thi s wi l l break the yol k of the egg, whi c h wi l l s i nk to one
end, and consequentl y make i t more heavy, by whi ch,
when i t is settl ed, you mako i t, wi t h a steady hand, s tand
upon the gl as s ; thi s woul d bo i mpossi bl e whi l e i t con-
ti nued I n i ts proper state.
T h e B eer T r i c k .
Take a common wi ne- gl ass, fill i t wi t h porter. On the
top of the porter pl ace a s mal l pieco of paper cut neatl y
round i n the shape of a five-cent piece. Now, wi t h a
steady hand, pour gentl y wi t h a teaspoon enough water to
fill up the glass, and the water wi l l float on the top. Re-
move the paper, and you may then engage to dr i nk tho
porter beneath wi thout taki ng up a drop of water. Y o u
mus t suck the beer wi t h a s traw. T ho water wi l l be f ound
perfectl y cl ear at tho bottom.
T o pas s a T u mb l e r t h r o u g h a T abl o.
P l ace yoursol f on the opposi te side of tho tabl e to tho
spectators, havi ng spread, unpqrcci vcd, a handkerchi ef
across your knees. T ake a tumbl er, whi ch, havi ng cov-
ered wi t h paper, you wi l l mol d as neatl y as possi bl e to
the shape of tho gl ass. Whi l e gi vi ng utterance to some
cabal i sti c words , drop tho gl ass i nto your handkerchi ef
unpercei vcd, and as the paper retai ns i ts shapo, tho
l ookers- on wi l l believe the tumbl er to be s ti l l beneath i t.
P assi ng tho gl ass wi t h tho l eft hand under the tabl e, you
now crush tho paper down wi t h your ri ght, when the
gl ass wi l l appear to have been sent thr ough tho tabl e.
H o w t o eat F i r e a n d b l o w i t u p i n y o u r M o u t h
w i t h a P a i r of B e l l o ws .
Ano i nt your tongue wi t h liquid storax, and you may
put a pai r of tongs red- hot i nto your mout h wi t hout i nj ur-
i ng yoursel f, and l i ck them ti l l they aro col d. B y the
assi stance of thi s oi ntment, havi ng your mout h prepared
i n thi s manner, you may take wood, coals, etc., out of the
fire and cat them wi t hout i nj ur y. Di p them i nto bri m-
stone powder, , and the firo wi l l seem more s tr ange; but
the s ul phur puts out the coal, and s hutti ng your mouth
close puts out the s ul phur; then you may c hump the coals i
and s wal l ow them, whi c h may be done wi thout hur t i ng
the body; and i f you put a piece of l i ghted charcoal i nto
your mouth, you may al l ow a pai r of bel l ows to bo bl ow-
i ng i n your mouth cons tantl y, s howi ng, to tho surpri se of
every behol der, tho appearance of a bur ni ng furnace. Bo
sure, after the performance, to wel l cl ean your mouth, or
i t wi l l cause sal i vati on.
T o ma k o a L i v e F i s h j u mp of f a P l at e.
I 'l ace a l i ve flounder on a sheet of zi nc i n a pl ate, and
touch hi s back wi t h a piece of copper or si l ver whi l s t the
l atter is touchi ng the zinc. T ho el ectri ci ty produced wi l l
general l y cause the fi sh to take a flying leap.
T h e L ear ned. S wa n , o r Goos e.
To perf orm thi s tri ck you requi re a l arge earthenware
howl , pai nted on the i nsi de of the r i m wi t h the l etters of
the al phabet, or wi t h numbers. A s mal l arti fi ci al s wan is
pl aced upon the water i n the center of thi s bowl , and any
spectator is i nvi ted to say whi ch l etter or whi ch number
the bi rd shal l s wi m to. U pon the number or l etter bei ng
menti oned, the toy s wan qui ts i ts s tati on i n tho mi ddl e of
tho bowl and s wi ms to that part of the r i m of the bowl
upon whi c h the figure or l etter is dr awn ; or i t wi l l go
round the bowl f r om l etter to l etter ti l l i t has spel t out the
name of any person present.
T hi s wi l l no doubt astoni sh many people, but the tr i ck
is easi l y expl ai ned. The s wan bei ng cut out of a piece of
cork has i n i ts body a pi n or nai l of i ron, and the magi ci an
has i n hi s handperhaps conceal ed i n a piece of bread as
though he woul d feed the bi rda power f ul magnet. The
hand contai ni ng the magnet is br ought over the l etter or
fi gure requi red, and the bi r d natur al l y is attracted to i t.
A C a pi t a l T r i e k w i t h a Wa t f i h.
T hi s tr i ck is excessi vel y si mpl e, but none the less aston-
i shi ng. _
To perf orm i t you mus t have a confederate among the
audi ence, who has a doubl e watc h pocket, contai ni ng t wo
watches exactl y al i ke i n every parti cul ar. I f they have a
crest or a monogr am engraved on the back of each, so much
the better, for the audi ence wi l l be the more thoroughl y
deceived. Y o u mus t also have a dummy watch s i mi l ar i n
appearance.
I n prepari ng thi s tri ck pass round to several of the aud-
ience a box that has a {also top i nsi de so contri ved that
when the fal se cover is up, and tho box unlocked i t cannot
come down, and when looked readi l y fal l s to the bottom.
A s pri ng at the back mus t cause i t to ri se when wanted ;
i n thi s false top tho dummy watch is concealed. Whe n the
box has been exami ned, whi c h of course appears empty,
place i t on a stool at one side of tho pl atf or m, and lock i f .
Now aslc one of tho s ompany to l end you a watch ; l i e re
is suro to be a l i ttl e hesi tati on, and your confederate mus t
be the first to oi l er. Af t er havi ng l ooked at tho watch you
pass i t to several of tho company, beggi ng them to noti ce
i t parti cul arl y. Y o u now tur n to your pl atf or m t a ki ng
care not to go near your confederate or the box, hol di ng
the watch by tho r i ng i n such a manner that al l can bco i t.
Y o u may now i ndul ge i n a bi t of banter wi t h the owner
of the watch, openi ng i t and exami ni ng i t apparentl y very
attenti vel y, s ayi ng: " Ah, j ewel ed i n f our hol es ; no doubt
thi s watch cost at l east t wo hundred and fifty dol l ars. Ah,
I see," (pretending to read an inscriplioninsUle the cane).
" T hi s watch was presented to you by a f ri end for a par-
ti cul ar service rendered. Wel l , I shoul d be very sorry to
do any i nj ur y to thi s watch, but as I have been unf ortu-
nate once or twi ce i n perf ormi ng thi s tri ck, and had to
pay rather heavi l y for i t, perhaps I had better r etur n i t
and tr y one of less val ue. (Make a &tep or two towards
your confederate, and then appear lo have decided.) No,
I ' l l chance i t. I suppose i f I f ai l thi s ti me a check for five
hundred dol l ars wi l l settl e the matter ? " (Your confeder-
ate should now shou'Jhat he repeals lending you the watch
and beg you to return it, exhibiting as much nervous fear
of your injuring his watch as possible ; and, when he finds
you obdurate, threatenlo call a policeman to compel you to
giveit tip.) I f thi s by- pl ay is wel l carri ed out, the audi ence
wi l l by thi s ti me be wr ought up to a pi tch of great curi osi -
ty ; and you mus t take the oppor tuni ty whi l e thei r eyes
are mos tl y turned to your confederate to pass the watch
up your sleeve by attachi ng to i t a hook fastened to a piece
of s trong elastic, one end of whi c h is firmly s ewn under
the arm, and the hook end pl aced near your wri s t.
Y ou now say, " I t is too l ate, s i r ; your watch has gone.
I t was i n i ny hand safe a moment ago, but you have made
so muc h noi se that you have f ri ghtened i t a wa y; can you
tel l me where i t is, for X have not moved f r om thi s spot ?
Wel l , i f you cannot, perhaps I can. I wi l l sco whether i t
is i n thi s box. " (Unl ock the box and take out the dummy.)
" Here is your watch, s i r ; i t has not gone far away. "
" T hank you, " says your confederate, eagerl y ri s i ng and
hol di ng out hi s hand. f or the watch.
" Don' t be i mpati ent, s i r ; I have not done wi t h i t yet.
J eremi ah (to your attendant), br i ng me tho anvi l and a
hammer. "
T hi s havi ng been brought, you pound away at the
watch, taki ng caro that tho shi vers of tho broken gl ass
aro heard, and when the dummy is i n an i ndi s ti ngui s habl e
mass, you put tho remnants i nto the box agai n, l ock i t,
press the s pri ng that causes the fal se top to rise, and ask
your confederate i f he thi nks i t possi bl e f or that watch to
be restored to i ts ori gi nal f or m.
Y o u now take tho box among the audi ence, and unlock-
ed, ask hi m to seo i f hi s watc h is thero. I f course ho Cads
the box empty, and appears greatl y di stressed; you your-
self pretend to bo puzzl ed, and express a f oar that you
havo made a mi s take, and r etur n to your pl atf or m to
scarch for i t. A sudden i dea s tri kes you, and you as k
your confederate: " As i t flew out of my hands so mys-
teri ousl y i nto that box, are you sure that i t has not f l own
qui te as mysteri ousl y out of that box i nto your watc h
pocket ?"
Y o ur confederate now produces the dupl i cate watch,
and wi t h many compl i ments on your cleverness, s hows i t
to several about hi m to convi nce them that i t is the same
watch that they before exami ned.
T he De c a p i t a t i o n T r i c k .
The stage represents a catafal que hung wi t h bl ack vel-
vet ornamented wi t h si l ver. I n the center there is a l argo
tabl e wi t h a cover that descends wi t hi n a f ew inches of
the fl oor.
T he pres ti di gi tator presents the s ubj ect who m he I s to
decapi tate, l ays h i m upon the tabl e, and t a ki ng a saber,
cuts off hi s head and depos i ts i t upon a pl ate l yi ng near
F i g. 1. THE CATAFAL QUE.
the feet of the s ubj ect at the end of the tabi c. T hen the
s pectators are i nvi ted to pass i n processi on upon the s tage
a nd to touc h the head i n order to assure thems el ves t ha t
i t is s ti l l l i vi ng.
Explanation.Tho tabl e upon whi c h the s ubj ect l i es is
pr ovi ded wi t h a doubl e bo t t o m t hat rests upon pegs f i xed
F i g. 2. THE DOUBL E BOTTOMED TABL E.
i n the f our l egs. I n thi s doubl e bo t t o m is conceal ed a
confederate, the make- up of whos e head is s uch as to ro-
sembl e that of the person to be decapi tated. A resem-
bl ance is obtai ned by provi di ng the t wo persons wi t h si m-
i l ar false beards and eyebrows.
The tabl e is provi ded wi th a trap i nto whi ch tho subj ect
l owers hi s head. The door of the trap turns and a false
head places i tsel f agai nst the shoul ders. T he operator
conceals thi s s ubs ti tuti on by pl aci ng hi msel f between the
spectators and the subj ect. T hen he takes a saber, passes
i t between the shoul ders and the false head (a part of
whi c h representi ng the di vi ded neck remai ns near the
shoul ders), and seizes the head by the hai r i n order to
carry i t to tho pl ate. I n carryi ng i t he presses a button
that has the effect of openi ng a tube whence a red l i qui d
resembl i ng bl ood escapes.
I n depos i ti ng the head upon the pl ate the pres ti di gi tator
hi des i t f rom vi ew.
The confederate i n the tabl e opens a trap f ormed i n the
bottom of the pl ate, removes the false head and causes hi s
own to appear i n place of i t.
F i g. 3.AFTER THE DECAPITATION.
The spectators defile al ong the r ai l i ng and may touch
the head i n order to assure themsel ves that i t is l i vi ng,
but the arrangement of the r ai l i ng does not permi t them
to touch the body.
H O W T O HO T H E B L AC K AR T . 25
Ne w S l i i c k S ha ke P uz z l e.
T hi s is s i mpl y constructed as f ol l ows :
T ake a ci rcul ar wooden or card box about 3 i n. by 2
(fig. 1). fnsi dc thi s box fix another of cardboard, 34 of an
i nch square, 2 3-4 i n. l ong (fig. 2).
Hal f way up fig. 2, and exactl y on one of the angl es,
bore a hole about 3-10 of an i nch i n di ameter. Tho bore
shoul d be perfectl y s mooth and cl ear on the inside. T ake
a piece of wi ne cork about an i nch l ong, and wi th an ordi -
nary cork cutter cut a hol e about 3-10 di ameter through
the center l engthways .
F i g. 1.
Fi g. 2.
C ut a notch i n one end of the cork so that i t may fi t over
the angl e on the box ; then fi x i t l l r ml y over the hol e i n
the angl e of tho box, so that the hol es i n the cork commu-
ni cate (see dotted l i ne, fig. 4.) Before the cork is fixed, a
piece of cl oth, or other soft materi al , s houl d be gl ued over
the outer end of the cork, so as to cover the hole.
F l ace three ordi nary shot i n fig. 3, and fix the card ends
permanentl y on the box. F i g. 4 shows fig. 3 fixed i n place.
Wi t h a bradawl bore f our smal l hol es at equal di stances
apart round the mi ddl e of fig. 1. No. 1 of those hol es
shoul d be exactl y i n a l i ne wi t h the outer end of the cork,
the other three holes are of no consequence.
F i g. 3.
F i g. 4.
P aste a ci rcul ar label, wi t h the words " S hi c k S hake"
thereon, on the top and bottom of tlie puzzle, and see that
H O W T O DO T H E B L AC K AU T . 27
i n each case tho l etter I i n Shiclc comes exactl y over the
F i g. G.
No. 1 hol o referred to. Of course i t shoul d bo I mpossi bl e to
open tho puzzl e.
limn to Use the Puzzle.
P resent one of tho company wi t h tho puzzl o, and ask
hi m to shako i t wel l wi t hout r attl i ng i t, i f he can. T hi s
he wi l l find i mpos s i bl e; then offer to do i t yoursel f. As
you take the puzzl e, gl ance at tho wor d " S h l c k " and sco
i n whi c h di recti on the l etter I Is poi nti ng, and then wi th-
out l ooki ng you wi l l easily bo able to feel tho No. 1 hol e
opposi te. Ho l d tho puzzl o behi nd your back for a mo-
ment, so that i t cannot bo seen.
K eep the No. 1 hol e downwar ds and shako qui etl y hori -
z ontal l y f r om end to end. T hi s wi l l cause tho shots to
enter the hol e i n the cork, where they remai n si l ent. X'ro-
duco tho box and shako i t before the company, taki ng
care, however, to keep the No. 1 hol e s l i ghtl y downwards .
Whe n passi ng i t to anyone, ti l t tho box s l i ghtl y so that
No. 1 hol e comes upwards , and tho r attl i ng wi l l at once
recommence. No. 1 is onl y a term, the hol e s houl d not bo
numbered.
T r i c k s i n P r e s t i di gi t a t i o n.
Multiplication of Coins.In pres ti di gi tati on, very si m-
pl e experi ments, that seem chi l di s h as soon as the secret
of them Is known, of ten produce qui te an effect dur i ng tho
performance and causo the spectators more surpri se than
do many s ki l l f ul and compl i cated tri cks . S uch is tho
ease wi t h tho ono we arc about to describe.
U pon a s mal l rectangul ar tray of j apaunei l sheet i ron,
s i mi l ar to those i n common use, are pl aced seven coins
(F i g. 1). A spectator is asked to receive these i n hi s hand
and to put the coi ns back upon the tray, one by one, and
to count them wi t h a l oud voice as he does so. I t is then
f ound that the number has doubl ed, there bei ng fourteen
i nstead of seven. The same operati on repeated gi ves as a
resul t twenty- one coins.
A B C
4
As may be seen i n the secti on i n F i g. 3, the tray has a
doubl e bottom, f or mi ng an i nterspace a l i ttl e wi der than
the thi ckness of one of the coins, and whi ch is di vi ded
j i ow t o no Ti i n b l a c k a r t . 20
breadthwi s e i nto t wo equal compartments by a parti ti on,
13. These t wo compartments ara cl oscd al l around, save
at the ends of the tray, where there ar e. two apertures, A
and C, that i n l ength are doubte the di ameter of the coins.
I n thi s I nterspace are concealed fourteen coins, soveu on
each side. Whe n tho contents of the tray aro empti ed i nto
the hand of a spectator tho coi ns conceal ed i n one of the
compartments drop at tho same ti me, (F i g. 2). Tho oper-
ator then takes the tray i n hi s other hand and thus natu-
ral l y seizes i t at the end at whi c h tho now empty compart-
ment exi sts, and thi s al l ows tho seven coi ns that aro con-
tai ned i n the other compar tment to j oi n the fi rst ones,
when the l atter are rapi dl y empti ed i nto the hands of tho
spectator for the second ti me.
A squaro tray, wi t h a doubl e bottom di vi ded i nto f our
compartments byj di vi s i ons r unni ng di agonal l y f r om one
corner to another, woul d per mi t of i ncreasi ng the number
of coins f our ti mes.
L et us say, however, that s ki l l f ul pres ti di gi tators di s-
pense wi t h tke doubl e bottom. T hoy hol d t he coi ns some-
ti mes under the tray wi t h thei r fi ngers extended, and
someti mes on the tray, under thei r thumbs , and renew
thei r s uppl y several ti mes f r om secret pockets s ki l l f ul l y
arranged I n vari ous parts of thei r coat, where the specta-
tors are far f r om suspecti ng the exi stence of them.
The Wine and the Water,After havi ng done consid-
erabl e tal ki ng, as requi red by hi s professi on, a presti di gi -
tator is excusabl e for as ki ng permi ssi on of hi s spectators
to refresh hi ms el f i n thei r presence, especi al l y i f he i nvi tes
one of them to come to keep hi m company.
An assi stant then bri ngs i n upon a tray t wo cl aret glasses
and t wo perfectl y trans parent decanters, one of whi c h
contai ns red wi ne and the other water. T ho presti di gi ta-
tor asks hi s guest to select one of tho t wo decanters and
leave the other for hi msel f. No hes i tati on is possible. The
guest hastens to seize tbo wi no and each i mmedi atel y fills
hi s glass. H o w as toni s hi ng 1 U pon i ts contact wi th tho
gl ass the wi ne changes i nto water and the water becomes
wi ne. J udge of the hi l ar i ty of the spectators and the
amazement of the vi c t i m! The pretsnded wi ne was noth-
i ng but the f ol l owi ng compos i ti on: 1 gr amme permangan-
ato of potash and 2 grammes s ul phuri c aci d di ssol ved i n 1
quar t of water. T hi s l i qui d is i ns tantaneous l y decol ori zed
on enteri ng tho glass, at the bottom of whi c h has been
pl aced a few drops of water s aturated wi t h hypos ul phi te
of soda. As for the water i n the second decanter, that had
had consi derabl e al cohol added to i t, and at the bottom of
tho glass that was to receive i t had been pl aced a s mal l
pi nch of ani l i ne red, whi ch, as wel l known, possesses
s trong ti nctori al properti es. The glasses mus t be carri ed
away i mmedi atel y, since i n a f ew i ns tants the wi ne chang-
ed i nto water loses i ts l i mpi di ty and assumes a mi l k y ap-
pearance.
A S c ot c h M o n e y B o x.
Tho accompanyi ng fi gure represents a novel money box
whi ch a contri butor to La Nahirc came across i n E di n-
burgh. T ho box <1), whi c h is of wood, is provi ded at i ts
upper part wi t h a drawer. I n the nor mal pos i ti on of the
box, the drawer can be opened, but not wi thdr awn. I f a
coi n be pl aced i n the dr awer and the l atter be closed and
then reopened, the coi n wi l l have di sappeared, al though
the drawer apparentl y contai ns no aperture.
The i ngeni ous mechani s m of the box is arranged as fol-
l ows : The body of the drawer consi sts of a thi c k piece of
wood contai ni ng a ci rcul ar cavi ty. T he bottom is hi nged,
and when the drawer is pul l ed out, appl i es i tsel f agai nst
the body of the l atter, and drops agai n when i t is closed.
I n fact, i t abuts agai nst the l ower edge of the cavi ty, and
rises ge'ntly wi t hout the l east resi stance bei ng fel t. T he
travel of the drawer is l i mi ted by a nai l movabl e i n a cav-
i ty closed by a pl ug. I f i t be desi red to empty the box, i t
suffices to t ur n i t upsi de down, when the nai l wi l l re-enter
and tho drawer can bo taken out.
No. I shows the box open. Tho onl y si gn of the movabl e
bottom is the extr emi ty of i ts axi s, mar ked i n the figure
by a s mal l dot at the l ower part of the drawer, the sides of
whi ch gui de i t perfectl y. I n No. 2 the box i s i nver ted, and
H O W T O DO T H E B L AC K AR T . 31
i t wi l l be seen that there is no proj ecti on to prevent the
drawer f r om bei ng wi thdr awn. No. 3 shows the manner
i n whi c h tho dr awer is empti ed.
T h e S a n d F r a me T r i c k . I
The sand f rame is a very i ngeni ousl y constructed l i ttl e
apparatus whi c h is empl oyed i n di fferent tri cks of pres-
ti di gi tati on for causi ng the di sappearance of a card, a pho-
tograph, a sealed l etter, an answer wr i tten upon a sheet of
paper, etc.
I n appearance i t -is a s i mpl e pl ush- covered frame, the
back of whi ch opens wi t h a hi nge behi nd a glass, whi ch,
at fi rst si ght, presents nothi ng pecul i ar.
I n real i ty, there are t wo glasses separated f r om each
other by an i nterval of three mi l l i meters . The l ower side
i
T HE SAND FBAME.
of the f rame is hol l ow and f orms a reservoi r filled wi t h
very fine bl ue sand. I n the i nteri or the door is covered
wi t h bl ue paper of the same shade as the sand. T he card,
portrai t, or l etter that is subsequentl y to appear is pl aced
i n the f rame i n advance, but, i n order to render I t i nvi si -
ble, the l atter is hel d verti cal l y, the reservoi r at the top.
The sand then fal l s and fills the space that separates the
t wo glasses, and tho bl ue surface thus f ormed behi nd tho
fi rst gl ass seems to be tho back of the frame. I n order to
cause tho appearance of tho concealed obj ect, tho frame is
pl aced verti cal l y wi t h the reservoi r at tho bottom, and
covered wi t h a s i l k handkerchi ef. I n a f ew seconds tho
sand wi l l have di sappeared. Tho door that closes tho back
may be opened by a spectator and the f rame s hown closo
by, provi ded that i t bo hel d verti cal l y i n order to prevont
the sand f r om appeari ng between tho two glasses.
F i g. 2 shows the f ramo as seen f r om behi nd. Tho door,
P , is seen open, and at S is seen tho sand f al l i ng between
the t wo glasses. I n tho secti on at the side, V and V are
the two glasses, P , tho door, and R, tho reservoi r.
We have supposed here an experi ment made by means
of the s mal l foot, A, upon whi ch tho spectator has pl aced
the seven of hearts. Tho card passes i nto the frame. T o
tel l the tr uth, i t is removed by the cover, C, al ong wi t h
the thi n di sk, D, that covered tho foot, A, and upon whi c h
i t was pl aced. I t wi l l bo sai d that wo have hero to do
wi t h a doubl e bottom. Al l o w tho cover, C, before cover-
i ng the card, and tho foot, A, after the experi ment is fin-
i shed, to be exami ned. I s tho cover asked f or agai n? One
wi l l hasten to s how i t wi t hout sayi ng that the back edge
of the tabl e has j us t been s truck wi t h i t i n order to cause
the disc, D, and tho card to f al l on to a shelf.
A B r i o c h e B a k e d i n a H a t .
T hi s ol d tr i ck al ways amuses the spectators. S ome eggs
are broken i nto a porcel ai n vessel, some fl our is added
thereto, and there is even i ncorporated wi t h the paste tho
egg shel l s and a f ew drops of wax or steari ne f r om a near-
by candl e. Tho hole havi ng been put i nto a hat (F i g. 1),
the l atter is passed three ti mes over a fl ame, and an excel-
l ent bri oche, baked to a turn, is taken out of thi s new set
of cooki ng utensi l s. As for tho owner of the hat, who has
passed thr ough a state of great apprehensi on, ho finds
wi t h evi dent sati sfacti on (at least i n most cases) that hi s
head gear ha 3 preserved no traces of the mi xtur e that was
poured i nto i t.
F i g. 2 shows the apparatus empl oyed by presti di gi tators
to bake a bri oche i n a hat. A is an earthern or porcel ai n
vessel (i t may also be of metal ) i nto whi ch enters a metal l i c
cyl i nder, B, whi ch is provi ded wi t h a flange at one of i ts
extremeti es, and is di vi ded by a hori zontal parti ti on i nto
t wo unequal compartments , c and d. T he i nteri or of the
A BRI OCHE BA K ED I N A HA T.
par t d is pai nted whi te so as to i mi tate porcel ai n. F i nal l y
when the cyl i nder, B, is whol l y i nserted i n the vessel, A,
i n whi ch i t is hel d by four spri ngs, r, r , r , r, fixed to the
sides, there is nothi ng to denote at a s hort di stance that
the vessel, A , is empty, j us t as i t was presented at the be-
gi nni ng of the experi ment.
T ho pres ti di gi tator l i as secretly i ntroduced i nto tho hat
the s mal l cake and tho apparatus, B, by maki ng them tal l
suddenl y f r om a bracket affi xed to tho back of a chai r.
T hat at l east is tho mos t practi cal method of operati ng.
The vessel, A, about whi ch thero is nothi ng pecul i ar, is,
of course, s ubmi tted to the exami nati on of tho spectators.
The obj ect of addi ng the fl our is to render the pasto less
fluid and to thus more certai nl y avoi d tho producti on of
stai ns.
Tho cake bei ng arranged under the apparatus, B, i n tho
space, <1, t|ie contents of tho vessel, A, poured f r om a cer-
tai n hei ght, f al l i nto the part, c, of tho apparatus ; then
tho vessel, gradual l y brought nearer, is qui ckl y i nserted
i nto the hat i n order to seize therei n, and at tho same ti mo
remove, tho receptable, B, wi t h i ts contents and leave onl y
the calco.
F i g. 3 shows thi s l ast operati on. Wo have i ntenti onal l y
s hown the pare, B, proj ecti ng f r om the vessel, A, but i t
wi l l be unders tood that i n real i ty i t mus t bo i nserted up
to the base at tho moment at whi ch tho vessel, A, i ntro-
duced i nto the hat, is concealed f r om the eyes of tho spec-
tators. The pres ti di gi tator nono the less conti nues to
move hi s Anger al l around the i nteri or of the doubl e ves-
sel as i f to gather up tho remai nder of tho paste, whi ch ho
makes bel i eve to thr ow i nto tho hat, upon the r i m of
whi c h ho even affects to wi pe hi s Angers, to the great dis-
qui etude of the gentl eman to who m I t belongs.
The experi ment may bo compl i cated by Arst bur ni ng
al cohol or f ragments of paper i n the compartment c, of tho
apparatus. S ome pres ti di gi tators even add a l i ttl e Ben-
gal fire. B u t l et no ono i mi tate that amateur presti di gi ta-
tor who, wi s hi ng to render the experi ment more bri l l i ant,
put i nto the receptacle such a quanti ty of powder that a
di saster supervened, so that i t became necessary to thr ow
water i nto the bur ni ng hat i n order to exti ngui s h tho
nascent fire.
S o S i mpl e,
The tri ck, feat, puzzle, or whatever ti tl e may be gi ven to
i t that I a m about t o describe, and, i f possible, expl ai n
(for I a m wel l aware my task is no easy one), cannot bo
cal l ed new, since I can remember seei ng my father per-
f or m i t as l ong as I can remember anythi ng, but at the
same ti mo X never saw i t done by anyone except those to
who m he had taught i t, and I therefore concl ude i t is not
general l y known. I t is far too good and puz z l i ng a tr i ck
is exasperati ngl y di ffi cul t to grasp and l earn, even after
you have agai n and agai n been s hown the modus operan-
di. Another good poi nt i n i ts favor is that so l i ttl e is re-
qui red for i ts performance, nothi ng more than a r i ng of
some ki nd, a tabl e napki n r i ng is as good as anythi ng, and
thi s is general l y avai l abl e at the ti me when thi s k i nd of
tr i c k tel l s best, vi z. , after di nner. I n order that the dia-
grams may be clear I have not dr awn a napki n ri ng, but
one of s tri ng, as thi s does not hi de the pos i ti on of the fi n-
t wo forefi ngers i nto i t f r om di fferent sides, as i n fig. 1, and
tur n the fingers round each other s l owl y, l etti ng the direc-
ti on be away f r om your body. T hen close the finger and
t humb of each hand round the ri ng, see fig. 2, and br i ngi ng
tho ti ps of the f our together, open t hem as i n fig. 3, and
drop tho ri ng.
I t sounds s i mpl o enough, doesn't i t? And yet, i f you
succeed i n doi ng i t i n your l l rs t hal f dozen attempts I shal l
bo astoni shed, and i f you do i t once, i t is no reason you
wi l l do i t agai n unti l yon have got the one and al l - i mport-
ant fact i nto your head, vi z. , that when' you bri ng tho ti ps
of tho fi ngers and thumbs together, tho ti p of tho finger of
the r i ght hand mus t rest on the ti p of tho thumb of the
l eft, and vice versa, and then i n openi ng them keep tho
first fingers and thumbs j oi ned together sti l l , and tho r i ng
wi l l at once bo free. T hi s expl anati on, I fear, may sound
di ffi cul t, but i f you practi co wi t h tho i l l us trati ons before
you, you ought to be abl e to get hol d of the knack.
A tabl e napki n r i ng is better to exhi bi t wi t h than tho
piece of s tr i ng I have dr awn, because i t rather vei l s tho
way i n whi c h tho fi ngers are j oi ned. Y o u wi l l havo capi-
tal f un i f any one, not kno wi ng the tri ck, endeavors to do
i t. Hi s efforts wi l l be hopeless. Y o u may s how hi m agai n
and agai n, and even put hi s figers ri ght for hi m, and yet ho .
wi l l fai l , I have set a whol e tabl e f ul l of people hard at
wo r k twi s ti ng away at thei r ri ngs, and i mpl or i ng me to
" s how them j us t once more, and to do i t s l o w l y a n d the >
beauty of i t is, that however s l owl y you do i t, i t is not a [
bi t more easy to grasp. T o onl ookers, the twi s ti ng of tho
fingers r ound and r ound appears to be an i mpor tant feat-
ure of the performance, and any one attempti ng i t is cer-
tai n to twi s t di l i gentl y for a ti me before ho attempts to
j oi n the fingers, and, of course, the twi s ti ng can be s hown
as s l owl y as you l i ke, and yet not disclose tho tri ck ; but
i f you want to havo f un wi t h tho l earner never omi t the
twi s ti ng.
38 I I OAV T O DO T I I E B L AC K AR T .
A n I n g e n i o u s R i n g T r i c k .
T hough not c l ai mi ng s tri ct ori gi nal i ty for the accompa-
nyi ng tri ck, I have reason to believe that- i t is f ar f r om
common. I t is qui te twenty years si nce I fi rst became ar-
quai nted wi t h i t, and I have onl y revealed i ts " mysteri es "
to about hal t a dozen cronies. Wi t h these excepti ons,
and the "exc epti ons " thoy have madeI do not thi nk
many persons are capabl e of per f or mi ng the tri ck ; at least
I never met anybody, nei ther have I kno wn the most cuto
to execute i t, though I have repeated the tri ck agai n and
agai n. So I am of opi ni on i t wi l l i nterest my boy fri ends,
and deci dedl y enabl e them to score one. I n return 1 mus t
as k a favor. Whe n you are asked how it's done, tel l your
fri ends to buy thi s book and seo for themsel ves.
I n the accompanyi ng i l l us trati ons I haveai med at "s i m-
pl i ci ty of comprehensi on, " before arti s ti c desi gn. B ut i f
you careful l y read my expl anati ons, and mi nutel y s tudy
the desi gns, I predi ct successthough not perhaps exactl y
at the fi rst attempt.
Y o u mus t fi rst procure your si ster or younger brother,
or, i f not blessed wi t h ei ther, a chum, to act as assi stant.
Whi chever is chosen, they mus t first bo bound to secrecy
by threats of di ref ul penal ti es i f they di vul ge what they
see. B ut i f you prefer keepi ng the tri ck to yoursel f, a
coupl e of pegs i n a door, about ei ghteen inches apart, wi l l
do very wel l for " thumbs . " I have i l l us trated the tri ck as
i t s houl d bo performed.
, No w al l thi s mus t seem very mysteri ous. Y et you may
safel y i nf or m your audi ence there is nothi ng mysteri ous
about i t, though there is no mi s take " the qui ckness of the
hand deceives the eye, " so some dexteri ty ought to be ac-
qui red. Of course the audi ence wi l l not believe youi t
never does 1 I t is possible you aro even doubti ng me J So
I proceed.
P rocure a piece of moderatel y stout, s mooth stri ng, about
a yard l ong. Ti e the. ends together by a secure kno t ; I f i n
pu&l i c, al l ow some person i n the audi ence to suppl y the
s tr i ng and ti e the knoti t may be sati sfactory to them,
and wi l l not prove detri mental to you. T hen ask for a r i ng
not of an engaged young l ady, as she may obj ect to re-
move i t.
No w ask some one to vol unteer for assi stant. P ass tho
s tr i ng through tho ri ng, and (loop each end over your as-
si stant's thumbs , whose hands mus t be hel d i n the posi ti on
of fig. 1; but your s tr i ng and r i ng wi l l not yet appear as
there s hown. S ou then announce i t is your i ntenti on to
remove the r i ng f r om the s tr i ng wi thout r emovi ng ei ther
of the loops f r om your assi stant's thumbs . ( I n parenthe-
sis I may here say that R. n. and l . n. appl y to the assist-
ant's r i ght and l eft hands, and r . it. n. to performer's r i ght
hand, i.e., yoursel f. I t has not been nccessary to s how the
performer's l eft hand.
Observe that the knot where the ends of the s tri ng arc
ti ed rests agai nst your assi stant's r i ght thumb, and that
the r i ng is near i t too. The posi ti ons of the knot and r i ng
are s hown at R II, P i g. 1. No w to arrange the s tr i ng as
there s hown.
P l ace the forefi nger of the r i ght hand on the top piece of
s tri ng, about mi dway between your assi stant's hands.
T ake the bottom s tr i ng between tho forefi nger and t humb
of the l eft hand, mi dway between your forefi nger whi c h
rests on the top s tri ng, and young assi stant's r i ght thumb.
To describe the movement whi ch ensues is di i l i cul l , and
you mus t endeavor to f ol l ow me closely. P ul l tho top
s tr i ng towards you wi t h your ri ght- hand forefi nger; at
the same ti me pass the bottom s tr i ng upwar d and over
towar ds your assi stant's l eft thumb, upon whi c h you mus t
l oop i t against tho sun. I f you have unders tood me, the
rel ati ve posi ti ons of ri ng, s tr i ng and hands wi l l be as
s hown at F i g. 1. S tudy thi s i l l us trati on careful l y, so as to
be sure you have i t r i ght before proceedi ng to the next
movement. .
On no account mus t you move your ri ght- hand forefi n-
ger f r om the l oop i t retai ns unt i l I tel l you. Wi t h your
l eft hand pass tho r i ng towar ds your assi stant's r i ght
t humb as f ar as i t wi l l go. Between the r i ng and hi s
r i ght thumb the s tr i ng wi l l be crossed. C aref ul l y observe
whi ch is the top s tri ng. I f you mi s take i t, you wi l l spoi l
the tri ck. T ake i t between the forefi nger and t humb of
your l ef t hand, and l oop i t on your assi stant's l eft thumb,
also against the sun. F i g. 2 f ul l y i l l ustrates the rel ati ve
posi ti ons. I t wi l l be observed that the s tri ng, by l oopi ng,
has dr awn your assi stant's hands closer together.
I t is now necessary to cal l your audience's attenti on to
the fact that, though you havo pl aced l oops upon your
assi stant's thumb, you have not taken any l oop off". T hen
tel l hi m to close hi s thumbs and forefi ngers " that there
may be no decepti on, " and also to press hi s hands gentl y
apart. Release the l oop hel d by your ri ght- hand forefin-
ger, and gi ve the r i ng a sharp pul l wi t h your l eft hand
and that is how i t's done.
Di s a ppe a r a nc e of a C oi n.
A mar ked coi n is pl aced i n a rectangul ar box, whence i t
i ns tantaneous l y passes i nto a round box whi ch is not
reached unti l seven or ei ght other boxes, i ncl osed one
wi t hi n another, have been opened i n succession.
F i g. 1 s hows ho w tho coi n drops f r om tho box I n whi ch
i t was pl aced i nto the hand of the presti di gi tator, under
ono of the end pieccs whi c h is adherent to the covcr, and
consequentl y leaves an openi ng when the l atter is dr awn
out. T he spectators, however, are persuaded that tho
coi n is s ti l l i n the box, since they thi nk they hear i t s tri ke
agai ns t the sides of i t when tho box is shaken, al though
the s ound is real l y produced thr ough the mechani sm
s hown i n F i g. 2. At A is seen the l ower part of a fi rst
bo t t o m; Z is a s tri p of metal movabl e hori z ontal l y upon a
verti cal axi s f ormed of a nai l whi c h traverses i t very near
one of i ts extremi ti es , whi l e the other extremi ty moves
f r om one si de to the other, accordi ng to the l i ne indica-
ted by dots i n the figure, when tho box is shaken f rom
r i ght to l eft and l ef t to r i ght ; r is a s pri ng desi gned to
separate the correspondi ng part of tho second bottom of
the box, movabl e thr ough a ti l ti ng moti on upon a hori-
z ontal axi s that separates i t i nto t wo unequal parts i n tho
di recti on of i ts l ength.
At B is seen a verti cal secti on of tho box and of the
doubl e bottom, whi c h is not everywhere of the same thi ck-
ness. Under such ci rcumstances, thr ough tho acti on of
the spri ng, the side of thi s second bottom bears agai nst
the s tri p of metal and renders i t i mmovabl e, even when
ono shakes tho box, whi ch, f or greater securi ty, is then
grasped i n pressi ng tho poi nt, D, wi t h tho thumb, tho
other fingers bei ng underneath. I f , on tho contrary, the
box is hel d by the opposi te side, and the fingers press i n
such a way as to bend the s pri ng and s l i ghtl y i ncl i ne the
doubl e bottom, the s tri p of metal , set at l i berty, produces,
on s tr i ki ng agai nst the sides of the box, the same sound
that woul d be made by the coi n were i t i ncl osed therei n.
DI SAPPEARANCE OP A COIN,
L et us add that thi s second bottom is covered external l y
wi t h bl ack cl oth gl ued al l around and wel l stretched over
the edge of the f our verti cal sides of the box.
Whi l e the spectators thi nk they hear the coi n i n the
box, the pres ti di gi tator goes to get the second one, whi ch,
as we have sai d, contai ns a certai n number of others that
F i g. 3 s hows i n section. B u t i n advance, al l the covers on
the one hand and al l the boxes on the other have been
pl aced one wi t hi n another, thus per mi tti ng o al l of theui
bei ng closed by .1 si ngl o maneuver after the coi n has been
pl aced i n tho central and smal l est box.
As s hown i n F i g. 4, the covers are hel d i n place wi t h tho
mi ddl e fi nger of the r i ght hand. I n order that they may
f i t perfectl y upon thei r respecti ve boxes, tho whol e is
s l i ghtl y shaken, and, i f need bo, the side of the external
box is s truck a f ew ti mes wi t h tho magi c wand as i f to
poi nt i t out to tho spectators.
Tho rectangul ar box is then grasped i n such a way that
no sound is heard any l onger, and Is i mmedi atel y opened
to s how that i t is empty. T hen tho round boxes arc
opened one after the other.
The spectators, i n vi ew of tho short ti me requi red for
thi s operati on, cannot conceive through what iryigic pro-
cess i t has been possible to cause the coin ( whi ci i coul d
not have been changed, since tho si gn wi t h whi ch I t is
mar ked bears wi tness of that) to pass so rapi dl y to tho
center of al l these boxes.
. T h o u g h t R e a di ng.
F or some f ew years past i t has been the fashi on to experi-
ment i n what is general l y kno wn as " thought readi ng, "
and no doubt many astoni shi ng resul ts have been attai n-
ed by the professors of the art. Not onl y has i t been ex-
hi bi ted i n publ i c by clever performers, such as S tuart Cum-
berl and, Al f r ed Capper, and I r vi ng Bi shop, but amateurs
may occasi onal l y be met wi t h at eveni ng parti es, who, for
the entertai nment of thei r fri ends, are wi l l i ng to exhi bi t
thei r powers ; and very of ten wi t h mos t puzzl i ng resul ts.
Whether there real l y is anythi ng i n the matter, or wheth-
er thei r performances are onl y cl ever tri cks. I mus t leave
others to j udge; i t is not my purpose to discuss the ques-
ti on. They do find pi ns hi dden i n most extraordi nary
places, and they do read the numbers of bank notes wi th-
out, as far as the audi ence is aware, havi ng had an oppor-
tuni ty of gai ni ng thei r knowl edge. Ho w I t is done I mus t
l eave others to expl ai n, i f they wi l l , but the obj ect of thi s
paper is to s how our readers how they can amus e thei r
fri ends and gai n kudos for themsel ves by exhi bi ti ng thei r
profi ci ency i n a branch of the mys ti c art, and that wi thout
any more tr ai ni ng than can be gai ned i n ten mi nutes.
I t hi nk tho best pl an by whi c h I can expl ai n my method
and make i t cl car wi l l be to gi ve a descri pti on of a seance,
and then i ni ti ate my readers i nto the modus operandi,
, Before I commence I may state that 1 cannot promi se in-
; vari abl e success (i n thi s I am l i ke al l other thought read-
ers), but so far I have never fai l ed, and very f ew professed
thought readers can say thi s much.
We wi l l i magi ne that a party of fri ends are gathered to-
gether i n the drawi ng- room, and that the conversati on has
turned upon thought readi ng. Our amateur professor i n
the ar t then says i n the mos t careless manner he can as-
sume (for i t adds i mmeas urabl y to the effect of hi s per-
formance i f i t appears to bo i mpr ompt u) : " We l l , l adi es
and gentl emen, though I do not set up to be a regul ar pro-
fessor of thought readi ng, yet I f ound out qui te by acci-
dent a s hort ti me since that nature has gi f ted me wi t h a
certai n amount of power i n thi s di recti on, and i f i t woul d
amus e you, I am wi l l i ng to attempt an experi ment or t wo
thi s eveni ng- "
T hi s offer, you may be sure, wi l l be recei ved wi t h enthu-
si asm by those present, f or there wi l l bo certai n to be
among the gnests some, at any rate, who have never wi t-
nessed an exhi bi ti on of thought readi ng, and who are anx-
i ous to have an opportuni ty of doi ng so. Y o u conti nue:
" Remember, i f you please, that I wi l l not promi s e to be
successful, for i n thi s matter success depends l argel y upon
tho condi ti on of suscepti bi l i ty i n whi c h my brai n is at the
ti me, and that I cannot tel l unti l I attempt tho experi -
ments ; at any rate I wi l l do my bes t; and s houl d X f ai l I
mus t crave your ki nd i ndul gence. " I t is al ways wel l to
commence wi t h thi s warni ng, for i t gi ves a greater effect
to your subsequent success, and provi des a l oophol e fores-
cape in case you shoul d fai l . " The condi ti ons under whi c h
I make the attempt are s omewhat di fferent f r om those of
tho regul ar performers, but I do not fancy you wi l l t hi nk
they detract f r om the extraordi nary nature of the experi -
ment.
" I n tho first place i t is necessary that sorao l ady or gen-
tl eman s houl d act as a medi um ; some one between whoso
mi nd and my own there is s ympathy. P erhaps you, si r, "
addressi ng a gentl eman present, " woul d not mi nd assist-
i ng mo i n thi s capaci ty. P ardon me for a moment. " Y ou
go up to hi m, l ay your hand on hi s forehead, close your
eyes and s tand perfectl y s ti l l and si l ent for a mi nute, whi l e
the remai nder of the guests watch you i n wonder. Then
you open your eyes, at tho same ti mo heavi ng a si gh of
exhausti on, and say : " No, sir, I am afrai d I never coul d
succeed wi t h you ; there is not an atom of s ympathy be-
tween us. I t woul d onl y be courti ng fai l uro were I to at-
tempt anythi ng. Madam, wi l l you ai d me? " On receiv-
i ng the l ady's consent go thr ough the same performance
wi t h her, but do not l et your si gh express nearl y so much
exhaus ti on, and smi l e as you say, " Wi t h thi s l ady I have
not the sl i ghtest fear i n maki ng tho at t empt ; our mi nds
are i n pcrfect s ympathy, and I do not anti ci pate any diffi-
cul ty i n readi ng her thoughts . Now, whi l o I am out of
the room wi l l tho company settl o among themsel ves on
some s mal l arti cl e, auythi ng you l i ke, f r om a pi n to a
pump- handl e, and, ' havi ng done so, wi l l ono of you, accom-
pani ed by the medi um, take that arti cl e i nto a dark room
and hi de i t i n tho most secret place you can thi nk of? B ut
you mus t al l ow tho medi um to know whore i t is placed.
An d I wi l l ask thi s l ady who has consented to act i n that
capaci ty to fix her thoughts most i ntentl y upon tho hi dden
obj ect, for tho more concentrated her thoughts arc tho
easier wi l l be my task.
" F r o m tho ti me I leave thi s room before you have even
settl ed on what you are goi ng to conceal, I do not wi s h to
cast my eyes on tho medi um unti l I havo ful fi l l ed my task,
for if she wi l l onl y fix her thoughts suffi ci entl y I hope to
be able to read them thr ough bri ck wal l s qui te as easi l y
as i f she wore s tandi ng at my side.
" I can perf orm tho experi ment j us t as wel l i n tho l i ght,
but I thi nk you wi l l al l admi t that i t is a far more exact-
i ng test of my powers if I am succcssfui i n a r oom f r om
whi c h every atom of l i ght is excl uded. These aro tho onl y
condi ti ons I wi l l r un them over agai n that they may bo
qui te clear. Y o u settl o on somo s mal l obj ect, whi ch one
of the party, accompani ed by the medi um, takes i nto a
dark room and hides;; you then keep tho medi um under
l ock and key, i f you l i ke, at any rate where I shal l not
have the sl i ghtest chance of communi cati ng wi t h her, i n
any f or m or shape. She f i xi ng her mi nd i ntentl y on the
hi dden obj ect, X wi l l go i nto the dar k room and do my
bei t. to di scover the arti cl e. I s that qui te clear ? Ver y
wel l , pardon me one moment. "
Y o u s tand behi nd the medi um, pl ace your hands round
the upper part of her head wi t h the fingers res ti ng on t he
templ es, close your eyes, s tand perfectl y si l ent, and al l ow
the muscles of your face to wo r k and twi tch, and then,
wi t h a deep si gh, remove your hands and l eave the room
wi t hout utter i ng a word.
F or the sake of exampl e we wi l l i magi ne the company
has selected tho scarf- pi n of a gentl eman as the obj ect to
be hi dden, and one of thei r number goes wi t h the medi um
i nto the di ni ng- room i n whi ch there is no l i ght, the gas
havi ng been turned out, and conceals tho pi n i n one of the
metal leaves whi c h ornament tho gaselier, hangi ng f r om
the cei l i ng. The hi der and the medi um come f r om tho
room, and close the door. Wo r d is taken to you that al l is
ready. Y o u enter the dark room, close the door behi nd
you, and i f wi t hi n the next three mi nutes you do not
emerge hol di ng tho hi dden pi n you arc a duffer, and un-
wor thy of credence as a thought- reader.
The mani festati on, or whatever you may please to cal l it,
to the uni ni ti ated appears marvel ous, whereas i t is real l y
mos t si mpl e, and depends not so muc h on you as on your
medi um, who mus t be an accompl i ce. As a rul e i n con-
j ur i ng, the use of accompl i ces mar ks a l ow s tandard of the
art, but there are cases i n whi c h they can be l egi ti matel y
made use of, and thi s is one of them. I t wi l l be a f ai r test
of the powers of decepti on possessed by the thought-
reader I f he can conceal the fact that the person he selects
as a medi um is an accompl i ce.
The whol e secret of the tr i c k consi sts i n the medi um
l eavi ng hi s or her watch on, or as near as i t is possible to
pl ace i t to, the hi dden arti cl e. T hi s proceedi ng cannot be
seen because the r oom i s dark, and when tho thought-
reader enters and closes the door behi nd hi m, al l he has to
do is to s tand perfectl y si l ent and l i sten. He wi l l i mme-
di atel y hear the ti cki ng of tho watfch, and, havi ng f ound
i t, he mus t search al l round i t ti l l ho discovers somo
arti cl e l i kel y to be the ono hi dden. I t someti mes happens
that i t is i mpossi bl e for the medi um to place tho watch
touchi ng the arti cl c, and there may bo ono or two thi ngs
i n close pr oxi mi t y; then i t is tho best course for tho
thought- reader to select the arti cl e whi ch appears to bo
mos t out of place i n the posi ti on.
I n my o wn performances I take care to provi de mysel f
wi t h a box of si l ent matches, and di rectl y I enter the room
I l i ght one, and gi ve my eyes as wel i as my cars a chance
of di scoveri ng the wa t c h; havi ng f ound that, a second
match general l y is suffi ci ent to di scover the hi dden arti cl o.
M y fi rst attempt i n thi s l i ne was when the scarf- pi n was
hi dden i n the gaselier. M y medi um had performed hi s
part f ai thf ul l y, and placed hi s watch i n the leaf as wel l . I
heard the ti cki ng, but. for some ti me I coul d not conceivo
where tho sound came f rom. I wal ked round and round
the room, l i s teni ng i ntentl y. I t al ways seemed to bo at
the same di stance f r om me, and I was gr owi ng f ai rl y puz-
zl ed when my eyes fel l on the gaselier, and the next in-
s tant I had f ound the pi n. I t may be of service to somo
woul d- be thought- readers i f I menti on a f ew l i kel y places
i n whi c h arti cl es are often conccalcd. F or somo reason or
other, pi ns are tho favori te arti cl e for conceal ment; after
them come arti cl es f r om the pockets, such as kni ves, pen-
cil-cases, button- hooks, or thi mbl es.
P i ns are often hi dden by s ti cki ng thom i nto the wal l s,
i n whi ch case (if they are suffi ci entl y fi rm) the watch can
be hung on them, or else pl aced on the floor i mmedi atel y
beneath them. They aro also thrus t up to thei r heads i n
the paddi ng and seats of chair3, when the watch can bo
l ai d on them. Wi t h other objects, a common place of con-
ceal ment is wi t hi n or bei ow some ornament on the chi m-
ney piece, or, i f there aro books l yi ng about, between tho
leaves. The feat seems so wel l - ni gh i mpossi bl e for an
amateur to perf orm that you wi l l not often fi nd people
pi ck di ffi cul t places of conceal ment.
F i nal l y, I woul d advise hal f an hour's practl co wi t h your
medi um before attempti ng to gi ve a perf ormance; and
when you are i n doubt as to havi ng hi t on the r i ght arti -
cle, i t is wel l , on enteri ng the room where the guests are
awai ti ng you, to compl ai n of the medi um havi ng al l owed
hi s mi nd to wander for a second or two ; and then, shoul d
your sel ecti on prove at f aul t, you have some ono else be-
side your i nfal l i bl e self to bear tho bl ame.
E x p e r i me n t s i n B l a c k Ar t b y C h e mi s t r y .
KIT As there is some danger i n per f or mi ng tri cks of thi s
ki nd, they shoul d be managed wi t h extreme cauti on, and
"on no account be attempted by very young and i nexperi -
enced persons.
To Obtain Fire from Water.
T hr ow a s mal l quanti ty of potas s i um on the surface of a
l i ttl e water i n a basi n. I mmedi atel y a rose- colored flame
wi l l be produced. An y chemi st wi l l s uppl y the quanti ty
for several of those experi ments for a very s mal l s um.
To Give a Party a Ghastly Appearance.
Take hal f a pi nt of spi ri ts, and, havi ng war med i t, put a
handf ul of sal t wi t h i t i nto a basi n; then set i t on fire, and
i t wi l l have the effect of maki ng every person l ook hi de-
ous. T hi s feat mus t be perf ormed i n a room.
The Fire and Wine Bottle.
P rocure a t i n bottl e wi t h a tube nearl y as l arge as i ts
neck, passi ng f r om the bottom of the neck to tho bottom
of the bottl e, i n whi ch there mus t be a hol e of a size to cor-
respond wi t h i t. Between the tube and the neck of the
bottl e l et there be suffi ci ent space to al l ow you to pour i n
some wi ne, whi ch wi l l remai n i n the bottl e outsi de the
tube. Begi n the tr i c k by pour i ng a glass of wi ne out of
the bottl e, thr ough whi c h a confederate wi l l thrus t a burn-
i ng fuzee i nto tho tube, so that, at your command, fire is-
emi tted f r om the mouth of the bottl e. As soon as the fire
is exti ngui s hed, or wi thdr awn, you can take up the bottl e
agai n and pour out more wi ne.
IIOAV T O B O T H E B L A C K ALTT. 40
The Fiery Flush,
L et a quanti ty of mi nute i ron filings drop upon the fl ame
of a candle f rom a sheet of paper about ei ght or ten inches
above i t ; as they descend i n the flame they wi l l enter i nto
a vi vi d and s parkl i ng combusti on.
To Boil a Liquid Without Fire.
P ut i nto a thi n phi al two parts of oil of vi tri ol ana one
part of water ; by s ti rri ng them wel l together, tho mi xture
i ns tantl y becomes hot, and acquires a temperature above
that of boi l i ng water.
To Procure Hydrogen Gas.
P rocure a phi al wi th a cork stopper, through whi ch is
thrus t a piece of tobacco-pipe. I nto the phi al put a few
pieces of zinc, or smal l i ron nai l s ; on thi s pour a mi xture
of equal parts of sul phuri c aci d (oil of vi tri ol ) and water,
previ ousl y mi xed i n a tea cup to prevent accidents. Re-
place the cork stopper wi th the piece of tobacco-pipe i n i t ;
the hydrogen gas wi l l then bo l i berated through the pipe
i n a smal l stream. Appl y the flame of a candle or taper to
thi s stream, and i t wi l l i mmedi atel y take fire, and burn
wi t h a clear flame unti l al l the hydrogen i n the phi al be
exhausted. I n thi s experi ment the zinc or i ron, by the
acti on of the acid, becomes oxygenized, and is dissolved,
thus taki ng the oxygen f rom the sul phuri c acid and water;
the hydrogen (the other consti tuent part of the water) is
thereby l i berated and ascends.
To Copy Writing with a Flat-iron.
Mi x a l i ttl e sugar i n the i nk whi ch is used for the wri t-
ing. L ay a sheet of unsized paper, that is, soft whi te
paper, damped wi th a sponge, on tho wri tten paper, and
passing l i ghtl y over i t a flat-iron, moderatel y heated, a
copy may easily be taken.
To make Fringe appear about the Flame of a Candle,
P rocure two pieces of plate-glass, moi sten two of thei r
sides wi th water, put them together, and l ook through
them at the candle, when you wi l l perceive the flame sur-
rounded wi th beauti ful l y colored fri uges. Thi s is tho
effect of moi s ture i ntermi xed wi t h porti ons of ai r, and
presents an appearance s i mi l ar to dew.
To Produce Instantaneous Light upon Ice.
T hr ow upon ice a s mal l piece of potas s i um, and i t wi l l
burs t i nto a bri ght flame. _
To make Paper Fireproof.
T o accompl i sh thi s, di p a sheet of paper i n a s trong so-
l uti on of al um water, and when dry repeat the process
t wo or three ti mes. Whe n i t is thoroughl y dri ed, you
may put i t i n the flame of a candl e and i t wi l l not burn.
To Melt Lead-in Paper.
P rocure a very s mooth bal l of l ead and wr ap i t up i n a
pieco of paper, taki ng care that there be no wr i nkl es i n i t,
and that i t be everywhere i n contact wi t h the bal l . Ho l d
i t i n thi s state over the flame of a taper, and the l ead wi l l
be mel ted wi thout the paper bei ng bur nt. The lead, when
once fused, wi l l i n a s hort ti me pi erce the paper, and, of
course, r un through.
To Melt Steel as easily as Lead.
Wi t h a pai r of tongs or pi ncers hol d a piece of steel i n
the fire ti l l i t is red hot, then touch i t wi t h a s ti ck of bri m-
stone, when the contact wi l l cause the steel to mel t and
drop l i ke a l i qui d.
A Light that Burns for a Tear.
P ut a s ti ck of phosphorus i nto a l argo dr y phi al , not
corked, and i t wi l l gi ve a l i ght suffi ci ent to di scern any
obj ect i n a room when pl aced close to i t. I f the phi al be
kept i n a cool place, where there is no great current of ai r,
i ts l umi nous appearance wi l l be retai ned f or several
months .
Flame Extinguished by Gas.
P l ace al i ghted candl e i n a j ar, and l et carboni c gas bo
poured upon i t f r om another j ar. I n a f ew seconds the
flame wi l l be exti ngui shed, though tho eye is i ncapabl e of
observi ng that anythi ng is poured out.
I I OW T O DO T H E B L A C K A RT . 51
The Tobacco- Pipe Cannon.
Take of sal tpetre one ounco, crcam of tartar ono ounce,
sul phur hal f an ounce, beat them to powder separately,
then mi x them together. I ' ut a grai n i nto a pipe of tobac-
co, and when i t is l i ghted i t wi l l gi ve the report of a mus-
ket, wi thout breaki ng the pipe. B y putti ng as much as
may lie on your nai l i n a piece of paper, and setti ng lire to
i t, tremendous reports wi l l bo the result.
Prince Rupert's Detonating Glass llombs.
Those may be made i n the f ol l owi ng manner: Drop some
smal l pieces of common green glass, whi l e red hot, i nto
col d water, when they wi l l assume a tear- like form. The
spherical porti on wi l l bear very rough treatment, but tho
i ns tant the smal l est parti cl e of the tai l be broken off the
whol e Hies i nto countless fragments. Many experi ments
may be performed wi t h these curious drops, but, bei ng at-
tended wi th danger, are omi tted here.
To Wash the Sands in Molten Lead,
Take one ounce of qui cksi l ver, two ounces of good bole-
ammoni ac, hal f an ounce of camphor, and two ounces of
aqua- vi tae; mi x them together and put them i nto a braz-
en mortar, beati ng them wi th a pestle. R ub the hands al l
over wi th thi s oi ntment, and they may bo put i nto mel ted
lead wi t h i mpuni ty ; the metal bei ng poured upon them
wi l l nei ther burn nor scald.
To Make an Artificial Earthquake and Volcano.
Mi x equal parts of pounded sul phur and i ron filings, and
havi ng formed tho whol e i nto a paste wi th water, bury a
certai n quanti ty of i t (forty or fifty pounds for example) at
about the depth of a foot below the surface of the earth.
I n ten or twel ves hours after, if tho weather be warm, tho
earth wi l l swel l and burst, and throw up flame, whi ch wi l l
enlarge the aperture, scatteri ng around a yel l ow and
bl acki sh dust.
To Produce Fire from Cane,
The Chinese rattans, whi ch are used when spl i t for mak-
i ng cane chairs, wi l l , when dry, if s truck agai nst each oth-
er, gi ve l i r e; and are used accordi ngl y i n some places i n
l i eu of flint and steel.
To Soften Iron or Steel.
E i ther of the f ol l owi ng si mpl e methods wi l l make i ron
or steel as soft as l ead :
1. Take a l i ttl e cl ay, cover your i ron wi t h i t, temper i t i n
a charcoal fire.
2. Whe n the i ron or steel is red hot, s trew hel l ebore on
i t.
3. Quench tho i ron or steel i n tho j ui ce or water of com- .
mon beans.
To Fill with SmoJce Tivo Apparently Empty Bottles.
Ri nse out one bottl e wi t h harts horn, and another bottl e
wi t h s pi ri t of s al t; next br i ng the bottl es together mouth
to mouth ; both wi l l at once bo pervaded wi t h whi te va-
pors. The vapors i n questi on are composed of sal ammo-
ni aca sol i d body generated by tho uni on of two i nvi si bl e
gases.
To Make Luminous Writing in the Dark.
F i x a s mal l pieco of sol i d phosphorus i n a qui l l , and
wr i te wi t h i t upon paper; if the paper be then pl aced i n a
dar k room the wr i ti ng wi l l appear beauti f ul l y l umi nous .
To Make Bed Fire.
The beauti f ul red fire - whi ch is used i n the theaters is
composed of the f ol l owi ng i ngredi ents : F or ty parts of
dry ni trate of s tronti an, thi rteen parts of finely powdered
s ul phur, five parts of chl orate of potash, and f our parts of
s ul phuret of Anti mony.
To Make Green Fire.
T ake of flour of s ul phur thi rteen parts, of ni trate of
baryta seventy- seven, of oxymuri ate of potassi a five, of
metal l i c arseni c two, of charcoal three. The ni trate of
baryta s houl d be wel l dri ed and powdered.
To Make Wine or Brandy Float on Water.
T o perf orm thi s seemi ng i mpossi bi l i ty, take a tumbl er
hal f f ul l of water, and pl aci ng a piece of thi n mus l i n over
tho top of tho same, gentl y s trai n tho brandy or wi no
thr ough tho mus l i n, and i t wi l l remai n pn the top of tho
water.
To Make Beautiful Transparent Colored Water,
The f ol l owi ng l i quors, wl i i eh aro colored, bei ng mi xed,
produce colors very di fferent f r om thei r own. The yel l ow
ti ncture of saffron and the red ti ncturo of roses, when
mi xed, produce a green. Bl ue ti ncturo of vi ol ets and
br own s pi ri t of s ul phur produce a cri mson, Red ti ncturo
of roses and br own s pi ri ts of harts horn make a blue. Bl ue
ti ncturo of vi ol ets and bl ue sol uti on of copper gi ve a vi o-
l et color. Bl ue ti ncturo of cyanus and bl uo s pi ri t of sal
ammoni ac, colored, make green. Bl uo sol uti on of Hun-
gari an vi tri ol and br own l ye of potash make yel l ow. Bl uo
s ol uti on of Hungar i an vi tri ol and red ti ncturo of rosos
make bl ack. Bl ue ti ncture of cyanus aud green sol uti on
of copper produce red.
C o l o r e d F l a me s .
A vari ety of rays of l i ght aro exhi bi ted by col ored flames,
whi ch aro not to be seen i n whi te l i ght. T hus pure hydro-
gen gas wi l l burn wi t h a blue flame, i n whi ch many uf the
rays of l i ght aro wanti ng.
Tho flame of an oi l l amp contai ns mos t of tho rays whi ch
are wanti ng i n the s unl i ght. Al cohol mi xed wi t h water,
when heated or burned, affords a flamo wi t h no other rays
but yel l ow. T he f ol l owi ng sal ts, if finely powdered, and
i ntroduced i nto the exteri or flame of a candl e, or i nto the
wi ck of a s pi ri t l amp, wi l l communi cate to tho flame thei r
pecul i ar col ors :
Chl ori de of Soda (common salt) Y el l ow.
of P otash , , . P al e vi ol et,
of L i me . . . . Br i ck red.
of S tronti a, , . Br i ght cri mson,
of L i t hi a . . . . Red.
of B a r y t a . . . . Appl e green,
of Copper . . . Bl ui s h green.
Y el l ow,
Or ei ther of the above sal ts may be mi xed wi t h s pi ri t of
wi ne, as di rected, for R ed E i re.
<{
tt
a
t(
n
.t
Borax
Orange Colored Flame.
B ur n s pi ri t of wi ne on chl ori de of cal ci um, a substance
obtai ned by evaporati ng muri ate of l i me to dryness.
Emerald Green Flame.
B ur n s pi ri t of wi ne on a l i ttl e powdered ni trate of si l ver.
Instantaneous Flame.
Heat together potas s i um and s ul phur, and they wi l l in-
s tantl y bur n very vi vi dl y.
Heat a l i ttl e ni tre on a fire shovel, s pri nkl e on i t flour of
s ul phur, and i t wi l l i ns tantl y burn. I f i ron fi l i ngs be
thr own upon red hot ni tre, they wi l l detonate and bum.
T w o L i q u i d s M a k e a S ol i d.
Di ssol ve chl ori de of l i me i n water unti l i t wi l l di ssol ve
no mor e; measure out an equal quanti ty of oi l of vi tr i ol ;
both wi l l be trans parent fluids ; but i f equal quanti ti es of
each be s l owl y mi xed and sti rred together, they wi l l be-
come a sol i d mass, wi t h the evol uti on of s moke or fumes.
T w o S ol i ds M a k e a L i q u i d .
R ub together i n a mor tar equal quanti ti es of the crys-
tal s of Gl auber sal ts and ni trate of ammoni a, and the two
sal ts wi l l s l owl y become a l i qui d.
A S o l i d O pa que Ma s s M a k e s a T r a n s p a r e n t L i q u i d .
T ake the sol i d mi xtur e of the sol uti ons of muri ate of
l i me and carbonate of potash, pour upon i t a very l i ttl o
ni tri c acid, and the sol i d opaque mass wi l l be changed to a
transparent l i qui d!
T wo C o l d L i q u i d s M a k o a H o t Ono.
Mi x f our drams of sul phuri c aci d (oil of vi tri ol ) wi t h ono
dr am of col d water, suddenl y, i n a cup, and the mi xtur e
wi l l bo nearl y hal f as hot agai n aa boi l i ng water.
\ T o M a k e I eo.
Al though thi s tr i ck Is performed by means of chemi cal s,
yet i ts product is obtai ned real l y by tho use of mechani cal
l aws . Wo mus t remember that ico is exactl y the samo
thi ng as water so far as i ts composi ti on is eoncerncd, di f-
f eri ng onl y i n i ts state of densi ty.
I ce, water and s team d i i l e r j n densi ty through the pos-
session of a greater or less quanti ty of heat. Hence, tho
tur ni ng of water i nto ice real l y is a case of the operati on
of mechani cal i aws.
No w f or tho experi ment. P ut i nto a wi de- mouthed j am-
j ar a smal l er glass vessel contai ni ng the water to bo
frozen. Ar o und the l atter put a mi xtur e of sul phate of
soda (Gl auber's sal t) and hydrochl ori c aci d (spi ri ts of
salts). T he proporti ons mus t be ei ghti parts of the f ormer
to five of tho l atter.
The acti on of these two chemi cal s on one another is to
cause a col d of fifteen to seventeen degrees bel ow zero, or
forty- seven degrees bel ow freezi ng poi nt.
The same resul t may be obtai ned by mi xi ng equal parts
of ni trate of ammoni a and water. I n wi nter ti me when
the s now is on the ground, a mi xtur e of one part s now
and one part common tabl e sal t an i ntense col d of twenty
degrees bel ow zero is obtai ned.
F r o m thi s l ast fact we see how s tupi d are those people
who s pri nkl e the sal t on the pavements to get ri d of tho
snow. True, the l atter mel ts, but onl y after the produc-
ti on of I ntense cold, whi ch is the cause of many diseases,
not onl y sl i ght ones l i ke colds and chi l bl ai ns, but too
often the forerunners of cons umpti on and other l ung
troubles.
C u r i o u s C ha nge of C ol or s .
L et there be no other l i ght than a taper i n the room ;
then put on a pai r of dark- green spectacles, and havi ng
closed one eye vi ew the taper wi t h the other. S uddenl y
remove the spectacles and the taper wi l l assume a bri ght
red appearance; but if the spectacles be i ns tantl y re-
placed, the eye wi l l be unabl e to di s ti ngui s h anythi ng for
a second or- two. The order of colors wi l l therefore be as
f ol l ows : green, red, green, bl ack.
T he Me t a l l i c C ol or s .
The producti on of Mobi l i ' s ci rcl e is an el ectro- chemi cal
experi ment, very si mpl e and amus i ng, whi c h onl y requi res
ei ther a battery or a magneto- el ectri c machi ne.
I n order to produce a number of circles of vari ous de-
scri pti ons and bri l l i ant colors, a Bunsen battery is used I n
preference. P l ace i n a saucer, or an ordi nary round di sh,
a smal l pl ate of steel or ui ckel , connected by a brass wi re
wi th the negati ve pole.
The bottom of the saucer mus t be connected wi t h the
posi ti ve pole of the battery. T hen there mus t be poured
on the pl ate a s ol uti on of acetate of lead. The wi re whi ch
connects the >aucer mus t- be near tho metal pl ate, but
wi thout. touchi ng the l atter.
Af ter a l i ttl e whi l e a red spot wi l l appear on the pl ate,
and soon after i t wi l l rapi dl y extend and f orm concentri c
circles of pri s mati c colors.
Wi t h a l i ttl e practi ce a boy can calculate the ti me i t takes
toj obtai n the mos t beauti ful col ori ngs, and so vary the ef-
fects produced. Care mus t be taken, when the operati on
is termi nated, to wash the metal l i c pl ate and l et i t dry.
The colors are due to tho decomposi ti on of the l i ght
through the excess of the peroxi de of l ead deposited on the
surface of tho pl ate. I n order to obtai n good resul ts, tho
metal l i c pl ate mus t be careful l y pol i shed, and the s ol uti on
of l ead wel l filtered.
One may produce di fferent forms of figures, i n varyi ng
the mode, by means of a brass wi re bent i n the f or m of a
l etter or a desi gn.
Mobi l i 's circles resembl e Newton' s ri ngs. The col ors are
i ntense, 'and very pretty.
The renowned experi mental i s t di scovered thi s phenome-
na i n 1820. Since then vari ous modi fi cati ons have been in-
troduced.
1
I t is often resorted to f or or namenti ng s mal l
objects, l i ke buttons, pearls, j ewel ry, etc.
I nvi s i bl e I n k s .
B y means of these may bo carri ed on a correspondence
whi ch is beyond tho di scovery of al l not i n the secret.
Wi t h ono class of these i nks the wr i t i ng becomes vi si bl e
onl y when moi stened wi t h a parti cul ar sol uti on. Thus , if
we wr i te to you wi t h a s ol uti on of sul phate of i ron tho let-
ters are i nvi si bl e. On the recei pt of our l etter, you r ub over
the sheet a feather or sponge, wet wi t h a s ol uti on of nut-
gal l s, and tho l etters burs t f or th i nto sensiblo bei ng at once,
and aro permanent.
I f we wr i te wi t h a sol uti on of sugar of l ead and you
moi s ten wi t h a sponge or penci l di pped i n water i mpreg-
nated wi t h s ul phuretted hydrogen, tho l etters wi l l appear
wi t h metal l i c bri l l i ancy.
I f we wr i te wi t h a weak s ol uti on of s ul phate of copper,
and you appl y ammoni a, the l etters assume a beauti f ul
blue. Whe n the>mmoni a evaporates, as i t does on expos-
ure to the sun or [fire, the wr i ti ng di sappears, but may be
revi ved agai n as before.
I f you wr i te wi t h oi l of vi tr i ol very muc h di l uted, so as
to prevent i ts des troyi ng the paper, the manus cri pt wi l l
be i nvi si bl e except when hel d to the fire, when the l etters
wi l l appear bl ack.
Wr i te wi t h cobal t di ssol ved i n di l uted mur i ati c aci d ;
the l etters wi l l be vi si bl e when col d, but when war med
they wi l l appear a bl ui sh green.
Invisible Yellow Ink.
Steep mari gol d fl owers seven or ei ght days i n cl ear dis-
ti l l ed vi negar. P ress the fl owers and s trai n the l i quor,
whi c h is to be kept i n a bottl e wel l corked. I f you woul d
have i t s ti l l more clear, add, when you use i t, some pure
water.
T o make the characters vi si bl e whi c h you wr i te wi t h
thi s i nk, pass a Bponge over the paper, di pped i n the fol-
l owi ng s ol uti on:
T ake a quanti ty of flowers of pansy, or the common vi o-
l et, brui se them i n a mor tar wi t h water, s trai n the l i quor
i n a cl oth, and keep i n a bottl e.
Invisible Red Ink.
T o the pure s pi ri ts of vi tri ol or ni tre, add ei ght ti mes as
much water. Use the above sol uti on of vl ol etj to make
vi si bl e the characters wr i tten wi t h thi s i nk.
Invisible Violet Ink.
E xpress tho j ui ce of l emons, and keep i t i n a bottl e wel l
corked. Us e tho vi ol et i nfus i on to make tho wr i ti ng visi-
ble.
Invisible Green Ink.
Di ssol ve sal t of tartar, clear and dry, i n a suffi ci ent quan-
ti ty of ri ver water. Us e tho vi ol et sol uti on to render I t
vi si bl e.
Secrets thus wr i tten wi l l not be brought to the knowl -
edge of a stranger, because he does not know tho sol uti on
whi ch was used i n wri ti ng, and therefore knows not what
to appl y to br i ng out the l etters.
H o w t o R u b O u t T w e n t y C ha l k a
At Five Times, Rubbing Out Every Time an Odd One.
T o do thi s tri ck, you mus t make twenty chal ks or l ong
strokes upon a board, as i n the mar gi n :
T hen begi n and count backwards, as 20,10,18,17, 1
r ub out these four, then proceed, s ayi ng 10, 15,14, 2
13, r ub out these four, and begi n agai n, 12,11, 10, 3
9, rub out these, and proceed again,8, 7, 0, 5, 4
then rub out these, and l as tl y say4, 3, 2, 1; when 5
these f our are rubbed out, the whol e 20 are rubbed 0
out at five ti mes, and every ti me an odd one, that 7
is, 17th, 13th, 0th, 5th and 1st. 8
Thi s is a tr i ck whi c h i f onco seen may bo 0
easily retai ned; and the onl y puzzl o at first is, i t 10
not occurri ng to tho mi nd to begi n to r ub them 11
out backwards ; i t I s si mpl e as any thi ng possi- 12
bl y can be, and mi ght do very wel t when people 13
are social and good humored together; but when 14
they are flushed wi t h l i quor, and fracti ous by 15
nature, I advi se al l those who l ove peace and 1G
qui etness not to bo curi ous to kno w what they 17
cannot di rectl y comprehend, as one wor d bri ngs 18
on another, and tho consequenco may be move- 19
ment of the hands ; or you may, i nstead of deceiv- 20
i ng others, deceivo yoursel f.
T o P o u r C o l d Wa t e r I n t o a K e t t l o
And Make it Come Out Hot Without the Aid of Fire.
Y o u gi ve a pi nt of col d water to one of the company,
and taki ng off tho l i d of the kettl e, you request hi m to
put i t i nto i t ; you then put tho l i d on the kettl e; take
the pi nt, and the exact quanti ty of water comes out of the
kettl e boi l i ng hot.
Explanation.
T hi s tri ck is perf ormed by a kettl e wi t h t wo bottoms ,
boi l i ng water havi ng been previ ousl y conveyed i nto i t
thr ough the nose, there is no passage for the col d water,
whi c h is put i n where the l i d is of f ; consequentl y the hot-
water can al one pour out. ,
T hi s tr i ck may be vari ed, and for the better, as the heat
of the water may betray i t, s houl d the bottom of the ket-
tl e be f ul l . Y o u may therefore propose to change water
i nto wi ne or punch.
A coffee pot may be made on a s i mi l ar pl an; but a ket-
tl e is preferabl e, i t bei ng more l i kel y, f r om i ts size and
breadth, to baffle the exami nati on of the curi ous.
T hi s tr i ck may also be i mproved by an addi ti onal ex-
pense, so that whatever l i quor is on ei ther bottom may be
poured out occasi onal l y. F or thi s purpose there mus t be
a doubl e passage to the nose of the kettl e, and secret
spri ngs to stop. ei ther passage.
I I O W T O DO T I I E B L AC K AR T . 01
T h e C a n n o n B a l l T r i pk.
The i l l usi oni st borrows f r om tho audience two hats,
whi ch lie places upon tho table, and 6y way of di versi on
gi ves a bri ef l ecture upon head-dresses i n general, and
hats i n parti cul ar. " S h o w mo hi s hat, " says the profes-
sor, " a n d I wi l l describe tho man. Hero's your ' f l at
bri m, ' that' s a fast man. Here's your ' broad bri m, ' that's
a man of peace. Here's your ' unbr us hed ei ther- way-
f r o n t ' h a t ; that' s an unti dy bachel or. Here's your ' wel l -
wo r n' but s ti l l ' decent' hat, that' s a f ami l y man. A
Gi bus I that' s a pl ay- goer. " An d thus ho proceeds. No w
taki ng tho borrowed hats f r om tho tabl e he advances to
the company, when, l o ! on tur ni ng them over, out fal l s
the cannon bal l s, rol l i ng on the floor wi t h tho voico of
thunder. The secret is thi s : Any wor kman us i ng a l athe
can tur n a bal l of wood of a size bi g enough to go i nto a
l i at. Wh e n such is procured, a hol e about t wo I nches
deep and the size of the fi nger is made i n i t. The bal l is
then pai nted and bl ack- l eaded, and made to appear as
muc h l i ke tho real thi ng as possible. B y tho si mpl e con-
tri vance of the hole, the bal l can be l i f ted up i n the same
way, and wi t h as much oaae as a thi mbl e. At the side of
the tabl e that is f urthes t f rom tho audi ence placo the
bal l s, rai sed on a stool and a few books, to nearl y the l evel
of tho tabl e. Whe n the hats are taken up, there wi l l bo
no- di ffi cul ty whatever i n putti ng the bal l s i nto them un-
perceived, because as you dr aw the hats over the side of
the tabl e you can put on tho " thi mbl e; " then by bendi ng
the finger the bal l is I n the hat.
T o C ha nge t ho C o l o r of a B i r d o r F l o we r .
To accompl i sh thi s metamorphosi s, i t Is neccssary to
have carthern vases whi ch have l l ttl o edges or ri ms near
thei r mouths, and shoul d be of a size suffi ci entl y l arge to
hol d suspended the bi rd or fl ower whi ch yon i ntend pl ac-
i ng m them. Y o u shoul d l i kewi s e be provi ded wi t h stop-
pers of cork, of a di ameter equal to that of thei r mouths .
T o make an experi ment upon some bi rd, i t is necessary to
commence by maki ng a hol e i n the stopper suffi ci entl y
l arge to contai n the neck of tho bi rd wi thout s trangl i ng
i t. T hi s done, you di vi de the di ameter of the stopper i nto
t wo equal parts, so as to faci l i tate the pl aci ng of i t around
the neck wi thout doi ng i nj ur y to the bi rd. The t wo parts
bei ng br ought together, you pl ace at the bottom of the
vase an ounce of qui ckl i me, and beneath that a quarter of
an ounco of sal ammoni ac. Whe n you percei ve the effer-
vescence commence to take place, you pr omptl y i nsert tho
stopper, to whi c h the bi rd is attached, l eavi ng tho neck
outsi de. The pl umage of tho body, exposed to thi s effer-
vescent vapor, wi l l become i mpregnated wi t h the vari ous
colors produced by thi s chemi cal combi nati on. R emove
the stopper and tho bi rd, and you wi l l perceive i ts feathers
charged wi t h di vers shades. T wo or three mi nutes serve
to produce thi s effect, for you r un the r i s k of s ti f l i ng the
bi rd, if exposed for any l ength of ti me to thi s vapor. I n
experi menti ng upon a flower, the hol e I n the stopper need
onl y be l argo enough to hol d the stem, whi c h serves to
suspend i t i n tho ai r dur i ng the operati on, whi c h wi l l be
compl eted i n one or t wo mi nutes .
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41. I I OW'I 'O WHI TE TN AN AL1HTM.
15. TI I KHOY S OP NEW YORK MI N-
M
1
I I I i L GUI DE AN1) J UK I !
HOOK.
46. HOW TO MAKE AND USE ELEC-
TRI CI TY .
47. IIOW TO BREAK, HI DE AND
DRI VE A HORSE.
48. HOW T O B U I L D AND SAI L
CANOES
40. HOW TO DEBATE.
61). I I OW TO STUFF BIRDS AND
AN1.M A LS.
51. IIOW TO DO TRI CK S WITH
CARDS,
52. IIOW TO PLAY l i AHDS.
63. HOW TO WU1TI! LETTERS.
61. HOW TO KEEP AND MANA(3K
PETS.
55. HOW TO COLLECT STAMPS AM)
COINS.
56. HoU' T o BECOME AN ENGINEER
67. HOW TO J UK I ! MUSICAL 1N-
STKL.'V ES'I'S
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53.'HOW TO MAK E A illAOlC LAN-
TURN.
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61. HOW TO BECOME A BOU'I.EK.
62. HOW TO UKI'OMI! A \VEST
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03. HOW TO BECOME A NAVAL
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64. HOW TO MAK E EL ECTRI CAL
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6<i. HOW TO DO SL EIGHT OF HAND.
7(1. HOW To MAKE MAGIC TOY S
71. HOW T O HO MECHANI CAL
TRI CKS.
72. HOW TO DO SI XTY TRI CKS
WITH. CARDS:
73. HOW TO DO TRI CK S WITH
NUMISEliS.
71. HOW TO WRI TE LETTERS COR-
RECTLY.
76. HOW TO BECOME A CONJ UR-
ER.
70. HOW TO TE L L 10RTUNKS IIY
THE HAND.
77. HOW TO DO FORTY THICK!*
WI TH CARDS.
78. HOW TO DO THE l i i .ACK AI! I .
79. HOW TO IIECOM E AN ACTOR. |
k are for fla lo by netvs dealer* throughout IIJL' United States an-i
sent, post-pai d, to your address, oil receipt |>110 cems each.
Send YOUI and Address for Our Katcst Illustrated Catalogue.
Dicta Catalogs
t
4NK T OC S E Y , P ubl i s her,
34 & 36 NORTH MOORE ST.
No.
1. NAPOLEON'S ORACULUM ifc AND
DREAM HOOK.
2. HOW TO DO TRICKS.
3. HOW TO 1'LIRT.
4. HOW TO DANCE.
6. HOW TO MAKE LOVE.
6. HOW TO J IECOMK AN ATHL ETE.
7. HOW TO K EEl ' UllvDS.
8. HOW'I'O BECOME A SCIENTIST.
9. IIOW TO BECOME A VENTRIL O-
QUIST.
10. HOW TO IIOX.
11. IK IW TO WRITE LOVE L ETTERS
12- HOW TO W1UTE LET I'ERS TO
LADIES.
13. HOW III DO I T; On, BOOK OF
ETIQUETTE.
11. HOW TO MAKE CANDY .
15. IIOW TO BECOME 14it'll
HOW'I'O K EEl ' A WINDOW GAR-
DEN.
... IIOW TO Hit ESS.
1. ItOW I'O BECOME BEAUTIFUL .
FRANK TOUSEV'S U N I T E D
STATES DISTANCE TABLES,
POCK ET COMPANION A N D
GUI DE.
IIOW TO ENTERTAIN' AN EVEN-
ING PARTY .
21. IIOW I'O HUNT AND FISH.
11. IIOW'I'O DO SECOND SI GHT.
2.!. HOW TO EXPL AI N DREAMS.
'24. HOW TO Wl tl l 'E L ETTERS TO
GENTL EMEN.
25. IIOW TO BECOME A GY MNAST.
26. now I'O ROW, SAIL AND BUIL D
A BOAT.
27. HOW TO RECI TE AND HOOK OE
RECITATIONS,
"ill! Ni'.U' TO TEL L I'OIU'UNES
87 Mu^^MJ E Wj i l E A N INVENTOR
89 l,Vu!2V
L
oi.(',i;ir- A Sl 'KAKl i tt.
<10 Mnldonn'l iWJ '," B1C1 CLE.
91 LRtl Tommy A- '
92 Boarding-School "T/^'i ^v m mi e
93 Next Door; or, TL '^NL NDRUMS.
' F o r sale by a. "
3
' VOUROWN
Canada, or sent t- DOCS, POUL-
the pri ce, 5 cent' AND RABBITS.
* .vNDSETTItA PS.
J Y I TI J BI I OK.
O F N E W Y ORK
BOX 2730. ;'o
M
il A MACICIAN.